Volvo V90 Review
The Volvo V90 is the estate version of the S90 saloon and is a left-field alternative to executive cars such as the BMW 5 Series Touring, Audi A6 Avant and Mercedes E-Class Estate.
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What's good
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Is the Volvo V90 a good car?
There was a time when Volvo estates were all about boxy space, but the Volvo V90 shows what today’s Volvo is all about – style. Its sharp nose and sweeping roofline help give it classiness that its German alternatives struggle to match. Inside, its interior is heavily influenced by the luxurious XC90’s – getting soft leather and natural wood throughout.
Two diesel engines, three petrols and a plug-in hybrid are available. The diesels consist of a 188hp D4 and 232hp D5, the latter coming with four-wheel drive as standard, the D4 sending power to the front wheels – but both getting an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The petrols are called T4, T5 and T6 with 190, 250 and 310hp and are smoother than the diesels but use more fuel. Lastly, the 390hp T8 petrol-electric hybrid boasts huge performance, cheap running costs for company car drivers and an ability to move under electric power alone.
The V90 shares its underpinnings with the XC90 SUV, so don’t expect a sporty ride like you get in a BMW 5 Series – instead the Volvo rivals the Mercedes E-Class’ comfort.
The V90 is a rival to premium estate cars at a great price
Safety credentials are impressive, with an advanced automatic emergency braking system detecting not only people and cars, but animals as well – coming as standard and a semi-autonomous driving assistant that follows the markings on the road.
The Volvo V90 may not have the boot-capacity-bragging rights of its forebears, but in every other area it’s a truly worthy alternative to the Germans. Volvo expects the more-powerful D5 to be the best-seller and we can see why – it’s just about fast enough for all occasions and cheap to run, too. It may not have the dynamic edge of the BMW 5 Series, but with its plush cabin and relaxing ride the V90 fits the remit of a premium load-lugger and has every right to be at the top of executives’ shopping lists.
So, if you want to see the kind of offers that you can get, go to our Volvo V90 deals page.
How practical is it?
The Volvo V90 provides more than enough space for four adults and their luggage, but it may well be a surprise that some alternatives do have bigger boots
What little the Volvo V90 lacks in outright boot capacity, it more than makes up for with lots of useful features that help make it easy to live with on a day-to-day basis
What's it like to drive?
Being closely related to the XC90 SUV means the V90 can’t challenge the BMW 5 Series Touring on driving dynamics, but then it wasn’t supposed to.
The V90 is pretty agile for what it is and the autonomous tech works wonders in a traffic jam
What's it like inside?
Excellent quality throughout, but the portrait infotainment system can frustrate
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