Nearly new buying guide: Volvo XC90

Volvo whitethorn person pulled disconnected galore splendid tricks with this second-generation Volvo XC90 – notably its awesome refinement, astonishing practicality, sybaritic luxury and 7 wholesome and precise usable seats. 

But the instrumentality for which it should truly beryllium applauded is however it makes this artlessly slab-sided but space-maximising luxury SUV look truthful devilishly handsome. 

The first-generation XC90 was a spot of a peach to look at, too: each fruity and softly rounded. This aboriginal 1 is simply a larger, much purposeful and muscular four-square chariot intelligibly intent connected doing immoderate it takes to barge the likes of the Audi Q7 retired of the arena.

The XC90 besides pulls disconnected the instrumentality of being decently aspirational and desirable, contempt ne'er offering immoderate much than a four-cylinder motor nether its imperious bonnet. Buy an older 1 and it makes for a terrific utilized buy, too, with prices mode nether fractional what you’d wage for a caller one. 

And there’s plentifulness of justification for doing so. On the road, each of those four-pot engines are creaseless and connection decent performance. Delivering plentifulness of low-rev pull, the diesel (D5 oregon B5) is an awesome performer. It picks up quickly, and getting up to motorway speeds is an effortless experience. The T8 hybrid has plentifulness of shove too. 

The lone flaw successful its different admirable comfortableness is that larger imperfections tin beryllium felt astatine little speeds, adjacent connected XC90s equipped with aerial suspension. It’s worthy pointing retired that versions with smaller wheels thin to thrust amended than those with the larger instrumentality option.

It’s possibly not astonishing that the XC90 can’t lucifer the sportier BMW X5 oregon Porsche Cayenne for outright handling finesse, but it’s connected a par with the Audi Q7 and overmuch sharper to thrust than the wallowy Land Rover Discovery. 

The XC90 is reasonably refined, though determination is simply a small motor noise, particularly from the diesels, and immoderate roadworthy roar and suspension sound tin marque its mode into the cabin, making the XC90 not rather arsenic quiescent arsenic the waftier Q7. 

That interior is wonderfully classy and highly comfortable. The driving presumption is terrific, visibility is bully and the seats are supportive. The infotainment is controlled done a ample 9.0in tablet-style touchscreen that looks stunning but tin beryllium fiddly successful to use. 

As acold arsenic prime goes, it looks the part, with a premix of astute materials crossed the dashboard and astir the centre console. There are soft-touch fabrics crossed the apical of the dash, positive gloss-black inserts astir the infotainment surface and gearlever. 

Space up beforehand is plentiful, successful the mediate enactment it’s genuinely fantabulous for 3 and adjacent successful the rearmost 2 seats determination is much than capable country for 2 children oregon adjacent adults for shorter journeys. 

Flexibility is first-class with these seats, too, with each mode of options being available. Boot abstraction is immense successful five-seat mode and adjacent awesome with each 7 seats up.

Our apical spec

Momentum: Go for Momentum trim, which gives you each the instrumentality you’ll request (and more) portion being the cheapest connected the utilized car forecourts.

Buyer beware

Recalls: Volvo had to callback astir 70,000 diesel-engined UK cars owed to imaginable motor fires. Owners are told to wage attraction to immoderate ‘unusual smells’ coming into the interior, if the motor informing airy illuminates, oregon if the motor hesitates nether acceleration. 

There person been 3 recalls for airbags that mightiness not deploy correctly during a collision, and successful March 2020 Volvo recalled astir 750,000 vehicles worldwide amid concerns that their autonomous exigency braking (AEB) systems are faulty. Check with your section trader that each remedial enactment has been carried out. 

Reliability: In our sister mag What Car?’s astir caller reliability survey, the XC90 placed sixth retired of 11 cars successful the luxury SUV category. Volvo arsenic a marque ranked 17th retired of the 32 manufacturers featured.

Need to know

Prices commencement astir £20k. Spend £22-27k connected a 2016-’17 car, £28- 35k connected a 2018-’19 car, £40k-up connected a 2020-’21 car oregon £50k for a 2022. 

Diesel D5 does 44.1mpg; B5 petrol does 32.5mpg and the B6P 30.7mpg . T8 claims 134.5mpg. 

Cars aboriginal than April 2017 pull a higher-rate VED taxation betwixt the 2nd and sixth years. Fees are presently £165 a twelvemonth (£155 for the hybrids) oregon £355 a twelvemonth for the luxury tax. VED for cars registered earlier alteration depending connected CO2.

Our pick

D5: This older diesel is our prime of the range, if you’re spending much connected a aboriginal exemplary the B5 diesel would beryllium different bully choice. It provides plentifulness of poke coupled with sensible substance economy.

Wild card

T8 PHEV: Can you defy a ample and luxurious SUV that tin spell from 0-62mph successful 5.8sec yet inactive spot 7 successful comfortableness and besides tally connected electrical powerfulness unsocial for a imaginable 27 miles? Of people you can’t.