At one time, the purchase of a Volvo sedan suggested several things about your personality.
First, you were probably a big fan of the 90-degree angle. Like, a reaaaally big fan.
Secondly, you probably also enjoyed bumper stickers. Maybe you had a cardigan or two. Or 12. Perhaps you owned a tweed jacket with suede elbow patches. Maybe you enjoyed debating literature and smoking a pipe. Maybe you did both semi-professionally.
Once upon a time, the Volvo sedan represented quiet, outside-the-box thinking. It also looked like a box. It was a car for college professors and the like, those who spurned the thrusting image of the fast BMWs, or the decadent luxury of a Mercedes.
Over the years, however, two issues arose. First, the Germans got very good at expanding their offerings to include interesting niche models, including some excellent diesels. Further, as Volvo moved upscale to match the Teutonic competition, Subaru swooped in and started offering its own take on what constitutes a niche vehicle. Sales drooped, even as curvier designs like the S80 appeared in the early 2000s.
Now, however, Volvo is back. With the XC90 crossover and this related S90 sedan, Volvo is trading on other attributes of its Swedish heritage: style, design, luxury. Can it still find enough of a niche to get a foothold in the market?
Design
Things look good initially, with the S90’s handsome front end. The headlights have a well-executed signature T-shape, and the diagonally slashed grille and circular Volvo symbol give the car some character.
This still is, however, a softly-spoken Swede. Especially in today’s market, where luxury brands can’t issue a press release without using the words “dynamic” and “aggression” at least 24 times each, the S90’s appearance is muted and soothing. It is no longer a box, but it does tend to fade into the background somewhat.
To my mind, that’s a benefit. The last thing we need is yet another mid-sized luxury sedan with a front end that looks like the result of a box fan having an affair with a cyborg. The S90 continues its good looks around the sides, stumbling slightly with a taillight treatment that’s a little too fussy.
Nineteen-inch alloy wheels are standard, with 20-inch wheels optional. Neither are particularly overwrought, but I’d just stick with the 19s for slightly better ride comfort.
Environment
Volvos have always had some of the best seats available at any price. Of particular excellence were the thrones in the old V70R.
The S90 doesn’t have quite the amount of bolstering you get in the R models, but it does feature seats that both look and perform beautifully. This would be a great car for long distance travel, leaving the driver refreshed rather than feeling like their spine was an Ikea bookcase assembled without instructions.
Throughout the interior, the S90’s designers have clearly made an effort to achieve a cohesive feel. Using plenty of matte-finish wood creates a warm-feeling cabin, with the proviso that lighter materials are harder to keep looking fresh and clean as the car ages.
Cargo space is solid at 500 litres, though the back seat isn’t quite as roomy as you’d expect. The middle seat in the rear is basically a jumpseat, compromised by both elevation and the raised transmission tunnel.
Central to the clean-feeling design of the dash is the main infotainment control, a vertically-oriented touchscreen. This isn’t a new idea, and in something like the Tesla Model S you can get a much larger screen.
The Volvo’s screen, however, is both better integrated and less distracting than the Tesla’s massive pad. As with most portable touchscreens, you can navigate right and left between different menus; that you can do so while wearing gloves points to where this car comes from. The screen system is mostly intuitive, but as there’s a great deal of depth here that the owner’s manual doesn’t cover clearly, make sure you pick a dealer with a good reputation for thorough delivery procedures.
Performance
To start the S90, the driver twists a faceted knob to clockwise, rather than pushing a button. With a far off thrum, the four-cylinder engine hums to life.
Yes, four-cylinder. While many cars in this class are transitioning from eight cylinders to turbocharged V-6s, Volvo has jumped straight into the boost cycle with a twin-charged 2.0-litre engine. Twincharging combines both supercharging and turbocharging to cram plenty of air and fuel into an engine, while avoiding the lag of turbocharging and inefficiencies of belt-driven supercharging.
It’s an unusual technology, but the folks at Volvo are past masters of forced induction. The old Volvo 240 even did battle in Group A racing, fitted with a massively force-fed engine.
In terms of power delivery, the S90’s engine sounds plenty boosty, but feels relatively linear. An eight-speed transmission handles shifts smoothly, and while there are optional driving modes to make things more aggressive, everything feels relatively light and lively in standard mode.
On one hand, a less vault-like feel than your run-of-the-mill Mercedes can be refreshing. On the other hand, the Volvo’s slightly heavy steering and firm-riding 20-inch wheels might not please everyone shopping for a luxury sedan.
However, removing weight off the nose has imbued the S90 with a character that’s lighter than the competition. All-wheel drive is standard, and combined with the well-crafted interior, it’s a car that feels well-balanced and composed in any weather.
Features
Volvo calls its top-trim S90 the Inscription, and it comes very well equipped. Optional packages include three-level heated and cooled seats to semi-autonomous lane-keeping features, with the total price tag for my tester cracking $80,000. Oddly for a safety-focused company, blind-spot detection is optional.
Fuel economy is very good for this class of vehicle, helped out by that small-displacement engine. Achievable official figures are 10.8 (litres/100 kilometres) in the city and 7.6 on the highway.
Green light
Beautifully styled; clean, refreshing cabin; useful infotainment.
Stop sign
Smallish rear seats; ride is a little harsh on 20-inch wheels; engine sound lacks character.
The checkered flag
One stylish Swede.
Competitor
BMW 5 Series ($61,500): Long the choice for those looking for a sporty business suit, the all-new 5 Series offers a huge range of engines stretching all the way up to the mighty twin-turbo V-8 of the M550. A plug-in hybrid is on offer, as are four and six cylinder versions.
Compared to the S90, the new 5 Series is a bit more of a sprinter, with a cabin designed in typical Bavarian spartan style. There’s a great deal of redundancy to the controls, making it fairly flexible (though Volvo’s solution is simpler).
Essentially, the S90 is warmer and less sporting, while the BMW still feels made to hunt out the best backroads.
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