Review and test Volvo XC90 D4, where design and comfort go hand in hand

The Swedes are synonymous with design, and in this Volvo XC90 they live up to the stereotype with flying colours. It can be described with many adjectives, but without a doubt it takes the prize for the most eye-catching luxury SUV on the market. The Volvo XC90 is a true ode to design, both in its unconventional exterior and its impeccable interior. But a car, besides being good-looking, has to have other attributes that attract buyers, and precisely in this test of the Volvo XC90 D4 with 190 CV we are going to analyse in depth this Swedish bet, from the entry-level diesel engine but with the highest and most complete trim level.

Exterior design

The Volvo XC90 has been on the market for some time and still remains a car that surprises and catches the eye of any passer-by or driver wherever it goes. A large part of the blame lies with its imposing front end, with a very large grille and a highly vertical design, where the headlights in the shape of a “reclining T” crown a very personal and elegant design. The brand curiously defines the shape of the headlights as Thor’s hammer, headlights that feature LED technology for all lighting functions, and the T even doubles as daytime running light or indicator.

There is one detail at the front that I find improvable: the position of the fog lights, located at the lowest part of the bumper, very exposed to a knock or scrape if the car leaves the tarmac. The side profile is much more continuous, with lines that give it robustness, and 20-inch alloy wheels completing the image of a large SUV.

At the rear, the light units extend from the glazed part of the tailgate to the centre, something that already happened in the previous generation, with LED lights. The rest of the design has, however, been simplified, with a tailgate of smoother lines and the double exhaust outlet at the bottom adding a sporty touch.

Interior design

All the design seen on the outside extends into the interior, with contemporary lines, a sense of quality from the moment we sit behind the wheel, and the central screen in the purest style of the tablet of a certain apple-branded brand (from where all multimedia and climate functions are controlled). It dispenses with button panels and leaves only a few direct-access buttons for some radio functions and for defrosting both the rear window and the front windscreen.

The dashboard in this trim is covered in leather, while the rest of the materials used are of high quality, such as the aluminium in different contrasting areas of the dashboard or the steering wheel buttons. The instrumentation is fully digital, with good visibility in all kinds of conditions and abundant information on screen; it is, however, hard to get used to the layout of the menus.

From the doors to the lower trim, it uses first-rate materials that have nothing to envy in quality from the elite saloons of German brands. That said, our test unit had a light-coloured interior even on the lower parts, and it is very easy for it to get stained, and those stains are not easy to remove; perhaps for the lower areas a dark finish would be more practical.

The driving position is elevated, as is typical for an SUV, with seats that in our unit were leather with heating but not micro-perforated (an area for improvement). Thanks to the electric adjustment it is easy to find the ideal position, and they also have memory. Visibility is good both to the front and sides, and even to the rear, while the steering wheel, despite its large size, is not uncomfortable.

In the rear seats space is king: there are three independent seats with more than enough room for both head and feet, seats that can be moved longitudinally or have the backrest angle adjusted. It has a raised central tunnel, but even so it allows a correct journey in the central seat (which folds up to be used by a child, a practical detail), and it also has rear air vents with independent climate control. Three adults will travel comfortably, and two will do so in business-class style.

The third row consists of two small seats that, being set on the floor, do not have much legroom, although they are not among the worst I have seen in this type of SUV, since an adult can travel there without much trouble. The width of the seats is adequate and they have climate control.

Storage and boot

Besides having quite a lot of interior space, it also has practical glove compartments of considerable size: the main glovebox, which is large, as well as the space in the central tunnel, where keys and a phone fit, up to the huge central storage compartment, all contribute to a sense of practicality. The boot has a capacity of 692 litres, and the capacity with all seven seats in use is 314 litres (very usable). It also has a superb finish across all trims.

Engine: 2.0 four-cylinder for both petrol and diesel

One of the curious features of the Volvo XC90 engine range is that all of them, both petrol and diesel, are based on a 1,986 cc four-cylinder powerplant, of 100% Volvo origin. Differences then appear depending on the version, such as in the diesel range where there is the D4 with 190 CV and the D5 with 235 CV, the latter with twin turbos.

We have tested the entry-level variant of the diesel range, that is, the Volvo XC90 with the D4 engine with 190 CV and front-wheel drive (all-wheel drive is available in the more powerful variants) paired with an eight-speed Geartronic automatic gearbox (torque converter), which is still manufactured in Japan. A pleasant gearbox in normal use, though it does not particularly stand out for speed when driven more dynamically.

The engine does not overflow with power; this is especially noticeable when driving on the road in a spirited manner. However, on the motorway or in relaxed driving it is a powerplant that performs correctly. In fact it is very willing: it tries to deliver its strength (400 Nm) at all times and starts pushing from 1,500 up to 3,500 rpm, giving a good usable range. That said, its 2 tonnes of weight do not make things easy for it.

On the plus side is its smoothness, so much so that at times it disguises itself and makes us think we are in a six-cylinder; only its sound gives away that under the bonnet there is really a two-litre four-cylinder. Acoustic insulation is outstanding, not only on the move but also thanks to the low noise level of the engine.

Handling

The XC90 has several driving modes -ECO, Comfort, Dynamic and Individual-, modes that affect the throttle response, steering and suspension. But sportiness is not where this Swede excels, nor what it sets out to achieve. It is a fairly large SUV, weighing over two tonnes, and behind the wheel you notice certain inertias that are entirely understandable, without amounting to a bothersome flaw.

Where it does stand out is in interior comfort, both through soundproofing and its ability to isolate the occupants from everything happening on the road surface, making it an ideal car for long journeys. The steering also has a feel consistent with all of the above: it is quite assisted and does not transmit much of what is happening at the wheels, while the braking system performs flawlessly in keeping the XC90 under control, with outstanding efficiency.

Consumption

On paper the Volvo XC90 D4 homologates an average consumption of 5.2 litres per 100 km. It is true that this figure is somewhat distant from the consumption we measured in our test, but the 6.5 litres per 100 km in mixed traffic that we obtained on our usual route is a good figure. On the motorway, consumption over our usual Madrid > Vigo > Madrid route was 7 litres per 100 km. The figure that surprised us most, however, was in the city, where it settled at 7.8 litres per 100 km, a good result.

Equipment

We begin our review of the Volvo XC90’s equipment with safety, one of the features for which the Swedish firm stands out. In Euro NCAP tests the Volvo XC90 earned five stars, with a score of 97% for adult occupant protection and 87% for child occupant protection. Within the standard safety equipment fitted to every Volvo XC90 we highlight: multiple airbags, a knee airbag for the driver, stability control, unintentional lane-change assist, emergency brake assist, and active cruise control with queue assist (the car resumes or brakes automatically), among other elements.

Among the rest of the equipment we can highlight the full-LED headlights, which offered excellent illumination, the automatic emergency braking system with pedestrian detection, the blind-spot assist in the wing mirror (which, although it warns visually, emits no sound), or the rear traffic radar that warns of cross traffic when manoeuvring.

The lane departure warning system and Pilot Assist deserve a separate mention. The unintentional lane-change warning system, besides issuing a warning when we drift out of our lane, also takes over the steering to try to correct the trajectory and bring us back within the lines. Building on this base and adding adaptive cruise control with a braking function, we have the Pilot Assist. That is, a system that steers and accelerates or brakes autonomously on the road or motorway up to 130 km/h. It works correctly, although it does not reliably detect every type of road marking, but that is not attributable to the car but to the condition of our roads.

In the multimedia section, the “tablet” stands out, from which the entire multimedia and navigation system is controlled, with very fast and fluid operation. Some vehicle functions (such as climate control) are also controlled from the touchscreen, a screen that takes a few days to get used to (although once accustomed, it is easy to use).

Alongside the multimedia system is a set of speakers (10 in total) with adequate sound quality. Although I have seen systems with fewer speakers and better output power, at least it comes as standard. Another area for improvement is that some vehicle functions controlled from the touchscreen, such as activating the automatic parking system, require “several taps” on the screen (it should be more accessible).

Price of the Volvo XC90

The Volvo XC90 is available from 54,900 euros with the Kinetic trim and the 190 CV D4 diesel engine. Our unit, the Volvo XC90 in Inscription trim, reaches 67,034 euros. If we move up to the 235 CV D5 engine, the price starts at 60,500 euros in Kinetic trim. The plug-in hybrid XC90 T8 closes the range at 81,550 euros.

Opinion and personal assessment

The Volvo XC90 has won us over with its design, undoubtedly one of the attractions many buyers will consider, but in addition the interior presentation is impeccable. The materials used, the quality, the space and the interior layout itself can without hesitation be called premium; indeed it is above some of its rivals. In terms of dynamics, its orientation is not towards dynamism: it is a large car and it seeks comfort. Furthermore, this 190 CV D4 engine is adequate, pleasant in operation, but if we are going to drive the car with more than two occupants or loaded, the next step up, the D5 with its 235 CV, is highly recommended. That said, if we drive calmly and do not have a large family or usually travel with the car fully loaded, the D4 is a logical powerplant.

The XC90 stands out for its equipment, both in terms of safety (where it remains at the forefront) and in the rest of the systems, especially the multimedia and vehicle control system. The tablet from which the whole car is controlled is innovative, elegantly designed and fast.

Ver las 47

Photos | Test team

Technical specifications of this car

Off-RoadVolvo XC9010 versions · from 82,200 €