Volvo not left wanting with new flagship S90
Occasionally — very, very occasionally — you will find one which rewards that intuition developed down the years and which instinctively tells you that you’ve come across a complete corker. The Volvo S90 is such a car.
Looking at it, certainly, will fill you with admiration for those Swedes who designed it. A very solid-looking piece of kit, sure, but one whose exterior design still oozes beautifully subtle touches and catches your eye in a way which only special cars do. But looking is only one thing — driving is another completely.
The stirring thing about the S90, however, is that while it looks the part of being a genuine contender for the class leaders in the cut-throat mid-size executive class — against such as the Lexus GS, the Mercedes E-Class, the Jaguar XF, the Audi A6, and the BMW 5 Series — it actually drives like one too.
We may remember past Volvo’s of this ilk, such as the S80, which were fine and dandy to look at, safe as Microsoft shares but nowhere near the opposition when it came to driving dynamics. The S90 has re-written that book.
Then again, I suppose, if you add the $1.8bn (€1.6bn) Chinese outfit Geely Automotive paid Ford for Volvo to the $11bn (€9.8bn) it says it will invest in product development at the formerly Swedish company, then I suppose you would reasonably expect to see something rather spectacular emerging. Some of that $11bn has already been spent, of course, but the results have been encouraging to say the least.
We have already seen the excellent XC90 SUV, which truly put the cat among the pigeons in its’ class, but everyone wondered if Volvo could keep up that stellar level of performance and continue to produce cars that were at once jaw-dropping to look at also and brilliant to drive. Well, wonder no more, because they have.
And, if this evidence is to be accepted on face-value, then the forthcoming V90 estate and cross-country versions — as well as a battery of lesser models — will continue to propel Volvo into the stratosphere, rattling the cages of all its’ major competitors as it hurtles ever upwards.
Indeed if the Germans and the Japanese are not already looking over their collective shoulders, then they should be. I have to say that I did think the S90 would be good, but not as good as it turned out to be.
Some will forever maintain that as a front wheel drive car, the S90 is always going to be a sub-standard competitor for the rear-drive Mercedes and BMW opposition, but that is the standard position for many people and they will rarely be persuaded otherwise.
But, being a front-wheeel driven car has not exactly killed the A6 stone dead (although the 4x4 quattro option is available — as will a 4x4 option be offered with the Volvo).
In my experience, however, I’ve driven few better front wheel drive cars than this one. With 188-odd horses coming from the twin-turbo diesel Volvo D4 engine and being transmitted to the wheels via an eight-speed gearbox, the S90 could easily have been a terrible, understeering monster with little by way of sophistication to recommend it — but it is not.
All too often in large front-wheel drive cars, a pliant and useable engine is next to useless because if you turn the steering wheel under any sort of acceleration, the thing will plough on in a straight line regardless of your efforts. But this one, fitted as it was with a double wishbone layout up front and an integral link (with optional air sprung system fitted) set-up at the rear, gives you excellent grip levels.
The generally floaty ride feeling this car gives you does, however, take a little bit of getting used to, as does the jarring suspension rebound when you hit really bad potholes, but on the whole the ride quality is excellent. The steering feels weighty and solid and there is genuine satisfaction to be had from pushing this thing hard on roads you would think it should hate.
That said, undoubtedly while its’ true metier is highway driving, it is not the squishy mess previous Volvos have been. Sure it does not feel as willing to be stretched as, say, a 5-Series, but when you do get stuck in, it turns out to be a very credible companion indeed.
And what of that interior? Well, Audi would previously have been regarded as the benchmark in this area, but once more Volvo has asked questions of itself and its’ designers and neither has been found wanting. From the neat Swedish flag stitched into the leather faced upholstery, through to the walnut inlays, the sense of detailing is almost overpowering.
Mention must be made also of the excellent Sensus system’s 9in touchscreen infotainment controller which is not only one of the most instinctive and easy to use of its kind that I have encountered, but it also obviates the need for actual switches which would otherwise clog up what is otherwise a pretty minimalist cabin, but not one lacking in genuine sophistication. The novel ‘twist’ start/stop is really neat too.
Volvo needed this car to be a genuine and credible contender and that is exactly what it has built. It is a hugely satisfying thing to drive and to live with, both for the person behind the wheel and those who come along for the ride. Genuinely this is everything Volvo wanted it to be and it is going to cause huge ripples in the executive car pond.
Take a look for yourself; it won’t take long to be persuaded.
Colley’s VERDICT
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from €48,400 - €75,195 as tested.
a decently powerful unit, which is also notable for its stingy consumption and excellent emission levels.
Volvo has taken a leaf out of the book written by its’ German rivals: standard prices are decent, but adding spec. is going to hurt your wallet.
a compelling executive contender.
