The New Volvo XC90 Doesn't Mess With Success: First Drive Review (2024)

The current onslaught of bigger, angrier, pointier, more aggressive… er, cars, can be both entertaining and incredibly tiresome. Ever sharper angles and power bumps to shave precious seconds off your commute may well cause the people at the bar to turn green with envy, but nine tailpipes barking a fetid symphony at six in the morning will do little more than piss off your neighbors and give you hearing damage.

There are some people out there who don’t care for such things. In fact, quite the opposite. They like peace, serenity, and pleasant things. For them, the Volvo XC90 exists, and it’s just been given a new lease on life.

First introduced in 2002, the XC90 was Volvo’s first ‘proper’ SUV—and it was aimed squarely at the US. With chunky looks, a raft of powertrains, and Volvo’s hallmark eye on keeping you and your kin safe, it found a market and ran with it. The second-generation XC90 launched with a cleaner look and some neat tech in 2015, and, just shy of a decade on, it’s still with us.

The 2025.5 XC90 (as Volvo made sure to specify) isn’t an all-new car—it’s based on the same platform as the 2015 model, and the majority of the body is the same. The new EX90-aping front end is neat though, as are its new taillights. Inside there’s a new version of the old car’s Google-powered infotainment system to help bring it in line with the firm’s EV offerings, and some shiny new materials to keep things fresh. There’ll be three trim levels—Core, Plus, and Ultra—which will net you a varying variety of kit.

Americans will get three powertrain options: The B5 and B6 mild hybrids, and the top-tier T8 plug-in hybrid. The B5 and B6 mix a 2.0-liter gas engine with a turbocharger, while the T8 adds an 18.8-kilowatt-hour battery (14.7 kilowatt-hours usable) and a 145-horsepower electric motor to a boosted 2.0-liter gas with 310 horsepower. Each derivative sends power to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Photo by: Volvo

The new XC90 gets a choice of two suspension setups. The first is FSD, which, in this case, isn’t a still-in-beta experiment on the masses. It stands for ‘Frequency Selective Damping.’ This setup uses specially designed dampers to keep the ride decently soft up top while making sure the car gets over the rough stuff. The other option is super plush air suspension for ‘riding on a cloud’ vibes.

Trying out the B5 and T8 around Sweden, neither motor seemed like it could do with more grunt. The B5, though at a significant power disadvantage to its bigger brother, wafted along neatly. When I needed to make progress there was enough on tap to get me where I needed to go. The B5’s 250 hp did sound a touch labored when I gave it a prod, but once it was up to speed, it was fine. The eight-speed gearbox changed ratios quickly, and smoothly. Volvo says it should get between 25.5-27.6 MPG on the combined EPA cycle, but I saw 29.4 MPG in mixed driving.

Photo by: Volvo

Pros: New Face Looks Excellent, It's Refined As They Come, It's Huge

The T8’s extra power is more than ample, too. With smooth electric assistance popping up as and when needed to help things along. Volvo says you can travel on electric power alone for 33 miles at highway speeds, so if your commute is short or you’ve got charging at work and home, you could theoretically go weeks without needing to fill the tank. The spec sheet says it could manage over 58 MPGe on a combined run, but I saw 35.3 MPG while out and about in the Swedish countryside (more than its 27 MPG combined EPA rating).

It comes with a handful of drive modes, but unless you’re going off-road and need it primed for a splashette of mud here and there, you’re best leaving it in ‘Hybrid’ and going about your business. There’s a setting for giving it the beans, but it doesn’t really fit with the vibe of the car. The vibe is not one of excitement. Quite the opposite, frankly.

Photo by: Volvo

Photo by: Volvo

No matter which powertrain you have, it’s a big, wafty, quiet car. There’s no fingertip-tingling feedback through the wheel. It won’t bellow at you under load. Corners aren’t taken flat. With either suspension setup, it’ll roll and wallow a bit—though the air is slightly squishier than the steel—and that’s just fine.

As you’re gliding to your destination, you can admire Volvo’s use of wood, the way the ambient lights gently glow and make the cabin feel like you’re in a mobile hygge hut. You’re comfortable in your surroundings and make gentle progress. You’ll get out of the XC90 after a long drive and have no recollection of its tertiary ride, steering feel, or how the weight transfer on the air suspension feels a touch detached from the steering in speedier corners.

Photo by: Volvo

Cons: Not An Enthusiasts' Car, PHEV Can Be Noisy, It's Huge

Instead, you’ll remember how comfortable your passengers (up to six, depending on spec) were as they listened to the wonderful Bowers and Wilkins stereo (a $3,200 on the Ultra model), and how insulated you were from the outside world thanks to improved sound deadening. You’ll be dazzled by how smart the Google voice assistant is—it gets contextual commands, so you can tell it you’re hot and it’ll turn the A/C down, or you can ask it a question like, ‘Was Bauhaus a band in the 1980s?’ and it’ll find out the answer for you. (Yes they were, and no their music was not excellent).

Volvo’s tweaked UI makes navigating its various menus easy, though returning to the Map screen after digging around was always something of a faff. That didn’t matter too much though, because directions are spoken at you, shown on the digital instrument binnacle, and via a swish head’s-up display. If you still get lost, you may be without hope. You’ll enjoy the new wireless charging phone cradle in the center console. And, obviously, you’ll enjoy getting to your destination unscathed because as the XC90 is a Volvo, it’s all about active safety tech.

Photo by: Volvo

Photo by: Volvo

After a decade kicking around, the time is right for the XC90 to have a fresh face. The design is wonderful and it will keep it looking shiny for years to come, and the drive is—if you can remember it—A-okay. It’ll do everything you want entirely fuss-free, and it won’t irritate the Dan and Carol next door when you leave for work at an ungodly hour.

No drama, in this case, is a very good thing indeed.

Competitors

• Audi Q7
• BMW X7
• Genesis GV80
• Infiniti QX60
• Mercedes-Benz GLE

Update: The original version of this story listed the latest Volvo XC90 as a 2025 model year vehicle for the US. Volvo has stated that the XC90 is a 2025.5 model year for the US. The story has been updated to reflect that.