2020 Volvo V90 review: Good looks will get you far

It can be been four decades since Volvo 1st unveiled the V90 wagon, but damn if looking at one in my driveway isn’t going to make me a tiny weak in the knees. Probably it is the Bursting Blue paint. Probably it is the R-Layout styling tweaks. All I know is, whoever stated not to decide a e book by its go over plainly hadn’t laid eyes on the Volvo V90.

The R-Layout is established off by a a little bit distinct reduce front fascia and these 5-spoke, twenty-inch wheels, but even the typical V90 appears handsome as heck. The very low, extensive stance and loooooong profile are all amazing, as is the small front overhang, plus the LED lights features and generous dash-to-axle ratio. It can be a style which is the two placing and modern day but will definitely age very well. I would not modify a detail.

That longroof shape lends by itself to utility, far too. Fold the rear seats flat and the V90 gives 53.nine cubic feet of cargo place, which is about the same as a compact SUV. Admittedly, when passenger place is equally generous, that small general height signifies headroom can be an situation for taller travellers, in particular in the rear. At the very least the R-Layout comes typical with a panoramic sunroof, to make the cabin really feel as open and airy as achievable, which is in particular welcome given my tester’s all-black upholstery plan.

Up front, the driver and passenger are treated to super-comfy, super-supportive chairs. Every single single element of the V90’s inside is as wonderful to seem at as it is to contact, with delicate leather-based wrapping the dashboard and steering wheel and higher-excellent plastics on the doorway playing cards and heart console. I could do with out the abundance of piano black trim around the shifter and cup holders, as it receives really dusty really simply, but it is a modest criticism about an in any other case attractive cabin. Even the carbon fiber trim appears wonderful.

Volvo’s Sensus application handles infotainment duties, arranged on a nine-inch, portrait-oriented screen. I have experienced a love/dislike romantic relationship with Sensus about the decades and my expertise proceeds to be hit or miss. Irrespective of introducing processing electrical power, the V90’s procedure is generally sluggish to respond to commands at startup, but when it receives heading, people problems go away. I like that the two Apple CarPlay and Android Automobile are not only typical, but can be relegated to the bottom tile of the household screen so as to not consider about the overall interface.

What I don’t like, having said that, is that some of the hot points to access internet pages like the configurations menu are type of modest and easy to flub when driving. Swiping remaining or appropriate reveals distinct menus for distinct factors, but when the learning curve is a little bit steep, when you get to know Sensus, it gives a wealth of operation.

A electronic gauge cluster is typical and, when I recognize the minimalist technique to what data is fed to the driver, the screen is not as function-abundant as what you are going to locate in Audi, BMW or Mercedes-Benz merchandise. That stated, where by Volvo really ups the ante as opposed to the German competitors is its typical degree of active driver-help tech. Computerized crisis braking with pedestrian detection, a driver inform monitor, blind-place checking, cross-targeted visitors inform, adaptive cruise management, street signal data and Volvo’s Pilot Help tech, which provides steering help for freeway driving, are all typical on the V90.

Volvo gives its T5 and T6 engines below, which you are going to locate in pretty much each one of the firm’s other versions. The T5 is composed of a 2.-liter turbo I4 with 250 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, when the T6 — which is what I have below — provides a supercharger to the mix, resulting in 316 hp and 295 lb-ft. Curiously, the much less-effective T5 delivers its comprehensive torque thrust at just one,five hundred rpm when the T6 requires an more seven hundred rpm to create improve — and actually, given the V90’s relatively comfortable demeanor, unless of course you might be all about bragging legal rights, the T5 would seem like the way to go.

Which is not to say the T6 is not a wonderful motor. It delivers loads of electrical power and, even with having a turbocharger and supercharger doing work below the hood, general procedure is buttery clean. The 8-velocity automatic transmission is imperceptible in its motion and T6 versions appear typical with all-wheel travel for added foul-climate traction. If you stick with the T5, you might be locked into front-wheel travel, but which is not necessarily a dilemma a good established of winter tires can’t clear up. Besides, if it is rugged, go-anywhere capacity you might be soon after, could possibly I suggest the V90 Cross State?

Even with the excess electrical power and more driven wheels, the T6 set up is not that much much less effective than the T5. The EPA says a V90 T5 with front-wheel travel should return 22 miles for every gallon in the town, 33 mpg freeway and 26 mpg put together, when the T6 AWD lowers people numbers to 21, 31 and 25, respectively. Right after a 7 days of blended driving, I recorded 24 mpg.

On the street, the V90 isn’t going to really compel you to travel it difficult. The steering has wonderful weight, but feels a tiny numb. The V90 isn’t going to dislike becoming thrown into a corner and the chassis does a wonderful task of mitigating system roll on winding streets. Regrettably, the twenty-inch wheels and very low-profile tires of this R-Layout tester make for an generally brittle journey on Los Angeles’ crappy freeways.

Nonetheless, I really like driving the V90. It can be just easy. You can find wonderful visibility out the front and an Person driving mode permits you to tailor factors like the throttle, steering and even the brakes to your liking. Individually, I desire to depart it all in Comfort, since which is where by the V90 really shines. The R-Layout kit could possibly seem sporty, but the V90 is an easy-does-it kind of cruiser that’ll fortunately breeze by hundreds of miles at a time.

But this is the detail: You have to really want a V90 to get one. This wagon continues to be an get-only affair, meaning sellers don’t have them commonly in inventory, as an alternative focusing their attempts on the better-using V90 Cross State. At $53,090 to begin, such as $995 for vacation spot, the V90 T5 FWD signifies a $three,090 discount about the lowest priced Cross State, which can only be experienced in T6 AWD guise. And if you might be really hot on a Volvo wagon, there’s also the $forty,645 V60, which is a little bit scaled-down but makes use of the same engines. Will not neglect about the $46,095 V60 Cross State, possibly. Choices, selections.

The 2020 Volvo V90 is snug, useful and pretty wonderful to travel — and there’s a lot to be stated for the inherent exclusivity (read: amazing component) of a particular-get-only automobile. People who do make the excess energy to find one out definitely will not be upset. The style by yourself would make it a standout.