Volvo is derived from the Latin word ‘volvere’ which means ‘I roll’ – also relating to the English words revolve, evolve and revolution.
It all begun in 1924 when Assar Gabrielson and Gustav Larsson set out to build a car that would withstand the rough Swedish roads and cold temperatures. Volvo is a premium brand made to be a powerful and smooth runner with safety as its priority. Over the years, Volvo has been a pioneer of many life-saving technologies and has been working relentlessly towards the recent safety mission statement that “no one will die in Volvo from 2020 onwards”. Driving the XC90 validates this claim.
The mid-size luxury cross-over SUV produced since 2002, and our featuring second-generation, was introduced in 2014. It’s based on Volvo’s scalable product architecture, the brand’s full-size unibody automobile platform. Safe, stylish and sophisticated, it’s something different from the German frontrunners and is as good as any premium brand, packing unique technology and a safety bias.
The XC 90 is not easy to classify; it’s a seven-seater with the qualities and dimensions of a five-seater. It competes against the likes of the Mercedes GLE, BMW X5 and Audi Q7, while having a foot in the full SUV segment, competing against the Mercedes GLS and BMW X7.
In short, this cross-over’s only real competitor is the Land Rover Discovery.
The XC 90 was designed by Thomas Ingenlath. It is handsome, chunky and stout in
appearance, hardly has any circular or elliptical styling and generally takes a firm stance in uniqueness. Strongly resembling its S 90 sibling, the XC 90 is rather angular with a modern and deliberately simple design – a typical Swedish signature.
The interior design is credited to Robin Page. Echoing the Swedish classic contemporary style furniture of Ikea, the XC 90’s dash has an ashy grey, almost black top, while the centre console and interface surroundings have a glossy black finish which blends in well with the aluminum strands, knobs, meshes and leather.
The seats are covered in Nappa leather, of which all are ventilated and heated. I have not seen front seats with more moving parts; in this case, powered seat bolsters and cushion extenders, lumbar, headrests and memory.
The fascia has a large iPad-based screen, displaying all driving modes, configurations, information and entertainment. The Volvo is fitted with a high-end Bowers and Wilkins sound system which complements its classic character.
In the XC 90, you are connected to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, internet radio, media apps and navigation thanks to the Volvo sensus connect. You also have Apple CarPlay, USB and auxiliary ports hidden in the centre console.
Our test car, the XC 90 D5, is driven by a two-litre twin turbo engine, giving it a 225hp/168 kW output and 470Nm of torque, allowing it to accelerate ferociously from 0 to 100km/h in seven seconds, climbing up to a top speed of 220km/h via a smooth eight-speed geartronic Aisin AW T-G81SC gearbox. The XC90 combines low fuel consumption with a high output while offering a linear, smooth and powerful drive.
With safety at Volvo’s core, the XC 90 is loaded with features such as: Driver alert with lane keeping assist; park assist pilot; pedestrian, cyclist and large animal detection in conjunction with autonomous braking; road sign information and speed limit display with warning; active high beam, and rear collision mitigation.
Volvo also has the most amazing park assist and driver aid cameras (virtual park assist 360) as the new crop is almost fully autonomous.
The XC 90 scores five stars in general safety, including all the finer details.
In a country with alarming crash statistics, why not opt for a Volvo? There’s no safer car on the road today.
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