Brian Leon
The XC90 is Volvo’s strongest effort to date, but it does more than throw another capable player into a ring of competitive options.
Everything about the XC90 revolves around giving the driver everything they need to be comfortable, safe, and worry-free behind the wheel. Need is the operative word here, because while it may be cool to boast about the latest 500+ horsepower V-8 or night vision system in your new luxury car, none of those things are truly a necessity. The XC90 s and Volvo s as a whole, for that matter approach to luxury is about rewarding the driver with ease of use, and making everything inside and out of the car about usability. There s a heaping of the latest tech, sure, but it s all laid out and layered in a way that s intuitive to the user and doesn t put you at risk of running off the road while changing the scent settings in your car.
Brian Leon
The “Sensus” touchscreen dominates the center stack, and everything is ergonomically laid out where necessary and within reach of the driver.
The Sensus touchscreen is front and center, iPad sized so it s familiar to use, and only displays the immediately relevant information. I had expressed some frustration to Volvo representatives about how difficult it was to cancel a destination in the navigation system, and they simply told me: why not just use the voice commands? That s what we have them for. That s the essence of this SUV, and it carries through in every aspect. You may not know the name of the cow where the leather comes from like some luxury automakers would like to boast, but it s supple and comfortable nonetheless. This flagship ute is powered by a four-cylinder, but with Volvo s twincharging tech that utilizes both a super- and turbocharger, there s always plenty of power when you need it. The XC90 is less about power and handling precision (which really shouldn’t be paramount for an SUV, anyways), and more about comfort, convenience, and serenity.
Brian Leon
Open-pore wood and leather line the cabin of the Inscription trim, but this luxury SUV is less about excess and more about personal reward.
It s as quiet as a Bentley and as light as a BMW, but offers none of the excess you d find in rivals from the land of beer and sauerkraut. We love a good carbon fiber trim or aniline leather, but do we need either?
In total, it s hard not to love the XC90, because it offers so much of what buyers love about luxury SUVs in the most straightforward package to date. And the price isn t bad, either. Coming in at $66,705 (after $995 destination charge), the XC90 undercuts a similarly equipped BMW X5 and Audi Q7, the former of which offers less interior space. Sure, it doesn t have a roundel, star, or four-ringed badge, but why not do something different for a change?
Brian Leon
It may look like many other luxury SUVs on the road at first, but Volvo has succeeded in rethinking the concept almost entirely with the XC90.
In all, the XC90 leaves a lot to be excited for from the Swedish brand. With the handsome S90 sedan[6] dropping just last week in Detroit, it seems that Volvo is showing no signs of stopping, and they re doing it in their own way.
Tags: auto reviews[7] , 2016[8] , volvo[9] , xc90[10] , volvo xc90[11] , suvs[12] , luxury cars[13]
References
^ heaps of praise (www.nydailynews.com)
^ driven it a few times now (www.nydailynews.com)
^ launch drive in Europe (www.nydailynews.com)
^ parallel parking itself (www.nydailynews.com)
^ FOLLOW THE DAILY NEWS AUTOS ON FACEBOOK. ‘LIKE’ US HERE. (www.facebook.com)
^ handsome S90 sedan (www.nydailynews.com)
^ auto reviews (www.nydailynews.com)
^ 2016 (www.nydailynews.com)
^ volvo (www.nydailynews.com)
^ xc90 (www.nydailynews.com)
^ volvo xc90 (www.nydailynews.com)
^ suvs (www.nydailynews.com)
^ luxury cars (www.nydailynews.com)