Volvo XC90 Review 2024

If you’re after a big, luxurious SUV with seven seats, but you want a bit more style, charm and character than the myriad German offerings can muster, then the Volvo XC90 will be right up your street. 

While the styling of many rivals could be accused of being overly conservative - even borderline derivative - the Volvo XC90 offers a real dose of individuality. Inside and out, it looks modern, yet timeless. Classy, yet funky. And it’s that effortlessly cool vibe that makes the Volvo XC90 a real breath of fresh air in the class.

That's not the car’s only trick, mind you. It has the space, practicality and versatility to slot straight into the life of any large family, thanks to a huge passenger compartment, an ingenious seating system, and a huge boot. Chuck in a very capable driving experience, impressive mechanical refinement, loads of standard equipment and you have an extremely appealing family bus.

If you’re after a big, luxurious, premium SUV, there’s no shortage of choice. Any German manufacturer worth its salt will offer a variety of choices, and don’t rule out the likes of Land Rover and Lexus, either. However, the fact that the XC90 comes as standard with seven seats sets it apart slightly, because although most rivals can be specified with seven, many only have five as standard. 

For that reason, the Volvo XC90s most direct rivals are the Audi Q7 and Land Rover Discovery, but the BMW X5, Mercedes GLE, Porsche Cayenne and Lexus RX will also be vying for your (considerable amount of) cash.

The Volvo XC90’s interior is the perfect match for the outside, because it gives exactly the same impression of style, sophistication and classiness. 

The swish, modern design is unlike anything else you’ll find in the class, and most of the materials used are just as high-grade as those you’d find in rivals from Audi or BMW. If you’re really nit-picking, there are one or two surfaces dotted around the place that aren’t of quite such a high standard as those touched most regularly, so there isn’t quite the feeling of sturdiness and faultless attention-to-detail that you get from the German cars mentioned. It’s really not far behind, though, and it still feels like a wonderfully inviting, high-class environment.

And that’s in the most basic Core trim with its leather seats, gloss black panelling and chrome trims. Move up the range, and things get posher. The Plus has a panoramic glass roof and Harmon Kardon stereo, while the Ultra gains front massage seats with ventilation, and a Bowers and Wilkins stereo system.

Previously, Volvo offered Momentum (much the same as Core), Inscription, and R-Design models, the latter adding sporty styling bits like a sports steering wheel and a black headlining, while Inscription cars have higher grade leather on the seats, leather on the dashboard and plush wooden inserts.

Most of the Volvo XC90’s functions are operated through the portrait-orientated 9.0-inch touchscreen system in the middle of the dash. The graphics are crisp, clear and stylish, which adds to the interior’s modern feel, and for the most part, the system works pretty well thanks to logically arranged menus.

However, it’s not quite up to the standards of the best-in-class because the screen transitions can sometimes be a little slow. Touchscreens are also more distracting to use on the move than dial-operated systems, but it’s good news that the Volvo’s voice-control system is actually one of the better ones out there.

All the regular functionality you’d expect is present-and-correct - stuff like DAB radio, navigation, Bluetooth - and so are a few things you might not. For example, there’s wifi for up to eight devices, and you can operate some of the car’s functions remotely through your smartphone. 

Volvo now includes Apple CarPlay with the XC90, where it didn't with earlier cars of this generation, but none come with Android Auto as standard on the basic versions. You either have to pay extra for a stereo upgrade, or bought one of the pricier ‘Pro’ models - worth looking out as a used buy. These also get a head-up display, but all cars get the digital instrument display that replaces conventional dials.

No car of this size and type struggles to make life comfortable for lofty folk in the front, and the Volvo XC90 is no different. There’s loads of headroom and legroom, and the wide cabin gives you lots of shoulder space, too. Cabin storage is impressive up front. The glovebox is bigger than most, there are two cupholders and a cubby in the centre console, while the big door pockets will hold a large water bottle, as well as a bunch of other stuff.

Similarly, you’d have to be built like a Harlem Globetrotter to struggle to get comfy in the middle row of seats. The Volvo XC90 is marginally more generous than most of its rivals for head- and legroom, although the former does reduce a smidge if you go for a car with the optional panoramic roof. 

All three middle-row seats can be slid, reclined or folded independently of each other for maximum versatility, and there’s also enough shoulder space that all three can be occupied by an adult all at the same time in reasonable comfort. That said, whoever winds up in the middle will get a harder, less comfy seat than those either side, and will also have to straddle the bulky transmission tunnel.

Unlike in many rivals, even the seats in the third row (which are standard across the board) have enough space for an average-sized adult, but if you’re six foot or more, you’ll definitely want to shotgun one of the pews further forward. It’s also worth noting that you even get seven seats with the plug-in hybrid version of the Volvo XC90. With the equivalent versions of most rivals -the Audi Q7 for example - the rearmost row has to be deleted to make way for the batteries.

Even with all seven seats in place, there’s enough boot space for a weekly shop, and if you drop the third row, the boot becomes absolutely massive, meaning pushchairs, golf clubs and suitcases can be carried with ease. Turn your XC90 into a two-seater, and the cargo space on offer puts many vans to shame. What’s more, because all the seats easily fold flush into the floor, the load area you get is perfectly level.

The Volvo XC90 measures 1771mm in height, 4953mm in length and 2008mm in width (2140mm including door mirrors).

It’s worth paying attention here, because the XC90s engine range is rather confusing due to Volvo’s decision to completely change the naming convention during the 2019 facelift.

Early cars came with a choice of three engines, a D5 diesel, a T6 petrol and a T8 plug-in hybrid. The 2.0-litre, four-cylinder D5 diesel was easily the most popular, and for good reason. Despite being the weakest engine on offer at 225PS, it still provides all the go that most buyers need, and it does a very decent job on fuel economy. The T6 was also a 2.0-litre, but used both a supercharger and turbocharger to produce 320PS. Yes, it was considerably quicker than the D5, but it was also more expensive to buy and much thirstier.

The T8 offered the best of both worlds, because its two power sources (the T6 petrol engine and an electric motor) combined to produce more than 400PS. This made it the quickest XC90, but with an official fuel economy figure of 134mpg (according to old-style NEDC tests), it was also the cleanest. 

Shortly before the facelift, an entry-level petrol version was introduced, called the T5 which developed 250PS. Then, when the facelift occurred, all the D (diesel) and T (petrol) engines (except the T8) were re-labelled as B engines to signify that they’d been fitted with a new energy-recovery braking system, effectively making them all mild hybrids. Other than the name and a few tweaks, though, these engines were all the same ones as before. Now, Volvo only offers the B5 petrol as a mild hybrid and the T8 plug-in hybrid.

Overall, we reckon the T8 is the best choice if you can stump up the cost, but it is rather pricey compared with the others. If your budget doesn’t stretch that far as a used buyer, then either the D5 or B5 diesels (which are the same, confusingly) are the ones to go for. All cars come with a slick eight-speed automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive as standard.

Judged in isolation, the XC90 does a really good job here, because overall, it’s a quiet car. The T8’s ability to run solely on electric power alone makes it the quietest version, and you can bimble around at low urban speeds with barely a whisper. You can hear the petrol engine when it kicks in, but it’s not noisy or abrupt when it does so, and it stays quiet and smooth in most circumstances. 

However, if you bury the throttle pedal and ask for maximum acceleration, you will hear the engine become a little raspy. It’s a similar story with the other petrol engines.

The diesel is the noisiest of the bunch, making itself heard for more of the time, and it also sends more vibrations into the cabin through the controls and the seats. Even so, it’s hardly like rolling along on a John Deere; this is still an impressively hushed car. Not quite as quiet as a Q7 or Discovery, perhaps, but not far off.

Wind- and road noise are both very well contained regardless of your speed, even if you can hear the suspension doing its work over scruffy surfaces. The automatic gearbox in all versions works reasonably smoothly, too.

The Volvo name is synonymous with safety, so you probably won’t be dumbfounded to learn that the XC90 is a proud member of the five-star club when it comes to Euro NCAP crash tests. In fact, every Volvo tested  since 2001 can claim the same, and even despite the firm’s own high standards, the XC90 is one of its highest-scoring models.

That’s even less surprising when you look at the vast amount of safety kit on board that is standard-fit regardless of which version of the XC90 you pick. As well as all the usual stability and traction aids, there’s also an automatic emergency braking system that’ll slam on the stoppers if it detects an impending collision with another car (or pedestrian, or cyclist, or large animal.) A speed limit display, a lane-keeping aid and speed limiter should also help you avoid trouble.

If trouble manages to find you, there are seven airbags in all - including full-length curtain ‘bags that cover all three rows of seats - along with front seats that have active anti-whiplash head restraints. New XC90s come with blind spot monitoring and a driver attention warning, too, as well as Pilot Assist to help guide the car to keep it in lane.

Standard front and rear parking sensors - plus a reversing camera - should help you avoid parking dings and all versions except the plug-in hybrid get a spare wheel rather than a pot of sealant.

When it was first launched, Volvo claimed the T8 plug-in hybrid version could cover 26 miles on electric power alone, before the petrol engine kicked in and helped out. Under laboratory conditions, that is, because the actual range you’ll get will depend on a wide variety of factors including traffic conditions, how hard you drive and ambient temperature. In the real world, we’d say you’re more likely to get around 20 miles or so.

With the later T8 models, Volvo has revised its EV driving range to 45.4 miles in mixed driving, which works out to around 30 miles for most drivers not trying to eke out the very last from every zap of electricity.

Volvo puts in a fairly middle of the road performance in the annual HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index. We're not aware of too many issues with the XC90, aside from a few reports of electrical gremlins – particularly with PHEV models. It is quite a complex car, of course, but no more so than rivals.

Insurance groups for this generation of XC90 range between 37 and 44, which means there won’t be a vast difference between the cheapest and most expensive premiums. True, such disparities could make a fairly big difference to young, newly qualified drivers, but let’s face it, most potential XC90 buyers will be of an age and income level where that shouldn’t be an issue. And for these folk, tiny fluctuations in insurance costs are unlikely to be deal-breaking in their choice of car.

Buy a car registered before April 2017, and what you’ll pay in road tax between each version will differ greatly. The good news for those after the PHEV is that you’ll pay nothing in VED thanks to its super-low CO2 emissions. Pretty tempting, that. Mind you, buy a D5 of the same vintage and you’ll pay £200, while T6 buyers pay £320.

For cars registered after that date, though, the VED system changed so that all cars with a list price of more than £40,000 - which includes all XC90s, unfortunately - get clobbered with an additional surcharge of £390 on top of whatever the car’s CO2 tax banding demands you pay. So, aside from the odd fluctuation of a tenner here and there, all XC90s will get stung for an annual VED bill of around £570 until they reach their sixth birthday when the surcharge is dropped.

If you’re a company car driver, the hybrids are the best shout with groupings between 15 and 17, while all the other models sit in group 37.

The names of the three main trim levels stayed consistent throughout the XC90’s life until 2022. Up to that point, there were Momentum, R-Design and Inscription, although exactly what you got with each one shifted around a wee bit, with more being added to the standard roster as time has went on. Here, we’ll concentrate on the newer, post-facelift cars, so bear in mind that a few items might be missing from older examples.

To be honest, we can’t see much point in looking past the entry-level Volvo XC90 Momentum for used buyers because it’s really well equipped. Aside from the infotainment and safety kit we’ve already talked about, your standard roster includes automatic lights and wipers, keyless go, heated (in the front) leather seats, a hands-free powered tailgate and dual-zone climate control. That’s pretty good, right?

The Volvo XC90 R-Design models cost a lot more and add mostly sporty visual upgrades inside and out, although the climate control is enhanced to four-zone and you also get handy bits like heated washer nozzles and integrated sunblinds in the rear.

The Volvo XC90 Inscription costs a bit more still and puts a focus on a luxury feel rather than a sporty one, and come with upgraded leather with seat ventilation, plus ambient lighting. The ‘Pro’ models (Volvo XC90 R-Design Pro and Inscription Pro) add some pretty desirable bits like a heated steering wheel, smartphone integration, massaging front seats, a Harman Kardon stereo and air suspension, but they’re really expensive.

When Volvo changed the trim names to Core, Plus, and Ultra, the titles changed but the equipment levels remained broadly similar to their equivalent earlier versions.