• New Cars
    • First Impressions
    • Road Tests
  • Classics
    • Classic Profiles
    • Classic Driving Impressions
    • Classics Information
    • Events and Days Out
  • Motoring For Fun
  • News & Views
  • Bookshelf
  • Technical
    • Grumpy Old Mechanic
    • Kim’s Tips
  • Features
    • Visits
    • Track Days
  • Contributors
    • About our contributors
    • Kim Henson
    • Chris Adamson
    • Kieron Fennelly
    • Ant Henson
    • Rachel Henson
    • David Miles
    • Gerald Morgan
    • Dave Moss
    • Dave Randle
    • Robin Roberts
    • Tom Scanlan
    • Glen Smale
    • Jeremy Walton
    • Keith Ward
    • John Price Williams
  • More…
    • About Wheels Alive
    • Tips for using this website
    • Useful Links

Wheels Alive

Old cars, new cars, borrowed cars & blue cars. If it steers it's here!

Old cars, new cars, borrowed cars & blue cars. If it steers it's here!

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Best Christmas Car? Volvo V90 Road Test

Author/Source: Keith Ward

10th December 2016

Volvo V90

Best Christmas Car? Keith Ward nominates the Volvo V90…

FIRST sign of a change in season – you are grateful for the optional Winter Pack fitted to this Volvo V90. So – heated windscreen and washer nozzles, a headlight cleaning system 
and, really spoiling yourself, a heated steering wheel. That’s a total £525 to you sir, madam.

That other winter boon of heated front seats is fitted as standard, no extra charge, to every V90. With icy surfaces in mind, so is Volvo’s run-off-road protection. Should the car inadvertently leave the highway, the front seat belts automatically tighten while a collapsible section of the seat frames helps prevent spinal injuries. A “Volvo On Call” app allows the driver to remotely heat the cabin in advance.

And if you suddenly happen upon Santa’s sleigh, something called Large Animal Detection helps to prevent collisions “with animals such as deer” by scanning the area in front of the car and automatically applying the brakes in an emergency if you fail to react in time.

Altogether, the V90 is an impressive combination of estate car practicality, plush interior and up-to-the-minute gadgetry. It is already collecting gongs, the latest (28th November 2016) being no less than ‘Best Estate in the World’, from TopGear (correct) Magazine.

Practical? The broad tailgate raises electrically. (The only blip here is that in normal five-seat use the luggage cover concertinas upwards rather than fully retracting, so restricts access to the deep boot.) But there’s a pop-up buffer and strap in the boot to stop your shopping sliding around. And at a touch, the rear divided seats and headrests slam down to extend the boot floor, already flush with the rear sill to ease loading, to almost six feet (1,780 mm on our tape).

That narrowly beats even the enormous Skoda Superb Estate (just under £36,000 in its poshest form) as well as Volvo’s Mercedes and BMW premium class rivals in this respect, although the German duo win on overall cargo volume thanks to their squarer body shape. The V90 majors on style and sloping sleekness, a world away from those boxy Volvo estates of the 1970s.

Plump and comfortable seats are faced in leather and there is limo-type space in the rear. A feature of the quality cockpit is a nine-inch, touch and swipe centre screen, from the XC90. “It is designed to operate like a smartphone or tablet – even when you’re wearing gloves”, boast Volvo. There’s a small library of sub-menus to leaf through.

But it does demand your attention, and perhaps too much, on the move? Volvo are not alone in this headlong techno-fashion trend, but could it prove a chink in their hitherto industry-leading armour of safety? In general, should simple inhibitors restrict some functions to when a car is stationary, with the parking brake applied?

Then there’s Pilot Assist and Adaptive Cruise Control, the semi-autonomous drive technology that is fitted as standard to all V90s. This pioneering driver aid takes care of the steering, acceleration and braking at up to 80 mph, helping to make long motorway journeys less stressful and tiring. Also standard are dual zone climate and real-time navigation with traffic info.

The V90 comes initially in a six-strong range, perming three levels of trim with two auto-transmission diesel engines – a 190 PS D4 or a 235 PS PowerPulse D5 with All Wheel Drive – at prices between £34,555 and £44,055.

We tried the base D4 Momentum, but with options including full-leather upholstery, powered front seats with driver memory and alerts for blind spot overtakers and rear cross-traffic, raising the price to £38,880.

A surprising omission on such a large car was a rear view camera – listed at another £400, or £700 for a 360-degree surround view. And owners with heavy loads to transport or tow might consider self-levelling rear air suspension at £950.

Several long journeys conducted in great comfort were included in a week’s effortless motoring of 700 miles at an average of over 48 mpg from the well insulated four-cylinder diesel, which is no slouch. A low CO2 rating means a lowly £30 annual VED after a free first year.

On the way: a 4WD V90 Cross Country, with increased ride height and modified chassis, at prices £39,785 to £43,585 for delivery early 2017.

Volvo, still Swedish-based but Chinese-owned since 2010, saw sales in the first nine months of this year rise by 7.63 per cent in the UK and by 9.6 per cent globally. For them, a Happy Christmas seems assured.

Volvo V90

Wheels-Alive Tech. Spec. in Brief:

Volvo V90 D4 Momentum auto.

Five-door; five-seat estate.

Vital statistics: Length 4,936 mm (194.3 in); width 2,019 mm (79.5 in); ht 1,475 mm (58.1 in). 
Boot Length 1,170 mm (46.1 in) extending to 1,780 mm (70.1 in); min width 1,020 mm (40.1 in); volume 723 – 1,526 litres (25.53 – 53.89 cu.ft).

Weights: Kerb 1,696 kg (3,739 lb); max total 2,310 kg (5,093 lb); max towing (braked) 1,800 kg (3,968 lb).

Engine: Diesel; 2.0 litre; four cyl; 2WD; 8-speed automatic.
188 bhp @ 4,250 rpm; max torque 295 lb ft (400 Nm) @ 1,750–2,500 rpm

Performance:

0–60 mph: 8.0 secs.

Top speed: 140 mph.

Fuel consumption: On test 48.3 mpg (Official Combined 62.8 mpg); tank capacity 55 litres (12.10 Imperial gallons).

Emissions and taxation: CO2 119 g/km; Band C; VED nil then £30; Benefit-in-Kind tax rate 23%.

Insurance Group: 27E

Price: £34,555; as tested, with options £38,880.

Rivals (Prices from): Mercedes E-Class estate £36,660; BMW 5-series Touring £33,315; Audi A6 Avant £35,095.

Save Post as PDF

Categories: Keith Ward, Road Tests Tags: estate

Tip: For improved search accuracy, enclose search terms for multiple words in quotation marks. For example:
"Land Rover".

Advertise with us

Recent Posts

A summer of fun at Beaulieu

Lakeland Motor Museum kicks off the start of The Club Triumph Coast 2 Coast Run

The Motor Ombudsman marks nearly one million contacts as ADR Regulations reach a decade of service

INEOS Grenadier ups its game with portal axle collaboration

New Chief Executive Officer for The British Motor Museum

Legacy of Austin pedal cars honoured with Blue Plaque at original factory site in Bargoed

Kia EV3 GT Line S – Road Test

National Motor Museum to take Sunbeam 350hp Blue Bird to Wales for the World Land Speed Record centenary

Contributors

contributors

Our well-respected contributors live and breathe motor cars; aren’t we lucky?

Contributors to the site include talented, highly-respected people (so they tell me) on the hallowed membership list of the Guild of Motoring Writers, and from the similarly well thought-of Western Group of Motoring Writers. In addition there are valued contributions from other knowledgeable and capable motoring writers who have something useful to say about all aspects of driving and running vehicles in the 21st Century. All of our team are passionate about motor cars!


Read about our contributors  ››

Tags

EV 4x4 Estate car Beaulieu crossover City car all-electric saloon plug-in hybrid British Motor Museum road test First Impressions hatchback Compact SUV Kia The Motor Ombudsman PHEV Tyres luxury SUV National Motor Museum Seven seater SUV Electric large SUV estate SUV Coupé Suzuki MPV Hybrid five door hatchback

All Tags ››

Like us on Facebook

Like us on Facebook

Wheels Alive Social

  • E-mail
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Please share our website

Contact us

We welcome your questions, comments and feedback. Please click here to contact us.

Advertising Opportunities

Please contact us if you would like to discuss advertising opportunities on Wheels Alive.

Copyright © 2025 Kim Henson, Wheels Alive