In a market of luxury SUVs offering better technology and more compelling design, it feels slow and dated
by HANNAH ELLIOTT
WHEN I drove the 2020 Volvo XC90, I admired its sense of restraint, comfort and style inside an interior lined in lovely wool trimming. It wasn’t particularly thrilling to drive, but the nice things inside the cabin compensated for its bland if capable performance.
So I eagerly anticipated my time in the 2025 Volvo XC90 T8, the plug-in hybrid version of the six- or seven-seater (depending on which seat configuration you choose). Volvo gave its 10-year-old rig an update earlier this year, adding subtle changes to things like the lines of the hood and the headlights and tail lights. It also added a new user-experience system with a larger screen and new seating configurations with sustainable upholstery options, as well as mechanical updates to the suspension and additional sound isolation in the cabin.
But it should have gone deeper on that upgrade.
Now in a vastly different market of luxury SUVs offering better technology and more compelling design, the XC90 feels comparatively slow and dated, especially with a price tag north of US$80,000 (RM349,600). Rather than feeling fresh in this segment, it’s fallen toward the back of a pack that includes SUVs like the Porsche Cayenne and BMW X7 and even some nonluxury options like those from Hyundai.
The Essentials
The XC90 T8’s 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine and electric motor are paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. Total output is 455hp and 523 lb ft of torque. Combined fuel economy is roughly 27 miles per gallon (mpg).
Suggested retail pricing starts at US$80,700. Extras, like the Bowers & Wilkins premium sound system, pushed the total price of the one I drove to US$88,695.
The XC90 retains its light-drenched and spacious cabin with a panoramic sunroof
The Good
The XC90 retains its light-drenched and spacious cabin with a panoramic sunroof and a dashboard and trim that look nicely tailored in woven textiles, along with the crystal-plastic shifter that’s become a Volvo signature.
Its front seats and steering wheel heat to a toasty degree when activated; two captains chairs in the middle of the car offer ample legroom for adults (the rear row of seats is more cramped). The new grille looks distinctive and elegant, like metal woven into a large, loose chevron pattern that tarts up the otherwise ageing body almost enough to make it noticeable. (I still walked right past mine, in Mulberry Red, having parked it outside my Pilates class on Third Street, and then after dinner outside a Laurel Canyon institution and also on Little Santa Monica Boulevard as I window shopped down Rodeo Drive. I’m not name-dropping here, just telling you that it feels nondescript in multiple hoods around Los Angeles.)
If you do see that grille in your dealer lot, you’ll know you’re looking at the latest, most refreshed version of the XC90 available, which Volvo markets as the “2025.5” model.
The touch screen is mounted on top of the dashboard, making it look aftermarket
The Bad
The technology in the XC90 is the worst thing about it. It has an 11.2-inch touch screen mounted on top of the dashboard rather than integrated within it, making it look aftermarket. The multiple steps required to do anything as basic as adjust music are so radically confusing and distracting to make the system almost inoperable. I never could suss out which screen was supposed to be “Home”; instead every time I turned on the vehicle I was confronted by a wall full of apps I never intended to use.
One telling example: A message repeatedly told me that Apple CarPlay had to be accessed via plugging in my phone rather than accessing it wirelessly as in many premium automobiles; separately, after a week of driving, the mysterious Bluetooth system never synched with my phone. Lord knows I tried. (A spokesperson did not respond after I detailed the failure; I’d asked whether there was a trick to it or it was just faulty.)
Two captains chairs in the middle of the car offer ample legroom for adults
It didn’t drive much better. The XC90 thrust forward almost randomly as I accelerated down Sunset Boulevard. The brakes and steering felt crude under even the slightest duress; weaving through traffic it had more body rolls than the Michelin man. The driving dynamics felt far worse than I remembered from 2020, but I suspect it’s simply a case of improvement across the segment while the XC90 has remained stagnant.
While it will go 32 miles (51.5km) in electric-only mode, and there is regenerative braking, fast-charging is not an option. Charging to full on a standard plug will take five hours.
What bodes worst of all for the XC90 is that Volvo Car AB is suffering in general. Its sales in March fell 10% from a year earlier, with its fully electric sales tumbling 26%. Now US President Donald Trump’s additional auto tariffs, if they stick, mean the XC90 T8, which is made in Sweden, will likely become more expensive in the US in the near future, if it’s even sold here at all. The Volvo spokesperson did not respond to my questions regarding the XC90’s future in the US.
The vehicle has maximum cargo space of 653l when the 2nd row of seats is folded up
If You Remember One Thing
While it once led its class in style and design, the latest Volvo XC90 hybrid needs a real update. This little boost was needed, but it misses the mark. — Bloomberg
- This article first appeared in The Malaysian Reserve weekly print edition
The post The new Volvo XC90 hybrid SUV needs a total overhaul appeared first on The Malaysian Reserve.
