First Drive: Volvo XC90 mashes the opposition

In the end, it all comes down to where in your own personal universe you receive Swedish design. If your only conscious exposure to the products of Sweden is Ikea, with its Billy bookcases, disposable lamp shades and 50 cent ice creams on the way out, then perhaps €70,000 for a big, Swedish family SUV is a bit steep.

If, though, you accept that, when it comes to producing premium products, Sweden really can be viewed on a similar level to its great Hanseatic rival across the Baltic sea, then perhaps Volvo might be making a valuable point here. Does premium, after all, have a set nationality?

We've been here before – 13 years ago, when Volvo launched the original XC90. Back then, SUVs were either big, hulking and not very safe, or they were ultra-expensive Range Rovers. The XC90 was designed to be safe, usable, friendly to drive and just within the financial reach of reasonably affluent families.

Rumour has it that when Wolfgang Retile, then boss of Ford's Premier Auto Group (to which Volvo then belonged, alongside Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin), first saw the XC90, he described it as a Range Rover-killer. He should know: he oversaw the development of the 2002 Range Rover.

Here we are again then. In 2002, the original XC90 lifted Volvo – from being a maker of family cars with a bit of something different about them to being a proper, full-on premium player. The new XC90 has to do that all over again, lifting Volvo from being a premium wannabe to a premium wanna- actually-is.

It’s also the debut vehicle for Volvo’s new Scaleable Product Architecture, the mechanical bones from which every future Volvo of S60 size or larger will be built.

All Volvo

Actually, this is, for the first time since the 1990s, a "pure" Volvo – there is no shared Ford platform underneath the XC90, no engines bought in from Peugeot-Citroen. Everything here, from the chassis to the steering to the D5 diesel or T8 hybrid petrol engines, was designed and built in Sweden. No wonder Volvo put little national flags on the edges of the seats; it's proud of what it has wrought.

So it should be. The styling probably won't be to all tastes. It loses the wide-eyed friendliness of the old XC90 and replaces it with a snub-nosed, squinty-eyed stare – think Clint Eastwood with metal teeth. Still, it's handsome enough, works well in a broad range of colours, and looks much, much better when you see it outdoors, in natural light, than when looking at photos.

The trump card is the interior. Once again it’s a seven-seater (and that’s a standard-fit seven-seater, not as an option) and Volvo has actually slimmed down the seats to make for even more legroom (are you listening, Ryanair?). There is lounging room for six-footers in the back, while even your bulky correspondent can squeeze into the boot seats without excessive gymnastics or onset of cramp.

The big-money seats are up front – big, comfy leather (again, standard) armchairs facing a fascia of rare quality and design harmony. Move over Audi; Volvo has pinched your interior design crown.

The star of the show is the infotainment touch-screen. As with many car makers, Volvo has been keen to reduce the amount of physical buttons in the cabin, and multifunction touch-screen is its solution. Unlike many car makers though, it’s touch-screen is big, bright and exceptionally easy to use. If you’ve ever tapped on an iPad, you’ll find your way around this system with ease. You can even personalise the layout of the buttons to your taste.

Likewise, the digital TFT instruments are clearer and better looking than the norm, and flexible enough to be useful to the driver, yet not so much as to be confusing.

Our test D5 diesel used Volvo’s recently-introduced four-cylinder turbo engines, and that’s as big an engine as you’ll ever get in an XC90. Nothing over 2.0-litres here – premium, clearly, can now be found in attributes other than big engines.

It’s an exceptionally refined engine, as well, with barely an audible diesel gurgle at all, sounding in fact more like a raspy petrol when you extend your right foot. You will have to, though, because for all its 225hp and 470Nm of torque, the XC90’s 2,030kg weight means it never feels more than moderately brisk.

Dynamic mode

That said, it soon rows along beautifully at motorway speeds, and when corners approach, all is not lost. You can tweak the car’s set-up for Comfort, Dynamic or Eco modes, but in truth there’s not a huge difference. Dynamic does give you sharper throttle response but in all modes, there is noticeable body roll and steering that’s less than massively sharp.

That said, it never feels anything less than sure-footed. The best way to drive it, as with all Volvos, is to just to sit back and relax a little more.

It almost goes without saying that, when it comes to safety, we are dealing with the master. There’s a new automatic braking system that watches for cyclists, pedestrians and crossing traffic and which can slam on the brakes should it think you’ve missed something important. There are airbags and pre-tensioned seatbelts for all occupants. (The buckles for the belts are stamped with a neat little “Since 1959” to remind you just who it was who invented the three-point seatbelt.)

There’s also a new deformable shock absorber in the bottom of the seat to prevent spinal injury should the car run off the road and down an embankment. One should never be encouraged to have an accident, of course, but if you’re going to, it should probably be in one of these.

Volvo has gambled big, family-farm-big, on this car. It has to be right. No, it has to be brilliant to compete with the exceptionally strong pack of SUV rivals and still be a proper, safe, comfy, family- friendly Volvo. And to justify that lofty price tag. Frankly it does so with aplomb.

€70,000 may seem expensive – and it is (but then again, look at the options list on the competition). However, the key to the XC90’s value is that it can actually compete with a segment up.

If you’ve just bought a Range Rover, I hope you’ve kept the receipt.

The lowdown:Volvo XC90 D5 Inscription
Price: €76,950 as tested (range starts at €70,950)
Power: 225hp
Torque: 470Nm 
0-100kmh: 7.8sec 
Top speed: 220kmh
Claimed economy: 5.8l/100km (48.7mpg)
CO2 emissions: 152g/km 
Motor tax: €390