The Volvo S90 is the company's best crack yet at taking on the dominant German brands in the premium executive saloon sector.
Its diesel engines aren’t quite the best in class but they’re more than refined enough, and the Swedish sophistication in the cabin makes it an appealing environment in which to undertake long journeys. No, it’s not quite as plush all round as a Mercedes E-Class - but it’s pleasant enough.
The real strengths of Volvo’s offering are that cruising refinement and, as is often the case with the Swedish brand, the amount of safety kit on board. Indeed, the S90 also gets a decent haul of regular equipment too, making it one of the better-kitted offerings in an area of the market that traditionally has long options lists.
The driving dynamics aren’t quite on a par with the class benchmark, though; the S90 isn’t quite as agile as the likes of the 5 Series, and it doesn’t quite soak up British road bumps as effectively as an E-Class.
Volvo has a reputation for square, boxy styling - but the S90 uses the evolution of that design principle to stand out from the rest of the executive saloons on the market.
At the front of the car, the S90 gets the latest styling cues - as seen on the XC90 - with a convex grille and LED daytime running lights that include the ‘Thor’s hammer’ motif.
The standard wheels are 17-inchers on the D4 Momentum editions, rising to 18in items on all versions of Inscription - but Volvo offers a range of 19in and 20in items as options on all trim levels. The S90 looks a better match for S line Audis and M Sport BMWs when it’s on the bigger wheels, but 18-inchers probably strike the best blend of appearance and ride quality.
There are 12 metallic paint finishes on offer, alongside the only non-cost colour, a flat white.
You’ll recognised lots of the S90’s cabin if you’ve already had a peek inside an XC90. The basic design is very similar, and so is the high-quality finish; the S90 is a fine example of refined Swedish design, with pleasing use of natural materials like wood on the centre console and dashboard.
Leather seats come as standard even on Momentum cars, while Inscription versions get a posher Nappa material. There are harder, scratchier plastics if you look hard enough - but in general, the bits you’ll interact with are nicely finished and, in the case of the switches, well damped.
Volvo’s Sensus infotainment screen dominates the dashboard. The nine-inch portrait-layout display is standard across the range - but the accompanying screen in the instrument panel varies depending on which trim level you go for. Momentum editions get a small readout between a conventional speedometer and rev-counter, but Inscription does away with the physical dials altogether in favour of a fully digital display.
Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment
Volvo’s infotainment system is called Sensus. Regardless of which S90 you choose, its nine-inch, portrait-layout display dominates the dashboard. It plays a far more significant role in the car’s functions than just music and navigation, too; it controls many of the S90’s settings and everyday features like air-con and heating.
A system with that many functions has to be slick to be effective, and fortunately, Volvo’s interface is one of the best in the business. The screen is split up into large tabs and it’s pretty easy to move around between the different areas. When you are listening to music you’ll find the standard speaker system pretty decent - but Volvo has teamed up with hi-fi specialist Bowers & Wilkins to offer an upgraded system. It sounds terrific - even if it does cost an eye-watering £3,000.
Sadly, it’s not as easy as it should be to plug in devices to the S90; there’s only a single USB socket up front, so if you’re sitting in the back you don’t even have the option of charging your smartphone, let alone playing any music through it.
The best-selling engine in the S90’s UK line-up will be the more modest of the two four-cylinder units on offer, a 187bhp motor badged D4. It is, in effect, the same engine that you’ll find in an XC90, but detuned slightly - although this doesn’t really affect performance in the lighter S90.
With 400Nm of torque on tap, there’s a vein of smoothly delivered acceleration as the S90 D4 gets from 0-60mph in 7.8 seconds. It’s a strong performer in gear, too; it beat Mercedes’ E 220d in our back-to-back tests between 50mph and 70mph.
• Volvo S90 vs Mercedes E-Class
Rev the D4 hard and you’ll be fully aware that it’s a diesel; there’s a bit of clatter when it’s stressed. But once you’re up to speed, it settles down nicely to be a smooth, refined cruising companion. Indeed, it seems the transmission is set up for this characteristic, because it’s slightly reluctant to kick down unless you really need a sudden surge of acceleration.
The chassis set-up is less satisfying, if only because it falls down between the agility of a genuine sports saloon and the wafting ride quality of a pure motorway cruiser.
On 18in wheels, and even with the optional adaptive dampers all round, the S90 still feels too harsh over the larger bumps - and this isn’t countered by sensational body control, because there’s still more going on mid-corner than you’ll find in a 5 Series. That’s not helped by quick, slightly over-assisted steering, which tends to throw the nose of the car into corners instead of guiding it there.
As you’d expect from a Volvo, the S90 gets a long list of safety equipment. Alongside passive aids, which aim to protect you in the event of an accident, there are several new Active systems, which try to prevent the crash in the first place.
Most novel among these is large animal detection, which can warn you when deer are approaching from the side of a dark road in front of you. But there’s also Volvo’s latest generation of Pilot Assist, which can look after acceleration, braking and keeping the car in its lane at speeds of up to 80mph. It’s a useful way of easing the strain of long journeys, although it’s best in stop-start situations like motorway congestion or urban dual carriageways.
Engines
The engine line-up is pretty simple, with just a pair of twin-turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesels to choose from. The more modest of the pair, badged D4, brings 187bhp and 400Nm - enough to take the front-wheel-drive S90 from 0-62mph in 8.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 140mph. This is the most efficient engine in the range, with official fuel economy of 64.2mpg and CO2 emissions of 116g/km.
The more powerful motor is the D5, which has 232bhp and 480Nm. It also gets a small electric compressor, called PowerPulse, that uses a blast of air to spin up the turbocharger and cut down the amount of turbo lag - the much-hated delay between pressing the throttle and the engine providing its maximum thrust.
The S90 D5 is four-wheel drive only, and it is almost a full second quicker than the D4 to 62mph (7.3 seconds). But it’s also more expensive in Benefit-in-Kind, because its CO2 emissions of 127g/km place it a couple of tax bands higher than the D4’s.
Both engines are pretty refined for four-cylinder diesels, with not much harshness or rattles to speak of unless you’re working them hard. Once you’re up to speed the S90’s engines quieten down to a hush; you’re more likely to be bothered by wind noise from the side mirrors.
Volvo’s reputation for safety is pretty much the best in the entire car industry, and the sister car to the S90, the XC90 SUV, racked up a record score when it was crash-tested by legislative body EuroNCAP. We’d expect the S90 to be the benchmark in the class when it goes through the same test, as a result.
The S90 also has a number of features which try to prevent the crash from happening in the first place. The extensive list of standard safety kit includes Pilot Assist, which can keep the car in its lane and at a safe distance from the car in front at speeds of up to 80mph, and large animal detection, which was originally designed for elk and moose but is also said to be effective at spotting deer emerging from the side of a dark road.
The 50,000-plus owners in our Driver Power survey haven’t delivered a verdict yet on the XC90, which shares chassis, engine and transmission parts with the S90. There haven’t been any major scare stories with the XC90, though, so it looks like the newly developed SPA chassis tech and the four-cylinder diesel engines are proving reliable. We’d expect that to be replicated in the S90.
Warranty
Volvo's warranty cover lasts three years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes soonest. That's not quite a match for BMW's offering, though, which lasts for three years too but drops the mileage limit. At least Volvo offers extensions to its warranty; you can add a year and a further 20,000 miles.
Servicing
The S90’s servicing intervals are 12 months; the work required alternates between interim and major services. Volvo hasn’t issued any servicing costs as yet, but it is expected to offer a monthly scheme that allows you to spread the bill on an interest-free basis.
In raw terms, the S90 is a big enough car for four adults and their luggage - although they won’t all be able to bring a full-sized suitcase unless some of the hand luggage ends up between the two rear passengers.
That’s not out of kilter with the rest of the class, though, and the S90 acquits itself fairly well on oddment storage and passenger accommodation. Boot capacity is 500 litres - which is enough for most everyday uses, and capable of swallowing a couple of large suitcases and accompanying overnight bags. Some rivals, like the Mercedes E-Class, offer larger load bays, though.
Volvo has at least managed to pack in some useful oddment space in the cabin. There’s a large glovebox and a big tray between the two front seats, plus bottle holders in each door than can each cope with a 1.5-litre container.
Size
The S90 is in the ballpark as far as full-sized executive saloons go. It’s 4,963mm long, 2,019mm wide (1,895mm with the mirrors folded in) and 1,443mm high - so it’s longer, wider and lower than the Mercedes E-Class, BMW 5 Series and Audi A6.
The S90’s wheelbase is 2,941mm - which is basically the same as the Merc’s and nearly 30mm longer than the Audi’s, but almost three centimetres shorter than the BMW’s.
Leg room, head room & passenger space
Four adults won’t complain about the accommodation in the S90’s cabin. There’s as much space in here as in an E-Class, basically, which is pretty generous; indeed, the Volvo’s back seats are particularly spacious, with a clever design of front seat back freeing up leg and kneeroom for rear passengers.
The cabin atmosphere is a slightly different matter, though; front passengers will feel it’s airy enough, but despite the amount of space around them, those in the rear may think it’s a bit hemmed in. That’s because the roofline is that little bit lower than in the car’s rivals - and even if you opt for the panoramic glass roof, it doesn’t extend as far as it might, so it doesn’t transform the cabin by bathing it in light.
Volvo offers two ISOfix points in the outermost rear seats on the S90. They’re easy to access, too, with plastic tabs that are straightforward to remove or flip up; you won’t have to worry about your seat’s fixing points snagging the S90’s leather as you try to slide it into place.
Boot
The S90’s boot is not the largest in the class, at 500 litres, but it’s still large enough for two large suitcases and accompanying hand luggage. There’s a bit of underfloor storage on offer too.
The rear seats fold down in a 40:20:40 split, and the process can be controlled by a button near the headrests, so it’s pretty easy to use. The seats don’t fold down completely flat, but it’s worth remembering that some rivals like the E-Class only offer the split folding seat as a cost option; it’s standard on the S90.
Trying to load heavy items into the S90’s boot isn’t going to be pretty; the aperture is a reasonable shape, but a world away from hatchback accessibility, and there’s a fairly hefty step that you have to hoick your clutter over.
Volvo offers the S90 with a choice of four-cylinder diesel engines and the more modest of the pair, badged D4, is a bit of a star performer on economy and CO2 emissions.
Even though it’s paired with an eight-speed automatic gearbox, it emits just 116g/km of CO2; that means the S90 is only one Benefit in Kind band worse off than SE editions of the BMW 520d - and one better than M Sport versions of the German rival. It can’t match Audi’s A6 Ultra 2.0 TDI, though.
The more potent and four-wheel-drive D5 isn’t quite so economical, and its extra shove drags CO2 emissions up to 127g/km; that’s still cleaner than the 525d, though.
The S90 D4 gets a 55-litre tank, which gives a theoretical range of 777 miles on the official combined fuel economy figure of 64.2mpg. In the real world, you should be able to achieve north of 500 miles between fills, especially if your route includes some empty motorways.
The D5 model has poorer official economy, at 58.9mpg, but it gets a slightly larger fuel tank (60 litres) so its theoretical range remains around the same as the D4’s.
Volvo also plans to launch an S90 plug-in hybrid in the near future. It’ll be badged T8 Twin Engine and blend a petrol turbo with electric motors for around 400bhp. It should manage CO2 emissions of just 47g/km, despite its strong pace - though you should expect it to cost quite a bit more than even the D5.
Insurance groups
The S90’s insurance groups basically fall into two categories, depending on whether you’re dealing with the D4 or the more potent D5. The more efficient D4 unit falls into group 27E in Momentum trim, rising to 28E if you choose the better-equipped Inscription.
Move up to the more potent D5 powertrain and the groups jump to 33E (Momentum or Inscription), but even these look pretty appealing within the executive saloon class. The BMW 520d sits in group 34 in basic SE trim, and that rises to group 36 if you take the popular route of moving up to the M Sport edition.
The overall view, therefore, is that the S90 is a competitive option on insurance costs.
Depreciation
Volvo has reasonably modest sales targets for the S90, so oversupply is unlikely. We’d expect depreciation to be in the same ballpark as the car’s rivals from BMW and Audi; indeed, the predicted three-year, 36,000-mile retained value for the D4 Inscription we had in on test was a solid 48 per cent - or a good five per cent more than the comparable Mercedes E-Class.