Rugged E-class Estate to go Allroad
Volvo is aiming for the top of the executive saloon market with its new S90. So can it knock Mercedes’ latest E-class off its perch?
MERCEDES is also set to introduce a more rugged version of its new E-class Estate to rival the ageing Audi A6 Allroad – and our exclusive image shows how it could look. It will launch next year, with a choice of diesel and plug-in powertrains.
Chief engineer Michael Kelz told Auto Express the brand needed to do something “to make estates closer to SUVS”. He said an A6 Allroad competitor is “not too far out”, so we could see a more off-road-biased E-class before the end of 2017. Voicing his concerns for the latest load-lugger, Kelz recognised the growth of the global SUV market, but insisted he had plans to limit the decline of the brand’s biggest estate.
The Allroad-rivalling E-class is likely to retain the E badge rather than get the GL name used for Mercedes’ pure SUVS. And it’s expected to be set apart from the regular model by extra body cladding and skid plates, plus extra ground clearance to improve its off-road ability. Engines would mirror the saloon and Estate. The jackedup E-class would start at around £40,000.
“Allroad-rivalling E-class is likely to get body cladding and skid plates to mark it out from regular Estate”
VOLVO is a car company with big ambitions. Its stewardship by Ford is now a distant memory, and, so far, the signs are that new Chinese parent company Geely is helping the firm find its mojo as an alternative choice to the establishment. Proof of Volvo’s return to form is the fact that the first model to appear under new ownership, the XC90, was our 2015 Car of the Year. However, can Volvo maintain its success with the next car to be launched, the S90 saloon? It replaces the S80, which was a greatvalue executive, but as the newcomer uses largely the same technology as the XC90, it should be a more sophisticated and refined model than the car it replaces. To find out how far Volvo has progressed, we’re throwing it in at the deep end for this first test, by pitching it against our current executive favourite, the Mercedes E-class. The German saloon is all-new this year, and it saw off Jaguar and Audi rivals in its first test (Issue 1,418), so it has the all-round ability to give the Volvo a hard time. The price overlap between the two model ranges is narrow, with the D4-powered Volvo delivering similar pace to the four-cylinder E 220d, and top S90 Inscription spec closely rivalling the AMG Line Mercedes for kit.
VOLVO is hoping its new S90 saloon can follow the success of its XC90 SUV, distilling the same character traits that earned the 4x4 an Auto Express five-star verdict. The off-roader refreshed the Swedish brand’s image and ushered in a new era for Volvo, with hi-tech cars to follow. The S90 is one of the first of these new models, so here we test the £35,555 Inscription trim with the 2.0-litre D4 engine.
Styling 4.3/ 5
COMBINING many of the XC90’S design cues – such as the Thor’s hammer running lights, big, upright front grille and strong shoulder line – the S90 saloon looks cutting edge even next to the brand new E-class.
Despite its striking styling, the Volvo’s vast proportions give it an elegant stance, with a 2cm longer body that stands 2.5cm lower and is nearly 4cm wider than the Mercedes.
At the rear, the blocky, C-shaped tail-lights reference some recent Volvo design features, but, combined with the arcing roofline that tapers gently into the boot, the S90 certainly looks like a premium product.
And the £33,555 price of this top-of-the-range Inscription trim looks relatively good value, given the space, quality and equipment on offer.
It’s £2,875 cheaper than the E-class and offers a few standard features the Mercedes does without. Real leather is an extra on the E 220d but is standard on the S90, as is adaptive cruise control, which comes as part of the £1,695 optional Driving Assistance Plus Package on the Mercedes.
The S90’s cabin is beautifully crafted, with a nine-inch touchscreen tablet mounted in the centre of the dash that controls everything inside the car, including entertainment, navigation and ventilation.
There are only a few buttons beneath the touchscreen, which means the de-cluttered facia is very minimalist. The wooden veneers run the width of the interior and flow back on to the doors, with the leather upholstery split either side.
The S90 also gets a digital dial pack as standard, and while it isn’t as customisable as the twin-screen set-up you can opt for in E-class models, you won’t have to add another £1,990 to the price to benefit.
Although material and build quality is good, it’s still not quite on par with the E-class. The Mercedes exudes class, and, while the Volvo’s interior is pleasant and solidly built, in a few areas the S90 can’t quite match its German rival.
Driving 3.8/ 5
OUR test car was fitted with Volvo’s entry-level 187bhp 2.0-litre D4 four-cylinder diesel. It will be the best seller in the UK, and is effectively the same engine as in the larger XC90 but slightly detuned. However, this doesn’t affect performance.
With an identical torque output to the Mercedes of 400Nm, there’s a vein of smoothly delivered acceleration to tap into, shown by how the Volvo performed on test. The car sprinted from 0-60mph in 7.8 seconds, which was still half-a-second slower than the Mercedes despite just a few horsepower difference and an identical kerbweight of 1,680kg.
However, the Volvo’s in-gear figures were better than the E-class’. It took 5.9 and 7.9 seconds for the 50-70mph test in sixth and seventh respectively – 1.4 and 2.1 seconds faster than the Mercedes.
This is partly due to the S90’s eight-speed auto, as with one fewer ratio than the E 220d’s box, and slightly higher cruising revs in top, the Volvo’s engine is nearer maximum torque than its rival’s.
Between 30 and 70mph through the gears, where the Mercedes’ 2.0-litre unit is in its power band, the E 220d reversed the result, taking 6.7 seconds compared to 7.3 seconds for the Volvo.
The S90’s engine isn’t quite as refined as the Mercedes’, either, emitting a louder diesel clatter when revved, while the gearbox is more hesitant to kick down if you need a sudden burst of acceleration.
It’s better in more relaxed day-to-day driving, but this highlights the S90’s less-than-perfect ride quality. On 18-inch wheels, despite adaptive dampers all-round and air-suspension at the rear, the Volvo’s chassis still feels a little harsh over bigger bumps.
Quick steering gives the S90’s front end a pointy feeling, but a softer set-up focused on comfort means body control isn’t the tightest. As a result, the S90 doesn’t quite boast the Mercedes’ impressive balance between ride quality and agile handling.
Ownership 4.4/ 5
THERE’S little to split these two brands when it comes to daily life with their cars. Volvo finished in 13th place in our Driver Power 2016 satisfaction survey, just one position behind Mercedes, while its garages also trailed in 22nd in our most recent dealer poll.
Even though there’s lots of new and advanced technology crammed inside the S90, much of it has been carried over from the XC90, where it’s already been proven relatively reliable. This technology also makes the S90 incredibly safe. A semi-autonomous driving pilot comes as standard to take the sting out of driving in heavy traffic, while Volvo’s City Safety autonomous braking can detect pedestrians and cyclists.
Although the S90 hasn’t yet been crash-tested by Euro NCAP, as it uses many of the same safety systems as the XC90 with a few more advanced features – and sits on that car’s underpinnings – we’d expect the saloon to achieve a similar five-star result to the SUV.
Running costs 3.9/ 5
CO2 emissions of 116g/km are 4g/km higher than the Mercedes’, meaning a 23 per cent Benefit in Kind rate, but the Volvo claws back ground on company car running costs, thanks to its lower price. As a result, the S90 will be £111 cheaper per year to run for higher-rate business users, at £3,266 in total.
This slight efficiency disadvantage on paper was reflected at the pumps, where the S90 trailed the E 220d, returning 43.4mpg on our test.