Sleek, silent saloon offers up pace, grace and relaxing rides
EDWARD STEPHENS is feeling spoilt behind the wheel of Volvo’s flagship S60 model
WITH its XC range offering models in three different sizes – a sort of small, medium and large – it’s perhaps not surprising that Volvo has built such an enviable reputation for SUVs.
But while the current trend for this type of car continues to leap ahead there’s still a market for the traditional large five-seater saloon and the Swedish company has one of the best in the sector with its S90.
The S90 is a large, sleek, stylish four-door with a traditional boot rather than hatchback that offers elegance, comfort and performance in abundance.
As one of the company’s flagship models it’s not cheap and the T5 R-Design Plus driven here has a price tag of more than £44,000 even before you start adding any optional extras.
But along with a svelte exterior design comes an executive style interior with leather seating, electrically adjustable and heated front seats and a glass sun roof. There’s nothing too radical in the cabin, it just exudes quality combined with that minimalist Scandinavian style that the company has become famous for. Most of the onboard operations are performed via the central nine-inch touchscreen which means fewer actual switches.
And like all big Volvos this one has a 2.0-litre engine – in this case boasting 250bhp and capable of whisking it to 62 miles per hour in just 6.8 seconds on its way to a top speed of 140 mph.
Mated to a smooth eight-speed automatic gearbox it provides pace with grace as you travel in near silence even when you hit the accelerator hard.
In fact it’s so quiet that, were it not for Volvo’s policy of limiting its engine sizes to 2.0-litres you would swear there was at least a 3.0-litre under the bonnet.
If you cover a lot of miles the S90 T5 is an ideal choice as it offers superbly relaxed motoring but with instant power when you need it.
The R-Design version is the most dynamic of all the S90 models and comes with sports suspension which has been lowered by 15mm, sports seats, 18-inch diamond cut black alloy wheels and twin integrated exhaust pipes.
Opt for the R-Design Plus and you also get a head-up display, power operated boot lid, keyless entry and engine starting and a heated steering wheel.
Best of all you get active bending headlights with the shadow technology which allows you to use permanent full beam without blinding the driver in front of you or cars coming towards you.
If you have problems driving at night this feature will certainly help. The same thing applies to the 360 degree all-round vision feature, which makes parking simple by showing a view of the car from above on the touchscreen to ensure safe manoeuvring. It’s particularly good when trying to line up inside supermarket white lines.
And being a Volvo this car is packed with every safety feature you can think of and then some.
The Volvo S90 T5 R-Design Plus is a car which spoils you in ways it’s hard to appreciate if you have never tried one. Take a test drive and prepare to be smitten.
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