Volvo XC90
You needn’t be reluctant to leave the tarmac in Volvo’s flagship SUV XC90 because the Swedish beauty maintains its luxury even on dusty roads
It almost felt like I was Insulting this clean,
Scandinavian design piece by thundering along the unpaved road between Swellendam and the Malgas River. The Land Rover Discovery, one of Volvo’s competitor luxury, full-size, three-row SUVS, belongs here. It’s always eager to get dirty. But powdering the XC90 with dust was sacrilege. Little did I know it was up to the challenge.
approaching the only handdrawn pont in Southern africa , at Malgas across the Breede River, I realised the Nordic god wasn’t angry with me, as Thor’s two hammers in the headlights still shone brightly in all their LED glory. This is one of several new details on the slightly updated XC90, which debuted in 2015. It now shares its Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) with the S90 sedan and V90 wagon.
On the opposite bank, a huge motordriven ferry was being assembled, getting ready to replace the legendary one that’s been crossing here since 1915. They call it progress. Standing on the creaky, wooden planks,
I took in the XC90’S striking, majestic exterior design.
Since the
Chinese company Geely Automotive Holdings bought Volvo Cars in
2010, the Swedish manufacturer added a third “S” to their vehicles: sexy. The Nordic cars were known to be safe – the latest one has a five-star Euro NCAP rating – and solid.
So there are Thor’s hammers in the
LED headlights, then there’s another beautiful detail: the arrow in the Volvo emblem matches the angle of the diagonal, chrome crossbar across the slightly larger grille. This ride wasn’t made for anything less than 50cm wheels. Volvo describes the car as a “Scandinavian sanctuary”, and when you’re seated in its leather seats, surrounded by a tasteful mix of authentic materials like wood, metal and leather, you definitely feel what they mean.
The ignition is a switch you have to turn, as opposed to you would push to start a competitor’s vehicle. There’s visible and tangible quality everywhere. The interior is almost in the same league as a Rolls-royce, or Bentley, with a more premium feel than the Mercedes-benz GLE or BMW X5.
The car also features a 22cm touch screen mounted vertically on the dashboard, a bit like a tablet. Everything is controlled by touch, even the different driving modes, from normal to
dynamic. There’s also the crystal-clear sound that’s on par with the acoustics in the Gothenburg Concert Hall in Volvo’s hometown. This is thanks to the excellent Bowers & Wilkins surround sound system, delivering 1 476W from 19 speakers.
Upon first glance at this two-ton heavy and 5m long dream of a vehicle, you’d be forgiven for assuming there’s a V8, or perhaps even a V6, as the powerplant under the hood, but Volvo has opted to keep it at a 2.0-litre fourcylinder engine instead. To give it enough power, they’ve used a clever mix of turbo- and supercharging that’ll make you forget about the fourcylinder engine.
As I made my way further south towards De Hoop Nature Reserve and the sea, my drive was a lot more comfortable thanks to the optional air suspension fitted to the updated XC90.
I didn’t drive the Volvo on snowcovered highways through dense forests – maybe as it was intended. Instead, I took it across »
corrugated, dirt roads and open landscapes with the odd kudu jumping across the road, leaving a large cloud of dust trailing behind me. All the while, the setting sun crafted beautiful images in my rearview mirrors. ‘So what other outstanding upgrades are there in this new rendition of the Volvo XC90?’ you might be wondering. Well, a new six-seat configuration for one, including a pair of middle row seats that creates room for walking to the two back seats. You can adjust the arrangement in numerous ways to suit your needs: from family road trips to transporting bulky furniture. The XC90 also features Volvo on Call, or VOC for short, a new feature activated when you push a button at the top right of the rearview mirror for two seconds. You’ll then be connected to someone working at a call centre in South Africa who won’t only be able to assist you with directions (plus, send them straight to your GPS navigator), but can also provide you with roadside assistance in the case of an emergency. Basically, Volvo’s helpers act as your personal travel guides in any area. How else could I have found the best place to stay in Knysna (a former power station) and the most delicious pizza in Plett?
‘Its six-seat configuration can be adjusted to suit your needs: from family road trips to transporting bulky furniture’