Volvo V90 confirms station wagons still cool
Inside, automaker quietly keeps up its luxury status.
Hatches and wagons. That might be the name of my “best of” album if I ever compiled such a thing or had even a morsel of musical talent to have an album at all.
But through my many years of writing about cars, I’ve always had an affinity for hatchbacks and station wagons. Maybe it’s me being nostalgic, since hatches and wagons were more prominent during my more formative years. Is time passing me by? Maybe. But I can say with a certainty that my tester this week had me feeling some kind of way.
Indeed the 2024 Volvo V90, as a true station wagon, will likely be included on that aforementioned “Hatches and Wagons” album. Enough of that, let’s get to the nitty gritty about this outstanding Volvo wagon.
Recall that wagon made a name for itself making safety-oriented station wagons.
It’s good the automaker hasn’t forgotten about that and still offers the V90. Volvo calls it a “cross country” instead of a wagon but that’s just semantics.
On looks, the V90 is a station wagon through and through. The bumper-to-bumper length is 195.2 inches with a wheel-towheel length of 115.8 inches. These dimensions show a well-balanced, long but athletic station wagon. From a design standpoint, Volvo’s designers lean into the wagon styling too with a chiseled frame and three expansive pillars. None of these sloping, bulbous C-pillars that shorten up today’s crossovers. No, the V90 is lanky and I’m there for it!
The cohesive styling of the V90′s lights ties the entire vehicle together with the hammer-like design in the front and the taillights. A small rear spoiler completes the back end.
From a power standpoint, the V90 is more than capable. It has a turbocharged and supercharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine along with some hybrid technology. It makes for a station wagon that can get off the line rapidly but also keeps the power controlled. All told, the overall horsepower is 295 and the torque is 310 pound-feet.
That is proportionately powered. With an eight-speed automatic transmission and allwheel drive (AWD), this is a station wagon that is confident and just exhilarating enough to be enjoyable every time. The hybrid technology, though good for the fuel economy, seems to hold the turbo and supercharger back a little bit; and it would’ve been interesting to see how the V90 performed without the nanny behavior of the hybrid.
Inside, Volvo has quietly kept up its luxury status. While many may not quickly name Volvo as a luxury brand, spend any time inside of a Volvo, including this V90, and you’ll realize that it’s as high-quality as any other luxury brand.
Thanks to the wagon proportions, the interior is spacious for all passengers. There’s 35.9 inches of rear legroom and 38 inches of head room. The spaciousness continues behind the second row with 19.8 cubic feet of space, which expands to 69 cubic feet with the rear seats folded.
Touchpoints and comfort are what you want and expect from a luxury brand. The cabin is extra quiet as well, which is where the hybrid technology helps as well. The addition of materials like leather and real wood add to the overall refinement, leaving no doubt that