Volvo V90 review

In the old days this would have been seen as Volvo’s flagship, but that honour has been lost to one of those newfangled SUVs, the XC90. Or given its price, the EX90. This is the humble V90, the estate version of Volvo’s S90 saloon, and one of the best looking ‘ordinary’ cars there is.

The V90 has been on sale in Britain since mid-2016, albeit with a year off in 2023 when the Swedish carmaker announced it was axing its conventional estates only to bring them back a year later. We’d like to imagine due to popular demand, but then Volvo probably doesn’t need to shift too many of them to turn a small profit these days – and it’s still on borrowed time.

Fundamentally the V90 is a Big Family Estate. Much like the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate, BMW 5 Series Touring and Audi A6 Avant. Only it’s not German so, as you’ll read, it does things a bit differently. Good differently – its timeless, elegant looks stand it apart if nothing else, noticeable all the more where rivals have got themselves in knots trying to be fashionable. 

So how does it drive? 

The V90 definitely puts its emphasis on a smooth, plush ride, which you’ll appreciate on a motorway run as the miles disappear. Even more so in the top-spec Ultra version of the car which comes with fancy air suspension that smothers the road even more. You’re well insulated from road noise, too. 

There’s grip if you do want to tip the V90 into a corner, but it’ll lean enough to sap any fun out of the transaction. The steering is direct enough, but you feel the benefit of that more around town as you try to usher the car’s lengthy five metres about the place.

Your only engine options these days are two flavours of plug-in hybrid – a 2.0-litre petrol engine powers the front wheels in 249bhp/306bhp tunes and a 143bhp e-motor sits on the back wheels for all-wheel drive capability, while there’s an eight-speed auto as standard. That means 0–62mph in 5.5 and 4.8 seconds respectively, though they’re not times you’ll be attempting to match very often – the V90 offers effortless surge for motorway overtakes or escaping from junctions.

Is it nice inside? 

If you’re expecting some of the whizzbang theatrics of more recent arrivals – the new Audi A6 Avant has the option of an extra screen for the front passenger to watch a bit of telly, for example – we've got bad news for you. Or maybe good news if you scoff at that sort of thing.

No, you’ll be far too relaxed inside the V90 to care about such fripperies – the car is fundamentally well put together (though there are some patches here and there that wouldn’t pass muster if the car was being launched today) and soothing in a way that lots of rivals can’t manage. Perhaps it’s because the V90 isn’t stuffed with obnoxious screens.

The boot must be massive…

It’s big in there, but maybe not quite as cavernous as you’d think or hope, because the V90 actually sacrifices a measure of practicality in the name of style. The sloping rear glass means in terms of outright volume, and with all the seats folded flat for max cube, the V90’s boot isn’t as big as you’ll find in its main rivals.

Still – that’s like saying the Eiffel tower is a bit taller than the Shard. The V90 is still hugely practical and makes up for its lack of relative capacity with clever, practical touches. Head on over to the Interior tab for more.

Ever since the company’s 2015 renaissance that saw it launch the XC90, V90 and S90 in quick succession, Volvo has epitomised Scandi chic in four-wheeled form. 

Its cars are just so zen – even with three kids pinging rubber bands at the back of your head and a bootful of fragile antiques that could at any point irreparably shatter into a million pieces, the Volvo V90 is a supremely soothing way to travel. An oasis of calm that makes navigating Britain’s poorly surfaced, narrow, congested road network – and the other drivers that occupy it – feel about as irritating and stressful as sitting on a sun lounger reading a good book. 

The V90 is not without fault, mind: the boot isn’t as big as rivals’, the infotainment setup is creaking and the plug-in hybrid setup is less refined than it should be. But still it’s a very well-rounded, complete, comfortable car with a calming temperament that makes it a pleasure to waft about in. Look at one before you commit to that Audi, Mercedes or BMW.