Volvo V90 cars

The style of the car

The V90 is a large premium family estate that’s beautifully designed with excellent build quality. All versions have wide opening doors for easy access and a large boot lid that makes it simple to load large items. More rugged Cross Country models have a high ride height, providing great visibility of the road and extra body protection.

How it drives

Comfortable and luxurious, the V90 is perfect for long journeys. Soft suspension soaks up bumps and the supportive seats are some of the best you can buy. R Design models have stiffer suspension for a sportier feel but are still comfortable. All engines are quiet and powerful and light steering makes the V90 easy to drive. While it’s a big car, standard parking sensors help you negotiate those tricky parking spots and the standard automatic transmission takes the hassle out of town traffic. The four-wheel drive Cross Country models are a great choice for towing and can take deep farm tracks in their stride.

The interior

The five-door, five-seat V90 is a spacious car with a beautifully designed and finished interior. There’s excellent head and legroom in the back, plus lots of useful storage compartments. Three large suitcases can be fitted into the huge 560-litre boot, while the electrically powered boot door helps make loading simple. There’s lots of standard equipment, with even entry-level Momentum Plus models featuring leather trim, heated seats and Volvo’s intuitive Sensus touchscreen infotainment. The R Design also adds sports seats, while the top of the range Inscription has massage front seats and a head-up display that projects speed and sat nav directions onto the windscreen and into the driver’s line of sight.

Running costs and reliability

The V90 costs a little less to buy than rivals yet has more standard equipment. All engines are efficient, while the economical diesels will suit high mileage motorway drivers. The plug-in hybrid can travel up to 25 miles in zero emissions electric mode and has low tax bills. Volvo offers good value servicing plans, and the V90 has slightly lower insurance costs than rivals. Reliability is excellent - Volvo was named best premium manufacturer in the JD Power dependability survey. Volvo is famed for its safety record and the V90 scored five stars in the Euro NCAP test.

How it compares with similar cars

The V90 is the estate version of Volvo’s largest saloon, the S90 and it’s bigger than the Volvo V60 estate. It’s more comfortable and better equipped than the Audi A6 Avant and BMW 5 Series Touring. Volvo has won many awards for the V90, including Top Gear’s Best Estate.