The Ocelot 122 - Oxford and Newbury edition | Page 9

Motoring

Room for all
in the Volvo XC90
By Geoff Maxted
drivewrite.co.uk
The Volvo XC90 is a class-leading SUV. In entry-level
Momentum trim as seen here. It is a car for all reasons
and all seasons. When I say ‘entry-level’ I mean the
Volvo definition of ‘entry-level’ at £50,000 including
options. I was fortunate to test it on a family breakaway
recently.
How can a family unit of four adults and one child
generate so much luggage for just a few days away?
There’s probably an equation to work it out. Hannibal
had less gear when he crossed the Alps. Fortunately, the
new Volvo XC90 was up to the job.
All our luggage went into the huge boot (with the third
row seats down) thanks to a capacity of 1,102 litres.
With all seven seats up there’s still 451 litres - good
enough for a ‘normal’ family.
The youngster absolutely loved sitting in the third row
of seats where she could chant ‘Are we nearly there
yet’ with impunity. At a pinch, you could get adults in the
surprisingly comfy rumble seats that fold flat into the
floor, but really they are for children.
There’s easily space for five adults in the cabin. It’s a
Volvo, so it goes without saying that the XC90 is very
comfortable. The SUV offers genuine legroom in the
second row even with a child’s safety seat.
Driver visibility is clear all around and the stand-out
feature has got to be the 360° Surround View parking
camera. The Volvo XC90 is one of the biggest SUV’s on
the road yet it can be reversed into the tightest of spaces
with ease. It’s a valuable must-have feature that’s part
of the large 12.3 inch portrait format central screen. This
has touch controls for most items, augmented by steering
wheel buttons. Navigation directions are offered clearly
both on the console screen and in the driver’s eye on the
dashboard. All the safety kit you could name is onboard

and airbags all round means a Euro NCAP score of five
stars. Faultless.
I like that these important driver aids are unobtrusive.
Try changing lanes without indicating and the steering
wheel gives you a gentle nudge as a reminder to watch
your step.
There’s a lot of additional kit available if you work
your way up through the trim levels and option list but, in
my view, a lot of what is available is superfluous unless
you really like spending money.
Downsizing is now the thing and the XC90 comes with a
four-cylinder diesel as the mainstay of the engine range
with 222bhp and 362lb ft of torque. There is a fourcylinder petrol, the T6, which seems a bit superfluous in
this car and is said to be a tad noisy and thirsty. Finally,
there’s the ultra-clean T8 plug-in hybrid, the quickest and
most expensive version.
All Volvo XC90 variants come with an eight-speed
automatic gearbox. If I’m honest, I found, at times when
I needed to be quick off the mark for overtaking and
the like, the gearbox felt a bit hesitant on the uptake.
Otherwise, it was smooth-shifting all the way with the
added all-weather security of four-wheel drive as
standard. The diesel offers strong low down pull and
has a reasonably broad power band. Unladen, the car
sprints to the magic 62mph in 7.4 seconds, although the
XC90 is so big you don’t really notice.
From the front, it is imposing, with a large grille and
redesigned Volvo badge, plus classy LED headlamps.
You can get big wheels if you must but I would stick to
the standard offerings for maximum ride comfort. It
makes for a comfortable car to cruise in, gripping well in
corners, but it’s no sports car, so it leans a fair bit. That’s
the compromise.
So just sit back and enjoy the relaxed and hushed
drive.

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25/07/2016 21:35