The first thing many of us noticed about the new XC90 is how it reminds us of the Volvos of our collective 1970s and 1980s youths: a perfect box, far more concerned with utility than sexiness, yet so exquisitely crafted that it screams expensive.
We’re not talking about the XC90 itself. No, this is about its key fob. It would be a frontrunner for the 2016 Motor Trend Key of the Year award, were there such a thing. The device that grants access to this Volvo is roughly the same form as a matchbox, though a touch smaller, and lined with the same amber Nappa leather that’s stretched across the XC90’s three rows of seats. It slides perfectly into your pocket and is adorned only with a raised Volvo logo; its silver buttons are on the side so you don’t accidentally press one while walking.
The XC90 isn’t just our SUV of the Year—it’s also a captivating work of art, inside and out.
Volvo may be a household name, but it’s a tiny player in the automotive space. Toyota produced nearly three times as many Priuses last year as Volvo made cars. In the U.S., BMW hawks seven cars for every one Volvo sells.
We’re accustomed to hearing about the prohibitive expense of developing new platforms, even from the biggest and richest car companies. Indeed, the last platform that Volvo developed independently entered production almost 20 years ago. It’s still perfectly good—it underpins a number of brand-new Ford models that we like just fine—so you’d think a small company like Volvo would just make small, incremental improvements to it.
You’d be wrong. The XC90 debuts Volvo’s brand-new “Scalable Product Architecture,” which, like its name suggests, will be used on vehicles of differing sizes. It features a no-baloney unequal-length control-arm front suspension and a multilink rear with an unusual transverse leaf spring made of composite plastic. (Our fully loaded Inscription model’s air springs replace the transverse leaf, however.) What’s under the hood also is entirely new—and the sole engine is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder.
A four-banger in a 4,720-pound truck? Not to worry; the thoroughly modern, direct-injected mill puts out a stout 316 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque thanks to forced induction. Squeezing 158 horsepower per liter requires a big ol’ turbo, which normally would mean big ol’ turbo lag. To solve that, Volvo installed a small supercharger to provide boost when the turbo can’t. It works great, with instantaneous squirt from all engine speeds and just the occasional, slight surging as the computer moves around the boost duties.
Flat-out, the XC90 raced through the quarter mile in a 15.1-second dead heat with our second-place finisher, the almost identically sized Honda Pilot. It also tied the Honda’s 22-mpg EPA combined rating—so to what end the complicated, expensive twin-charged engine? Refinement. The boosted four produces huge torque at low revs, so it provides mellow muscle when you’re not in a hustle. It’s also quiet and refined at the top of the tach scale, unlike the Pilot, whose big V-6 fills the cabin with enough NVH to scare the kids.
For now, all-wheel drive is standard equipment on the XC90, and the only powertrain option is an upgrade to the T8 model, which Volvo claims is the world’s first seven-seat plug-in hybrid. The T8 uses the same engine as our T6 (minus 3 hp), but power created from the exploding dinosaurs is transmitted only to the front wheels. The T8’s rear wheels are driven by an electric motor rated at 87 hp and 177 lb-ft, giving the hybrid a total of 400 system horsepower. A 9.2-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery mounted in the center of the vehicle provides up to 25 miles of range on electric power. We spent a few days with the T8, and its logbook was filled with nothing but praise for the powertrain. Unfortunately it wasn’t delivered in time for the SUV of the Year competition.
Volvo’s new Sensus touchscreen infotainment system contains most of the car’s secondary controls, and we were impressed by its usability. Walton praised its “responsive screen, zero-latency processor, and sharp graphics,” but he did note that the screen is so large that a perch for your hand would be welcome. Many other judges had the same suggestion. We’d go as far as to call Volvo’s screen almost Tesla-like in its intuitiveness and operation, though it does have some logic missteps—having two setup menus, for example—and it’s missing the physical buttons we prefer for HVAC and radio presets. Several judges complained about a lack of power outlets and USB ports scattered around the cabin. Kids these days.
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2016 Volvo XC90 T6 AWD
Inscription
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POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS
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DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT
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Front-engine, AWD
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ENGINE TYPE
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Supercharged + turbocharged I-4, alum block/head
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VALVETRAIN
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DOHC, 4 valves/cyl
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DISPLACEMENT
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120.2 cu in/1,969 cc
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COMPRESSION RATIO
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10.3:1
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POWER (SAE NET)
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316 hp @ 5,700 rpm
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TORQUE (SAE NET)
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295 lb-ft @ 2,200 rpm
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REDLINE
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6,500 rpm
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WEIGHT TO POWER
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14.9 lb/hp
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TRANSMISSION
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8-speed automatic
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AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO
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3.33:1/2.24:1
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SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR
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Control arms, air springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar;
multi-link, air springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar
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STEERING RATIO
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16.8:1
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TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK
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3
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BRAKES, F;R
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13.6-in vented disc; 12.6-in vented disc, ABS
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WHEELS
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9.0 x 21-in, cast aluminum
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TIRES
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275/40R21 107V M+S Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season
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DIMENSIONS
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WHEELBASE
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117.4 in
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TRACK, F/R
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65.9/66.0 in
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LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT
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194.8 x 75.7 x 69.9 in
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GROUND CLEARANCE
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7.3-10.9 in
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APPRCH/DEPART ANGLE
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21.8-25.0/22.1-23.4 deg
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TURNING CIRCLE
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39.7 ft
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CURB WEIGHT
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4,720 lb
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WEIGHT DIST., F/R
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52/48 %
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TOWING CAPACITY
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5,000 lb
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SEATING CAPACITY
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7
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HEADROOM, F/R
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38.8/38.5/36.3 in
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LEGROOM, F/R
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40.8/37.0/31.9 in
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SHOULDER ROOM, F/R
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57.7/56.5/46.9 in
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CARGO VOLUME BEH F/M/R
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85.7/41.8/13.0 cu ft
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TEST DATA
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ACCELERATION TO MPH
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0-30
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2.3 sec
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0-40
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3.5
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0-50
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4.9
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0-60
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6.7
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0-70
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8.7
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0-80
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11.2
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0-90
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15
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PASSING, 45-65 MPH
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3.5
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QUARTER MILE
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15.1 sec @ 90.4 mph
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BRAKING, 60-0 MPH
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113 ft
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LATERAL ACCELERATION
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0.85 g (avg)
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MT FIGURE EIGHT
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26.8 sec @ 0.65 g (avg)
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TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH
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1,900 rpm
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CONSUMER INFO
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BASE PRICE
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$56,395
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PRICE AS TESTED
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$67,605
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STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL
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Yes/Yes
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AIRBAGS
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Dual front, front side, f/r curtain, driver knee
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BASIC WARRANTY
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4 yrs/50,000 miles
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POWERTRAIN WARRANTY
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4 yrs/50,000 miles
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ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE
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4 yrs/Unlimited miles
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FUEL CAPACITY
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18.8 gal
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EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON
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20/25/22 mpg
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ENERGY CONS., CITY/HWY
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169/135 kW-hrs/100 miles
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CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB
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0.88 lb/mile
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REAL MPG, CITY/HWY/COMB
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Not tested
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RECOMMENDED FUEL
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Unleaded premium
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