How old the XC90 is is most evident from the inside. Apart from a few small details, the driver is greeted by exactly the same image as our colleague who drove the second generation model for the first time ten years ago. It doesn’t have a huge, continuous, floating display line, it still has a regular, round steering wheel, it has the massive center console and, if not many, it still has buttons. But with the model update, innovations that were deemed necessary also started to seep in.
The central display with vertical orientation is new
The vertically oriented, touch-sensitive central display is much larger, 11.2 inches, and the slats of the air intakes have changed to a vertical arrangement. The mood lighting has been improved, which illuminates the passenger compartment with a pleasant light, it has received a wireless phone charging surface, and there have been more cup holders.
Volvo turns the heads of the greens with upholstery made from recycled materials, while those who are sensitive to high-quality hi-fi can be pampered by the 1410-watt Bowers & Wilkins audio system, which comes with 19 speakers. There are two more modest designs, the 600-watt one is supplied by Harman Kardon, and there is also a 200-watt one.
The B&W specialists crammed so many speakers and more than 1,000 watts of power into the car
Crystal button
The material quality and workmanship are excellent, Volvo brings its usual premium level. Its furnishings and upholstery not only look good – the factory person responsible for the interior revealed that what looks like wood is really wood – but they also feel good and even smell good. The whole thing is really as homely as a Scandinavian apartment. It has wood, textiles, fair-quality plastics and the gear selector is a giant crystal, made by the Swedish glass manufactory, the Orrefors delivers to the car factory.
The crystal toggle at night
The only thing I could forget is the many black piano lacquers, all car manufacturers in the world could really forget this under Bentley’s level. It’s delicate, gets dirty easily, and ages uglier than Keith Richards.
This is how Volvo’s crystal shift knob is made:
Ergonomics is already a borderline case, because in the last couple of years car manufacturers have started to use buttons and switches again in cars. Volvo missed this line with the XC90, in this case you have to find the virtual button in the menu to switch on the climate control and seat heating. Thanks to Volvo, the task is still relatively simple compared to the possibilities. The image of the central display is sharp, we found what we were looking for in the menu system, but it is true that we did not dig too deep into it, since the navigation was constantly running on it due to the unknown terrain.
The battery of the PHEV XC90 has moved to the middle of the car
Slowly, all car manufacturers are working to ensure that the accursed speed warning system connected to the license plate recognition system, which must be activated every time you drive off, can be turned off with a single button press. In this way, Volvo also saves drivers from unnecessary warnings, all you have to do is hold down the far left button on the steering wheel for a few seconds.
Ergonomics
The button for the emergency flasher is small, but the headlight can be controlled with the mustache switch, and it is capable of the magic that once you turn on the low beam, it will stay on forever. Of course, it turns off when you stop the car, but it doesn’t get hysterical if you do it, it solves itself. Then it lights up again when you start again. It’s not so much magic, there were brands that knew this even decades ago.
Today, however, the world has become so stupid that even cars with automatic transmission prefer to whine when you stop the car with the headlights on, instead of quietly turning it off. They can solve it.
Homely interior, made of fine materials
Of course, there are also advantages to having a car designed in the past. Almost 10 years ago, the designers drew trenches that had not yet been rolled, so the view from the XC90 is amazing, the mirrors are huge, they are in the right place and all the windows of the car are large. It does all this without compromising safety, the XC90 is still one of the safest. When it was introduced in 2015, it was not only the best in its category, but also beat everything else in the overall field.
What looks like wood is wood, what looks like metal is metal
Homely, like a Scandinavian living room
Its seats can be electrically adjusted in all directions, and even the length of the seat can be customized with buttons. There is lumbar support, seat and steering wheel heating, everything you need. The armchairs are comfortable, with good lateral support, and with the headrest integrated into the seat, they are comfortable even for taller people. However, these are not necessarily good.
There is plenty of space in the front and back, the seats are comfortable, and the view is good. The child seat raised from the rear, middle seat can be folded out, and the back also has its own touch-sensitive climate control console, seat heating, and phone charging. Its trunk is 640 liters in normal configuration, and 1,874 liters after folding down the backrests of the rear seats. In the back, a 12-volt connector, decent lighting, a bag hook, and a cargo divider that can be folded out from the floor also help to secure packages.
Large, useful trunk
Source: www.vezess.hu
