Used 2017 Volvo S90

The midsize luxury sedan segment is one of the most demanding in the world, chock-full of favorites that include the BMW 5 Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the Audi A6 among a swarm of significant others. So with its all-new 2017 Volvo S90 sedan, the company has chosen to wade into a very deep area of the pool, but in true Scandinavian fashion the Swedish automaker has decided to approach the segment in a non-traditional manner. The new S90 goes heavy on quality-of-life aspects like interior aesthetics, infotainment and, of course, safety. What has emerged is a strikingly good-looking sedan that might well be the most complete semi-autonomous car now available.

Sitting as we are on the cusp of the autonomous driving revolution in one of the most sophisticated semi-autonomous vehicles in the world, driving impressions of the new S90 become inevitably caught up in appraisals of the new sedan’s driver-assist systems. But if you turn off most of the electronic driving aids, you will find the S90 is a terrific car to drive yourself. While it might not be the equal of rear-drive, German-designed competitors in full-on performance driving — something most luxury sedan drivers never undertake, by the way — we found the all-wheel-drive T6 version of the S90 to be a satisfying sports sedan with laudable levels of road-holding, acceleration and steering. Powered by a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, the magic of direct-injection, supercharging and turbocharging enables the T6 to ladle out 316 largely bog-free horsepower and a stunningly flat torque curve. Further, we expect the T6 and the T5 with its 250-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter engine to deliver excellent fuel economy, and for those who want to take fuel consumption to the next level, a plug-in hybrid “Twin-Engine” T8 version of the S90 will come later.

Some luxury carmakers telegraph their models’ luxury credentials with heavy-handed boldness, but Volvo’s designers took a different path with the S90 sedan. For instance, a single piece of shaped walnut adorns the passenger side of the dash. The instruments and controls are gathered in easy-to-understand pods that offer a simple grace. The functional design of the Sensus control interface adds to the driver’s ease, and the new-gen seats prove yet again that Volvo is a world leader in vehicle seat comfort and function. After hours at the wheels of various S90s over the course of our testing we emerged fresh and ready for more driving. Volvo designers haven’t forgotten about rear seat comfort either, delivering ample legroom and commodious width.

If up to now we haven’t mentioned that the S90 is a handsome car, in person there is no doubt of it. Because the S90 was newly designed from the ground up, designers and engineers were able to build in an attractive axle-to-cowl ratio with wheels at the four corners and the accompanying short overhangs. The body is a highly intelligent patchwork of different grades of steel, engineered to protect the occupants while at the same time pleasing their eyes. Special features include the front grille that is scalloped in homage to the Volvo P1800 sports car, the “Thor’s hammer” motif in the LED headlights and a sweeping line that extends from bow to stern inspired by the sailboats of Sweden’s incomparable West Coast.

GEN2 PILOT ASSIST
Volvo’s Pilot Assist is, Volvo admits, a stepping-stone technology on the way to fully autonomous cars, but it doesn’t pretend to be an autopilot. Volvo is adamant about the driver’s responsibility for the safety of the car. The technology keeps the S90 in its lane as long as it is engaged and the driver has her or his hands on the steering wheel, and it functions not only in low-speed bumper-to-bumper traffic situations, but also in general over-the-road highway driving.

SCANDINAVIAN SANCTUARY
We don’t mean to get all “rocks-and-trees” on you, but the designers’ goal of creating a “Scandinavian Sanctuary” within the 2017 Volvo S90 is realized in the car. In addition to its lovingly crafted interior it offers a state-of-the-art infotainment system that features advanced Apple CarPlay integration and the availability of a 19-speaker Bowers & Wilkins system that sounds like the Gothenburg concert hall.

Driver assist and safety systems lead the discussion of the Volvo S90’s most notable standard items. In addition to the previously mentioned Gen2 Pilot Assist system, the new S90 offers “Run-off Road Mitigation” that is designed to prevent one of the most common types of fatal accidents. Between speeds of 40-85 mph the system can sense a potential run-off-the-road situation, and in response it can both steer and brake automatically to keep the S90 on the road. Although potentially intrusive, the system can be overridden by overt driver action. It is designed to function in times of driver inattention and/or impairment that could send the car careening off the road. Other standard niceties include Volvo’s justifiably famous City Safety collision-avoidance system and LED headlights.

As one climbs the trim level ladder the new S90 goes from very good to even better. The “Momentum” features Apple CarPlay and USB, the vision package adds cross-traffic alert, a 360-degree camera system, park-assist pilot, front-park assist, and a power-operated trunk lid. The “Inscription” trim brings with it road-following lights that turn in response to your steering inputs, a matte silver grille, additional chrome adornments, perforated leather seats, a leather-covered instrument panel, plus walnut inlays. All-wheel drive is available in both trim levels, and the rear air suspension system is available as a standalone option.

Using a clean-sheet-of-paper approach to powertrains, Volvo has committed to an inline 4-cylinder engine as its basic building block. From there, it adds increasingly high levels of sophistication on the continuum from the 250-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter engine in the T5 version, to the 316-horsepower direct-injected, supercharged and turbocharged 2.0-liter engine in the T6. Both engines use an 8-speed automatic transmission to send power to the front (T5) or all four (T6) wheels. The upcoming “Twin-Engine” T8 doesn’t precisely add a second engine but instead an electric motor in a plug-in hybrid configuration similar to that of the XC90 plugin.

2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4
250 horsepower @ 5,500 rpm
258 lb-ft of torque @ 1,500 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 23/34 mpg (front-wheel drive)

2.0-liter supercharged & turbocharged inline-4
316 horsepower @ 5,700 rpm
295 lb-ft of torque @ 2,200 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 22/31 mpg (all-wheel drive)