The Volvo S90 will come with only one engine option in India for now. The D4 is a 2.0 litre four cylinder diesel motor that develops 190 horsepower and 400 Nm of torque. An eight speed automatic gearbox drives the front wheels. The engine is very refined and it is hard to tell that there is a diesel under the hood when you are inside the car. It has enough punch from the lower revs which carries on right throughout the power band. It tends to get just a wee bit noisy towards the red line. The gear shifts are smooth and there is no feel of lag. Even kick downs are responsive especially when you plan an over taking move. While the gearbox does come with tip-tronic mode for manual shifting, paddle shifters are missed and many a time the fingers reached out to a paddle for a downshift, only to be disappointed. There are three drive modes too: Eco, Comfort and Dynamic which adjust the suspension, steering feel etc. Volvo is planning to get the more powerful 235 horsepower D5 variant to India next year. Also expect the R-Design version to follow.
What is impressive about the S90 is it’s ride quality. And the credit for that goes to the air suspension at the rear. The car just makes short work of bad roads and we kid you not, those were aplenty on the Jodhpur Jaisalmer highway that we drove on. It is hard to believe that you are riding on 18 inch alloy wheels and 45 profile tyres. The S90 goes well around the corners too. What we liked is the well weighted steering especially in Dynamic. High speed stability is good too and the Pirelli P-Zero rubber is very grippy. Long distance cruising would be a piece of cake in this Volvo. At the same time, it is very easy to drive in traffic as well. The steering is light at city speeds and the car feels easy to manage despite it’s size. Other features include a rear view camera with sensors, Park Assist Pilot , Hill Start Assist and HUD Display. The S90 also comes with the Lane Keeping Aid feature. In this, if the car detects that it is moving away from the driving lane it turns the steering itself to come back in line.
The S90 comes with a host of safety features including driver and co-passenger airbags, knee airbag, curtain airbags, Whiplash protection, Emergency Brake Assist and Pre-tensioners for the front and rear. Run Off-Road protection is also standard.
The Volvo S90 has a lot going for it. It scores on comfort, has fantastic build quality, comes with a mother load of features, has a refined diesel engine and has enough power to keep you happy. And then there are the looks, which will definitely make it stand out in a crowd. It feels nice to drive but it isn’t sporty. The emphasis here is on comfort and that, the Volvo does splendidly. Volvo plans to launch the S90 between Rs.55 to 60 lakh and at that price, you get a lot of bang for your buck. And the fact that it is a CBU, would make it a sweeter proposition at that price. So does the S90 have it all to be a segment best? We certainly feel it does. And it certainly gives its rivals something to think about.
Volvo S90 photo gallery:
