by Anthony Fongaro - photos via Volvo - 06/04/2023
It seems this generation’s Volvo XC90 has been around for a while, right? The second generation XC90 debuted in 2017. You’d be forgiven if you thought a brand-new XC90 was from 2018. That was something that I was thinking about. I reviewed the Volvo XC90 Recharge plug-in hybrid a few years ago, and not much has really changed. In fact, you can find the review here. As I said a few years ago, the XC90 is a handsome SUV with a luxurious and comfortable interior. There are some changes, but instead of a regular review, I want to try something different...
Let’s discuss the Volvo XC90 Recharge as I took a short road trip to Road America. Starting with the seats, they are different from almost any other seat in the market. That’s because the XC90 is available with a wool blend. These were very comfortable, even when the temperature was getting a little warm. It was interesting that wool seats don’t get ventilation, but it wasn’t greatly missed. All of my passengers enjoyed the front and middle row, but none actually went into the third row. Take a look around and you’ll notice the Ultimate’s blackened trim which matches well with the wool.
As you move in the slow Milwaukee traffic, you have time to look at the rest of the interior. Starting with the heated steering wheel, it has large buttons but most aren’t marked. When you do figure out what they are, you’ll see they’re for the infotainment and central display. There isn’t much you can do with the central display. You can show a tachometer if you go into Sport mode and see navigation, but that’s about it. Ultimate models also come with a head-up display that shows navigation. One thing that didn’t seem to change, even though it should have, is the infotainment system.
Actually, something did change. It now has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. As before, it uses widgets houses almost every function. I tried using voice commands, but it always said there was an error. So much for Google’s integration, right? What I absolutely love is the gear shifter. It’s made of crystal! The shifter has PRND as well as B and - and +. I’ll get into that when I get into driving it up north. There was a large sunroof, but it had a very slow sunshade. Even with an older interior, it’s still lovely. With optional air suspension (for $1,800), the XC90 will lower and higher for entry and exit. An optional Bowers and Wilkins sound system (for $3,200) is well worth the upgrade as it sounds excellent.
Still, in traffic, other drivers were able to see all of the chrome with the Denim Blue exterior. Ultimate trims get large 21-inch diamond-cut wheels. The front has a large Volvo logo with Volvo’s signature “Thor’s hammer” lights. The rear has handsome tail lights and pairs with another large Volvo logo. As I said, the exterior looks almost exactly the same as the 2021 model I tested. The XC90 is still a very handsome vehicle and looks great with the blue and large wheels.
Since this is a “Recharge”, that means this has a twin-charge twin-power engine. Basically, it’s a 2.0-liter inline-four with a turbocharger, a supercharger, and an electric motor. Bundle all of this together and when you have charge, this combines to 455 horsepower/339 kW and 523 lb-ft/70p Nm. Along with an eight-speed automatic and AWD, the XC90 Recharge gets from 0-60 MPH in 4.5 seconds. Now…I didn’t test this on my trip. Instead, I did what I would call “regular acceleration”. That would be 20-30 MPH to whatever highway speeds are. When I asked the XC90 Recharge to move, it was quick. It is definitely more of a family cruiser and you can tell it doesn’t care for cornering.
Volvos are always safe and packed with safety features. This was the same with the XC90 Recharge. It houses adaptive-cruise control, lane keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, and other systems. Remember that this is a plug-in hybrid, so it can do around 30 miles of EV range. Hybrid mode garnered over 50 MPG! When the motor has no more electricity, the 2.0-liter engine gets around 26 MPG. Since I went up to Wisconsin with 0 miles of EV range, I wanted to test something. Along with having PRND, the XC90 Recharge has a B mode with a + and -. B is Volvo’s regenerative braking, while the + and - are for shifting gears. I found myself constantly switching between Drive and Brake.
How many miles of EV range can you get with the engine charging the batteries? First off, always try to have some range. If not, you’ll notice that the engine is a little loud. Still, my drive of 110 miles gave me 17 miles of EV range, half of the total range. Do I recommend doing this? No. Not at all. I was getting 20 MPG while I was driving home. If you do have electric range, you can travel at quite high speeds without the engine kicking in. Sticking with more numbers, XC90 Recharge models start at $79,000 with this one at $85,000. That’s still in line with the competition.
Alright, I made it to Road America! As I parked the XC90, I appreciated how comfortable it is. Although the infotainment system isn’t the best, the safety features made driving a breeze. Would I recommend an XC90 Recharge? I’ll say this for every PHEV: if you have no place to charge, no. Charging takes some time and the regular engine would make more sense. If you can buy a PHEV, why not get an XC90? It’s a great family hauler with some great wool seats.
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