Volvo XC90 (2025) Review

The XC90 launched in 2015 and its interior still beats almost everything that has arrived since. The open pore wood, the optional wool blend upholstery, the crystal gear selector and the restraint of the whole design make it feel considered rather than showy, and the material quality holds up to daily use. The third row is one of the few in the class that adults can occupy without resentment, and the boot behind it is usable. Refinement on the air suspension is excellent.

The engine remains the flaw. A single 2.0 litre four cylinder does every job in the range, boosted or hybridised as required, and in a car weighing well over two tonnes it sounds strained under load and never matches the smoothness of a six. The plug in hybrid solves the pace and adds a useful electric range but not the noise. Reliability sits mid pack with electrical and software issues prominent, service costs run above the Japanese competition, and depreciation is heavy. Buy it because you like being inside it, which is a better reason than most.