If anyone launched the Most Improved Car Awards, the Volvo XC90 should take a clean sweep. The new model has blown away the dowdy old car in just about every department and it’s gaining a fair few fans in the process.
You may count yourself among them, so if you’re looking at the XC90 as your potential next ride you’re probably wondering how it would fit into your new life – and how you might fit into it.
Well put away the tape measure, as we’ve saved you a job. Its vital stats are right here.
My, how it’s grown. The new car is three percent longer and wider than the old one, but sits a little closer to the floor. That means you’re going to need some big parking spaces to fit the new XC90.
You’re also going to need a big garage. It’s 2,008mm (6ft 8in) wide, which is more than the current standard for garage doors, so if you live on a new development you can probably forget it unless you’ve got a double-width garage.
Most of the 150mm increase in the car’s length is accounted for by the bits between the wheels, making it roomier inside – and you’ll feel this most particularly if you’re sitting in the third row.
Headroom and legroom are ample throughout, with the back seats being no less spacious than you’d find in the back of most hatchbacks. There’s a little narrowing in the shoulder area back there, though, so you’ll need to be a touch more flexible about your seating position.
Even with lithe passengers sitting in seats six and seven, there’s still a hatchback-shaming 451-litre load space in the boot (although naturally this is reduced slightly in the T8 Hybrid model to make space for the battery packs).
That quickly hops up to over 1,000 litres if you fold those seats away and nearly 2,000 if you do away with the middle seats too.
A slight reduction in overhang means that the XC90 is less of a lumbering oil tanker than the old car. The turning circle now stands at 11.9 metres, but as that’s about the width of a three lane motorway some skill with the three point turn is still required.
There’s quite the fuel tank too. Its 71-litre capacity (15.6 gallons) is enough to see the T6 petrol go 573 miles between fill ups – while the D5 diesel will take it 200 miles further still. The hybrid T8 has to deal with a smaller tank but thanks to an impressive fuel economy figure of 113mpg due to the battery pack being able to drive the car for 25 miles, it has a predicted range of over 1,200 miles. In practice, it’s more likely to achieve a range of around 550 miles.
With increased size comes increased mass, and Volvo hasn’t been shy about piling on the pounds. The very lightest XC90 equipped with the petrol engine weighs in at over 2.1 tonnes, while the hybrid is coming in at nearly a quarter of a tonne more. Get it fully loaded and hitch up a trailer and you might find you’ll need a different category on your driving licence.
If the Volvo XC90 is still floating your boat, take a look at it in our car configurator to see how much you could save.
There are plenty of alternatives if the XC90 looks like a bit of a square peg for the round hole of your life. Rivals such as the Audi Q7, BMW X5 and Range Rover Sport are well worth a look.
Also check out our car deals page for the latest offers from our independently rated dealerships.