By Peter Hubbard
MotorwayAmerica.com

(March 21, 2018) With apologies to Oldsmobile for “borrowing” their ad slogan from 1988, but – this is NOT your father’s Volvo! The premier Volvo sedan from 30 years ago was the 760 Turbo.  Its 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder delivered a muscular (for typical death-grip-on-the-steering wheel, safety-obsessed Volvo owners) 182 horsepower, and according to reports from the time, propelled the boxy sedan from 0-60 in under 8 seconds. 

Given the car’s less-than-streamlined design, that was really quite a feat.  Anything under 10 seconds was considered outstanding for sedans of that era.



This new 2018 Volvo S90 T6 AWD,  powered by a smaller 2.0-liter turbocharged AND supercharged 4-cylinder cranks out an impressive 316 hp @5700 rpm and 295 lb-ft of torque 2200 rpm, resulting is a spritely 0-60 sprint of just 5.6 seconds, according to testers at Motor Trend.  Nice improvement over 30 years ago, I’d say. 

The EPA city/highway fuel economy ratings for our test model — a S90 T6 AWD Inscription was fairly decent for a large luxury sedan – 22 city and 31 mpg on the highway. 





Two trim levels are offered, Momentum and Inscription. Momentum models start with the T5 and an adequate 250-hp from a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine and front-wheel drive (FWD), but all-wheel drive (AWD) is available. Buyers can also move up to the premium T6 Inscription, which is the model we tested. In this model, AWD is standard.

Volvo also offers the new†S90 T8 model, which is a plug-In hybrid with 400 horsepower. Inscription models are limited to the T6 and the hybrid. Prices start around $49,000, which seriously undercuts the competing German cars by several grand. 

Our test vehicle — an S90 T6 AWD Inscription — carried an MSRP of $58,600. 

But that wasn’t the final, bottom-line number.  For this model Volvo also threw in the heads-up display speedo ($900), lovely metallic blue paint ($595), beefy 20-inch allow wheels and tires (800) premium Bowers & Wilkins sound system ($3200), a heated steering wheel ($300) air suspension rear ($1200), plus a $995 freight bill … for a bottom line of $69,140. 

While that might seem a bit steep, a week behind the wheel might convince you it’s actually a bargain. 

Given its long-standing reputation for industry-leading safety standards, driver-assist and safety systems lead the Volvo S90’s long list of standard items. The primary feature is Volvo’s Gen2 Pilot Assist system, which includes the Volvo’s “Run-off Road Mitigation” that’s designed to prevent one of the most common types of fatal accidents — falling asleep at the wheel, and into a ditch.

Between speeds of 40-85 mph the system can sense a potential run-off-the-road situation, and in response it steers and brakes automatically to keep the S90 on the road. Although potentially intrusive, the system can be overridden. It is designed to function in times of driver inattention and/or impairment that could send the car careening off the road. Other standard features include Volvo’s highly touted City Safety collision-avoidance system and LED headlights.



EXTERIOR



In case you weren’t aware, the S90 is based on Volvo’s excellent XC90 crossover model.  In fact, the S90 shares roughly 70 percent of its parts with the XC90, including its 2.0-liter engine, 8-speed automatic transmission and its AWD system. 

The car’s capable suspension and AWD security are just a few of the things to appreciate about Volvo S90. In place of the thick-brick-on-roller-skates design of the 1980’s this new Volvo sedan is sleek and elegant, with the kind of comfort, stance and character upscale buyers covet in a first-class luxury sedans. 

So move over Lexus, Acura, Infiniti, Cadillac, et al.  This newcomer is a serious contender in every way possible. This Volvo sedan is no longer the “ugly duckling” of the sedan world – and will literally turn heads. 

A sedan that once was ugly and boring is now sleek and sophisticated, with a host of electronic features that make it one of just a handful of luxury sedans with virtually semi-autonomous capabilities.

The 2018 Volvo S90 gets a radical increase in wheelbase this year. With a wheelbase that’s 4.7 inches longer, the Volvo S90 is now more spacious than several stalwarts in the luxury sedan group, including the Mercedes E Class, the BMW 5-Series, plus the Audi A6 and Cadillac CTS.



Adding nearly five inches to the wheelbase of a car — any car — could be a recipe for design disaster. Chances are quite good you could end up with awkward proportions and a cartoonish profile. But such is not the case here. In fact, this new longer 2018 Volvo S90 looks even better. By making it longer, it actually looks leaner.

One of the special features is the front grille, slightly scalloped in homage to the iconic Volvo P1800 sports car.  It also incorporates a Viking “Thor’s hammer” motif in the LED headlights and sweeping lines that extend from bow to stern, inspired by the Sweden’s sailing ships. All in all, this is truly one handsome sedan.




INTERIOR 



This car truly does look and feel like a limousine. By adding nearly five inches to the rear seat, the Volvo S90’s back seat has gone from spacious to cavernous. It’s wide too. This is a true 5-seater. Front-seat accommodations are also worthy of praise.

Volvo, long a leader in vehicle seating comfort and function, scored high marks one again with the S90.  Its seats are well shaped and its seat heaters can easily fend off the coldest Arctic blasts Old Man Winter might deliver. Volvo has also managed to combine high-tech features in an understated design that also includes some old-world craftsmanship.

A single piece of shaped walnut adorns the passenger side of the dash, while most controls are within the large touch screen, which looks and functions like an iPad. It’s a simple, elegant and intuitive design. And if you want to learn how it all works, don’t bother rifling through the glove box for the owner’s manual. Why?  Simple.  It’s not there.  You access the owner’s manual through the touch screen, and simply use the “search” function to locate the specific topic on which you want more information. 




DRIVABILITY 



The 2018 Volvo S90 is a terrific car to drive … smooth, responsive and powerful. While it might not withstand the kind of rigorous driving that some rear-drive, German-designed cars offer — a driving style luxury sedan owners seldom undertake anyway, without benefit of a nearby racetrack or Autobahns access – it feels remarkable composed and capable.  It handles both friendly and unfriendly road surfaces alike with skill and composure. It easily absorbs bumps and expansion ribs, delivering a satisfying ride, excellent acceleration and crisp steering.

The combination of supercharging and turbocharging enables the T6’s little 2.0-liter engine to dish out a hearty 316 horsepower very smoothly, with an amazingly flat torque curve. It’s actually eager to move, aided by the Volvo’s compliant and silky 8-speed automatic transmission. It mates truly well with the surprisingly aggressive 4-cylinder. 



But perhaps the most entertaining aspect of driving the 2018 Volvo S90 is letting it drive itself. With its standard semi-autonomous drive system, called Pilot Assist, the Volvo can basically drive with little help from the driver. Both in stop-and-go traffic and at highway speeds, it goes, stops and steers all on its own. It just asks you to touch the steering wheel every once in a while to prove you’re still paying attention.


With a controller on the console behind the Volvo’s shifter, drivers can select from four separate drive modes, customizing the sedan’s dynamic characteristics to the mood best suited to your road and traffic conditions. Volvo provides the driver with Comfort, Eco, Dynamic and Individual modes. Each adjusts the S90’s engine, transmission and the optional air suspension. The only down side is the fact the S90 defaults back to the Comfort setting each and every time you start the engine.



CONCLUSION



The 2018 Volvo S90 T6 fits in quite comfortably in any upscale neighborhood despite not wearing either an upscale German or Japanese badge on its grille.  Whether you live in tony cities from Palm Springs to Palm Beach, and from Westwood to Westchester County, this sensuous sedan will garner approving glances when it pulls up to the country club.  



It comes with a supple suspension, a potent powertrain and the all the style and grace of a Swedish swimsuit model. So if you’re looking for a luxurious and quiet premium sedan with state-of-the-art safety features, semi-autonomous capability and class-leading rear-seat legroom, you’ll like the 2018 Volvo S90. Its 13.5-cubic-foot trunk is also sizable for the class, and with 400 horsepower, the S90 Plug-in Hybrid is significantly more powerful than BMW 530e iPerformance.

If you consider a 4-cylinder premium sedan to be an oxymoron, akin to things like soft rock or jumbo shrimp, then the Volvo S90 may not be your cup of tea. 

However, get inside and drive around town a bit, and you’ll understand that it clearly fit in the same class with cars boasting 6-cylinder and V-8 engine like the BMW 5 Series, Mercedes E-Class, Audi A6, Jaguar XF and Cadillac CTS.  

No, it’s NOT your father’s Volvo.  And you can thank the design mavens at Volvo for that. It’s no longer just for tree-huggers and cardigan-wearing college professors anymore.

It’s “upped its game,” so to speak, and can compete with luxury sedans with longer pedigrees, and costing thousands more.  So if you’re the market for something upmarket, be sure to include the Volvo S90 on your shopping list.