Volvo S90 T8 AWD Recharge, call me Mr. Sleeper
If we think of a Volvo or people who drive Volvos, we think about architects or teachers at the university. The somewhat “special” (in a good way) type of person. We also think about the words neat, sober and a little bit classic. “Well thought out”, a term you will instantly link with the brand Volvo. But if you ask Volvo -and we did-, they will talk about “elegance, intuitiveness and responsibility. The ultimate luxury Scandinavian plug-in hybrid sedan”. All of these things feel connected to Volvo like Siamese twins. But the only thing we could think about this car is: “super cool Sleeper”.
You can keep up with the Mercedes-AMG A 35
Fair is fair, you couldn’t keep up with the Mercedes-AMG A45 S or even the A45. But the third in line -the A35- wouldn’t shake you off in a little sprint to 100 km/h, even if he wanted to. The heavy (more than 2 tonnes) Volvo S90 T8 AWD Recharge can hit 100 km/h in just 4,7 seconds and on to a limited top speed of 180 km/h. Yes, we know. That sucks big time! But this car is one of the fastest cars that will get you from zero to its top speed. We can assure you that. The combination of the 2.0-liter and the electric engine will give you a 455 hp and 709 Nm push forward, which will make you think that the 100 km/h appears faster than the specified time of 4,7 seconds.
The 8-speed automatic gearbox has been assigned for one job and one job only! Give the driver the power and acceleration as smoothly as possible and trust us: success! James May one’s told the world that a designer at Rolls-Royce probably would have been fired if they would ever use the term sportiness for the cars they make. We are getting the sense that it’s the same way with this Volvo S90 T8 AWD Recharge.
It’s more than fast enough in a straight line and it reacts somewhat in a quick way to a stroke of the accelerator. But please, whatever you do, don’t try to throw it in a corner to hit the apex as good as possible because you could end up in that tree you see over there. This isn’t a machine for the Green Hell. The hybrid character of the car fits seamlessly with the abundance of comfort. This is still far from the comfort a Mercedes S-class delivers, but cars in the “semi-comfort class” like an EQS, E-class and 5-series will need to bring their A-game to beat this S90.
The smooth combination of the petrol and electric drivetrain translates into a nice consumption figure and with the possibility of driving full electric on the highway, a little trip could easily be in the full electric mode. Volvo claims an electric range of up to 90 km but in real life, we’ve noticed a loss of 15 km for every 10 kilometers we drove. Nothing new there.
Nothing new there?
On the exterior of the car, you could also believe there is “nothing new there” and we would almost agree. The Volvo S90 has only undergone some minor exterior changes. Those changes include another front bumper to make the Volvo S90 look even less sporty than before (something I have probably never written before).
But once more, this makes it clear which way Volvo wants to go with their S90. Looking from another angle -like the side view- and you could easily mistake the old one for the new (some 911-feelings here) and moving to the rear, the S90 has lost more of its sporty exterior like the missing ornamental exhaust tips. But we really don’t mind for such a classy car.
Real crystal
The gear lever is made by Orrefors exclusively for Volvo of real Swedish crystal. Facts like this make our hearts beat faster. The rest of the interior isn’t that exciting. Don’t get me wrong, the interior is of an extremely high quality. It feels nice, the seats give you great support and are heated/cooled, the steering wheel is soft and heated and there is more than enough storage room.
But the infotainment system needs to step up its game. If you want to have a fighting chance against the Germans, Volvo needs to make it better. It works fine, but fine isn’t good enough in this class. It could be a little bit faster and a little bit more user-friendly. Believe me, for most people I’m nitpicking, but you want more for your buck.
Only an architect can afford it
The Volvo S90 T8 AWD Recharge is a rather rare sight in the car world. It has some strong competitors it needs to fight off and the price doesn’t help either. You can go to your Volvo dealer and order one for a price beginning at 77.590 euros (BE). For that price, the car is already pretty complete. You can add a different color, another rim and the ultimate package bring the price up to 85.000 euros. Not cheap, but it’s worth it. I would be the architect that drives the Volvo S90 T8 Recharge.
