The S90 sets a new benchmark in the executive sedan segment

Volvo Cars is on a roll in India. The annual sales numbers may be small, but it is still significant. And the point to note really is that for a brand which was a late entrant to the luxury car market, it has quickly managed to become the primary choice for many first time buyers in the segment. And mind you, Volvo is pulling it off despite none of its models being assembled locally.

With its image of Swedish quality and focus on safety still intact, Volvo has managed to deliver a refreshing new take on design, luxury and value under its new Chinese owners. Take the XC90 sports utility vehicle or the V40 as examples and it will be easier to understand where the optimism amongst company officials stems from. The same confidence is now showing in the global launch of the new S90 sedan.

Pulling in some iconic traits and lines from its predecessor of decades ago, the new S90 is a reinterpretation of a classic design. It replaces the S80 – the ageing, current flagship of the Volvo stable. Part of the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform, the S90 shares it’s underpinnings with the XC90 and the platform is versatile enough even to be shared by smaller vehicles like the S60.

The S90 is larger than the S80 and just slightly bigger than competitors in the executive luxury segment. It’s longer than the BMW 5 Series (even the new one), the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, the Audi A6 and the Jaguar XF. At about 1.8 tonnes, the S90 is also heavier than a few of its competitors, though you don’t feel its heft while on the move. This Volvo does look bigger than the others at first glance, and to its credit the cabin also feels larger and more airy.

The S90’s design carries the new design signatures of the brand prominently. A long, low hood, headlamps with the ‘Thor’s Hammer’ LED design (not our imagination running wild, Volvo calls it that) and a special concave multi-slat bonnet grille which is a tribute to the original Volvo P1800’s design. The S90’s proportions are highlighted even more when viewed from the side. Stalked mirrors, a raised beltline and 18-inch alloys which fill the wheel arches give the S90 a refined look. Chrome elements highlight some of the design features. The rear is a bit coupe like with the steeply raked rear glass. The tail-lamps are large units, with a portion split into the boot lid. Twin exhausts and a chunky rear fender round off the S90’s design somewhere between Swedish minimalism and Oriental excess. But, the overall result is quite pleasant and likeable.

The cabin of the new S90 is the most comfortable place to be amongst the recent cars that I have driven. The perforated ivory-cream nappa leather seats are adjustable in multiple ways and, best of all, are cooled and heated. So, during our test drive in Jodhpur, though it did get uncomfortably warm as the afternoon wore on, the cooled seat kept me comfy. The dashboard also features stitched leather panels with contrast stitching and solid walnut wood inlays with an open pore look. Volvo officials stressed the fact that these were solid panels and not veneers as is commonly found in luxury cars. Crafted chrome and aluminium trim that run across the dashboard, the cut-crystal engine on-off knob and the 12.3-inch driver display on the centre stack are some of the interior elements that Volvo is standardising across its models.

Volvo is launching the new S90 with only one loaded, top- trim version, which gets all these features. The other two features which really impress are the 4-zone climate control and the Bowers & Wilkins premium audio system. The space in the cabin is quite impressive and the rear seat too feels great to use.

Rear seat backrests fold electrically from the boot side to liberate more space. Tail-gate is electrically operated, including hands-free opening.

The new S90 is offered with four powertrain options in other markets, including a planned hybrid version borrowed from the XC90. But, the India-spec S90 gets only one diesel engine paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission. This is a four-cylinder, twin turbo diesel which can still be sold in the key NCR market since it is a sub-two-litre mill. In keeping with Volvo’s nomenclature convention this is a D4 FWD (front wheel drive).

The 1,969cc engine generates a peak power of 190hp and peak torque of 400Nm from about 1,750rpm. The engine feels refined, but not really quick off the block. Competing cars with V6s will feel punchier, but as a comparison, the BMW 520d’s two-litre, four-cylinder engine puts out the exact same number of horses and offers the same level of torque. From within the cozy confines of the S90’s cabin, the engine certainly sounds good though even at high revs.

The ride quality is much better than competing cars. With air-suspension at the rear and a set up that is generally tending towards pliant, the S90 feels a bit like a luxury boat on wheels when you are driving on undulating, but well-laid tarmac. Even on broken roads the S90 doesn’t get flustered, and manages to swallow most, if not all, bad patches. Handling is good, though, I believe a 5-Series will feel more agile. Steering feels precise and weighs up nicely at speed, but I would have liked a bit more feedback. I also missed steering mounted paddles for manual gear selection.

The new S90 is definitely the car to consider in the executive sedan segment. It feels plusher and more loaded than the current competing models. We will know better when the new 5-Series and the new E-Class are here too.

The S90 can certainly do with more trim options and at least one more powertrain option. Hopefully, one of them headed here in the future would be the supercharged T6 AWD petrol engine pumping out an exciting 320hp of power.

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