Swedish-made and very large, the new Volvo XC90, offering Malaysians with its latest upgrades for the 2024 model year.

Two variants for the locally-assembled (CKD) SUV, a Mild-Hybrid (MHEV - XC90 B5 Ultimate - MYR 418,888) and a Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV - XC90 Recharge T8 Ultimate - MYR 434,888). 

Prices (OTR, w/o insurance) includes a five-year/unlimited-mileage warranty, an eight-year/160,000 KM battery warranty (XC90 Recharge T8 Ultimate), and a five-year-free Digital Service Package (DSP).

Four exterior colours (Onyx Black, Denim Blue, Crystal White, Vapour Grey).

Weighing in at 2,790 KG (B5 Ultimate) and 2,950 KG (Recharge T8 Ultimate), the new XC90 stands at 4,953 MM long, 2,140 MM wide, 1,771 MM (B5 Ultimate) and 1,767 MM (Recharge T8 Ultimate) tall, and with a wheelbase spanning 2,984 MM.

A commanding stature, it radiates a solidly sculpted exterior with clean contours and elegant styling elements.

The front-end sees a Matte Silver grille with vertical slats, matched by Black air-vent fittings (sides, centre) on the X-shaped bumper.

Accentuating the layout are Chrome trimmings (grille surround, outer air-vents, side window surrounds, lower side doors).

Elegantly stocky, it exudes a horizontal outlook, complementing the front with angularly smooth and chiselled lines.

The rear-end sees a body-coloured roof-edge spoiler, paired to a straight-cut bumper with hidden exhausts. 

Accentuating the layout are Chrome trimmings (Volvo script, side window surrounds, lower side doors).

Framed angularly-smooth, fitted are Pixel LED units, with ‘Thor’s Hammer’ LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL). 

Features are Adaptive High Beam (AHB), and automatic On/Off, levelling and cornering light functions.

Unique and highly-warped, the fairly large tail lamps are wrapped-around and vertically-positioned. Fitted are LED combination units.

The side mirrors (body-coloured) are electronic-powered (auto-fold, adjust), with turn- and blind-spot indicators (BLIS - Blind Spot Information System), and memory and auto-dimming functions.

Installed is a setup of ventilated disc brakes (front, rear). Drive is aided by an Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) with Auto Brake Hold system.

Variant B5 Ultimate cruises on a set of 20-Inch five-spoke Black Diamond-Cut alloy rims, wrapped in 275/45 R20 tyres. 

Variant Recharge T8 Ultimate surges on a set of 20-Inch five-multi-spoke Black Diamond-Cut alloy rims, wrapped in 275/45 R20 tyres.

The new XC90 gets a tiered dashboard. Clean, airy and streamlined, featuring premium quality materials and details. 

A dual-screen (instrument cluster, infotainment) dominated layout, both variants come in a full leather Charcoal interior, with differentiating design schemes. 

Charcoal Nappa upholstery with Grey Ash decor (B5 Ultimate) and Maroon Nappa upholstery with Black Ash decor (Recharge T8 Ultimate).

Linked to the dash is a matching and widely flat centre console, featuring Orrefors Crystal gear shifters (B5 Ultimate, Recharge T8 Ultimate).

Overall, it is well designed. All the buttons and other accessibilities are purposefully arranged, driver-centric and user-friendly.

Installed is a 12-Inch digital instrument cluster with a Head-Up Display (HUD). The system supports two display modes (Calm, Navi).

The interior is in ventilated full leather (Nappa leather) upholsteries, featuring variant-specific Charcoal schemes.

Charcoal Nappa upholstery with Grey Ash decor (B5 Ultimate) and Maroon Nappa upholstery with Black Ash decor (Recharge T8 Ultimate).

Standard, fitted up front are Comfort electric-powered seats (adjustable, lumbar, memory, heating, cushion extension - driver) with centre console armrest.

Manually-adjusted with armrests (fold-out), the middle row gets individual seats (40:20:40 split-flat-fold) and the last a bench seat (50:50 split-flat-fold).

Completing the cabin are mood lighting (door panels, centre console), Charcoal headliner, and Panoramic glass sunroof (electric - dark tint, UV protect, sunshade).

A full-fledged seven-seater (configuration - 2-3-2), the SUV offers plenty of interior mobility, meaning front, middle and rear occupants get ample space. 

Sufficient head-, shoulder-, and leg-room, the cabin space is generous due to the stocky design of the body (tall, wide, long). 

Numerous storage compartments. E.g., side door/seat back pockets, centre console partitioned/caverned spaces (armrest storage), driver-dash card holder, an extensible hook-integrated glove box, and a boot floor storage (hidden underneath with lock).

Mounted is a three-spoke steering wheel, wrapped in leather-free synthetic material (Two-tone - B5 Ultimate, Charcoal - Recharge T8 Ultimate) with colour-matched stitching and Silver trims.

Features are multi-switches (Bluetooth, Media, Voice Recognition, Vehicle settings), column adjustments (tilt, telescopic), and a heating function. Drive is aided by an Electric Power Steering (EPS) system.

Provided are six cup holders (two - front, middle, last - rows), and four bottle holders (two - front, rear - side doors).

The boot comes with a powered-tailgate feature (operation - remote control/key fob, buttons (tailgate, dashboard), contactless (kick-gesture) - height adjustment). 

Accessing one of the features opens up to 680-Litres (seats up), and 1,874-Litres (seats down - middle, last rows) of load capacity.

The new XC90 has a comprehensive set of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). 

Installed are the City Safety suite (collision avoidance and mitigation with intersection support for pedestrian, cyclist and large animal detection with steering support and braking), Front and Rear Collision Warning and Mitigation Support, Lane Keeping Aid (LKA), Run-Off Road Mitigation with Road Edge Detection, Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) with Steer Assist, Cross Traffic Alert (CTA) with Autobrake, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Steering Assist, Pilot Assist (Driver Assist System), and Park Assist (360-degree camera). 

Other systems include Anti-lock Brake System (ABS), Electric Brake Force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist System (BAS), Brake Override System (BOS), Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Traction Control System (TCS), Hill-start Assist Control (HAC), Hill Descent Control (HDC), and Indirect Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (iTPMS).

Passive safety includes seven airbags (driver-passenger, front side, driver-knee, front-rear curtain), Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS) for front seats, seatbelts (anchors, reminders, pretensioners), ISOFIX (anchors, top tethers), auto-dimming rear-view mirrors (exterior, interior), parking cameras (reverse, 360-degree), parking sensors (six - front, rear), ready-to-drive notification, emergency stop assist, door ajar warning, side and front impact beams, Run-Off Road Protection, tyre sealant kit, extra-thick tempered side windows (UV laminated - front, rear), and security alarm (immobiliser, anti-theft).

Installed is a 9.0-Inch portrait integrated colour touchscreen infotainment, running on an Android Automotive Operating System (Android Auto OS).

Features are Google Automotive Services (five-year free (DSP) - Google Assistant, Google Maps, Google Play Store), Apple CarPlay/Android Auto (wireless), and YouTube.

Standard, the entertainment is channelled via a Bowers and Wilkins High Fidelity Audio System (1,410 W).

The setup comes with 19 speakers, an air-ventilated subwoofer, and four ‘Room Modes’ (Studio, Individual, Concert Hall, Jazz Club).

Cocooned in the new XC90 are two powertrain setups (MHEV - Mild Hybrid, PHEV - Plug-in Hybrid).

Variant B5 Ultimate embeds a 2.0-Litre four-cylinder direct injection turbo petrol engine (249 HP, 350 NM), mated to a 48-Volt Mild Hybrid system with an Integrated Starter Generator (ISG) (11 HP, 30 NM). 

The combined output reads at 260 HP of max power and 380 NM of max torque.

Variant Recharge T8 Ultimate fuses a 2.0-Litre four-cylinder turbocharged with e-boost petrol engine (317 HP, 400 NM), mated to a rear-axle mounted electric motor (145 HP, 309 NM). 

The combined output reads at 462 HP of max power and 709 NM of max torque.

Coupled with the setups is an eight-speed automatic transmission with Geartronic.

Power is sent to all four wheels via an All-Wheel Drive (AWD - B5 Ultimate) system, and an Electronic All-Wheel Drive (e-AWD - Recharge T8 Ultimate) system.

Acceleration from 0 to 100 KM/H is done in 7.7 seconds (B5 Ultimate) and 5.3 seconds (Recharge T8 Ultimate). 

Top speed is electronically-capped at 180 KM/H (B5 Ultimate, Recharge T8 Ultimate).

Fuel tank capacity is at 71-Litres, and the combined fuel consumption reads at 8.1-Litres (B5 Ultimate) and 1.8-Litres (Recharge T8 Ultimate) for every 100 KM.

Juicing up the e-motor (Recharge T8 Ultimate) is an 18.8 KWH battery, providing a pure electric driving range of 77 KM. 

Upgraded are the on-board chargers (OBC) (Recharge T8 Ultimate). 

Two/three phase AC charging (6.4 KW) takes three hours for a 0% to 100% State of Charge (SoC). 

Single phase AC charging takes four hours (4.0 KW) and seven hours (2.4 KW) for a 0% to 100% SoC. 

The new XC90 comes with these conveniences.

E.g., keyless entry (engine On/Off button), power tailgate (operation - remote control, buttons (tailgate, dashboard), contactless (kick-gesture) - height adjustment), automatic headlamps (On/Off, high-beam, cornering), automatic wipers (rain sensing), auto-dimming rear-view mirrors (exterior, interior), steering wheel (multi-switches, column adjustments, heating, EPS), Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) with Auto Brake Hold system, Blind Spot Information System (BLIS), Comfort electronic-powered front seats (adjustable, lumbar, memory, heating, cushion extension - driver), interior lighting (mood, reading, boot), wireless charger, parking sensors (six - front, rear), parking cameras (reverse, 360-degree), Panoramic glass sunroof (electric - dark tint, UV protect, sunshade), sun curtains (manual - rear - windscreen, sides), extra-thick tempered side windows (front, rear), four-zone Electronic Climate Control (ECC) with rear air-vents (rows - middle, last), Clean Zone Interior Air Quality System (PM2.5 air purifier), electric cabin heater/cooler, humidity sensor, Google Automotive Services, armrests (row - front, middle, last), tailgate scuff plate (stainless steel), boot (protection net, bag holder), and roof rails (load - 100 KG).

Installed is a four-zone Electronic Climate Control (ECC). 

The setup comes with rear air-vents (rows - middle, last) and a Clean Zone Interior Air Quality System (PM2.5 air purifier).

Also incorporated are electric cabin heater/cooler and humidity sensor systems.

Underpinned is Volvo’s Four-C Active Chassis, featuring double wishbone (front) and multi-link (rear) with air suspension setups.

Ride quality feels flexible and firm at the same time. The SUV delivers a connected steering feel, and a planted ride with minimal body-roll. 

Overall, it is uber spacious and comfortable, a safe and suitable SUV to be utilised as a daily driver.

Good sound insulation, covering all the NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) aspects. The cabin is serene, with the engine, tyre, road and wind noises mostly hindered. 

Additional acoustic features come in the form of the extra-thick tempered side windows (front, rear).