Volvo S90 2020 Review - Prices, Specs, Variants, Features and Mileage
There is a reason why Volvo cars are respected for their attractive appeal and features across the globe: the cars are built in such a classy manner that it becomes a head-turner on streets. The Volvo S90 is one such car that is no less than its siblings when it comes to attraction. The new S90 replaces the popular decade-old Volvo S80. It is a matter to ponder that after being acquired by a Geely (a Chinese motor company), Volvo managed to bring an upgrade to its platform, engine, and design philosophy. These things allowed the company to establish itself among its rivals like Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, and BMW. After turning chairs with its impressive XC90 flagship SUV in India, Volvo brought the S90 luxury Sedan to take on rivals like BMW 5 Series, Jaguar XF, and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Now the real stuff is to see how the 2020 Volvo S90 woo luxury Sedan buyers in India?
What will Impress You?
Impressive and unique cabin styling
Comfortable seating among the segment
Offers a bunch of standard safety and convenience features
What Won’t?
Steering takes time to respond
Confusing drive-mode button
Laggy infotainment system
Limited rear-seat thigh support
What’s New in the New 2020 Volvo S90?
Standard features now includes leather upholstery, front parking sensors and rear cross-traffic alert
2020 Volvo S90 Variants and Features
The S90 Sedan comes in a single trim in India named as D4 Inscription. The D4 in the trim name depicts the D4 Diesel engine. The model comes at a price of Rs. 58.90 Lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The Volvo S90 is available in six color options: Crystal White Pearl, Onyx Black metallic, Mussel Blue metallic, Havana Brown, Denim Blue, and Pine Grey.
Variants | D4 Inscription |
Price (ex-showroom, Delhi) | Rs. 58.9 Lakh |
Key Features | Active Chassis with rear air suspension |
Power/Hands Free-operated tailgate | |
Park Assist Pilot | |
Premium Sound by Bowers and Wilkins | |
Leather dashboard | |
Backrest massage front seats | |
Apple CarPlay | |
360 degree camera | |
9-inch touchscreen | |
Power adjustable driver’s seat with memory | |
4-zone climate control system |
We Recommend
Volvo S90 is one of the best sedans that has come from Scandinavia. The carmaker has kept itself on par with modern times. The S90 is offered in a single D5 Inscription trim level that focuses on luxury and power delivery. The S90 has everything that is supposed to have in a Sedan. With the XC90 on success charts, the S90 still has room for doing the right things from the buyer's perspective.
2020 Volvo S90 Engine and Performance
Volvo’s all-aluminium twin-turbocharged 2.0-litre diesel engine has already been successful with the XC90. It feels the same on the S90 despite lower D4 tuning. It fails to make a first impression with the diesel motor. The 1969 cc D4 diesel engine produces a power output of 190 hp along with 400 Nm of torque. The transmission duties are carried out by an 8-speed automatic gearbox.
Models and Variant | Volvo S90 D4 Inscription | BMW 5-Series 520d luxury line | Jaguar XF Diesel Prestige | Mercedes-Benz E-Class |
Price (Ex-Delhi) in INR | Rs. 58.9 Lakh | Rs. 60.9 Lakh | Rs. 55.07 Lakh | Rs. 60.1 Lakh |
Engine | 1969 cc D4 Diesel engine | 1995 cc TwinPower Turbo Inline 4 | 1999 cc Diesel engine | 1950 cc CDI In-line diesel Engine |
Transmission | 8-speed automatic | 8-speed automatic | 8-speed automatic | 9-speed automatic |
Power (bhp) | 190 | 187.74 | 177 | 191.7 |
Torque(nm) | 400 | 400 | 430 | 400 |
Acceleration
The S90’s steering isn’t that responsive as expected. It doesn’t feel quick nor does it provide you with instant feedback. The car also rolls around quite a bit through corners, so it’s best to keep the car at a slow move. The 0-60 kmph sprint is reported at 3.84 seconds which is decent for a Sedan of this size.
Models | Volvo S90 | BMW 5-Series | Jaguar XF | Mercedes-Benz E-Class |
0-60kmph (seconds) | 3.84 | 3.45 | 3.80 | 3.88 |
Engine Type | Diesel | Diesel | Diesel | Diesel |
Ride and Handling
With a peak torque of 400Nm, there’s plenty of power delivery just from the beginning. Thanks to the closely stacked gear ratios on the 8-speed automatic, the motor never feels out of power and helps in better cruising too. In Eco mode, the gearbox is upright as you throttle less to save fuel. In Comfort, the sedan returns better response from the gearbox and the engine. In Dynamic though it becomes much more responsive, but also puts the engine at upper reaches of the rev range, resulting in a lot of engine noise.
Braking
The wide 245 section bespoke Pirelli tyres provide a good amount of grip to the car. Although the spoty nature of the S90 gets turned on in the dynamic mode with minimal body roll.
Model | Volvo S90 | BMW 5-Series | Jaguar XF | Mercedes-Benz E-Class |
Front Brakes | Disc | Ventilated Disc | Disc | Ventilated Disc |
Rear Brakes | Disc | Ventilated Disc | Disc | Disc |
Curb Weight (kg) | 1800 | 1700 | 1681 | N/A |
Braking Time 60 to 0 kmph(m) | N/A | 24.73 | 24.27 | 23.95 |
Fuel Economy
Volvo S90 returns an ARAI rated mileage of 18 kmpl. With a fuel tank capacity of 55 litres, cruising for long distances is not an issue. However, the rivals offer bigger fuel tank capacity.
Model | Volvo S90 | BMW 5-Series | Jaguar XF | Mercedes-Benz E-Class |
Mileage (Kmpl) (ARAI) | 18 | 22.48 | 19.33 | 16.1 |
Fuel Tank Capacity (Litres) | 55 | 66 | 66 | 80 |
Top Speed (Kmph) | 230 | 235 | 229 | 240 |
2020 Volvo S90 Exterior
The S90 exterior follows the same lines as its predecessor.The front fascia gets a familiar ‘Thor hammer’ LED headlights that increases the Sedan's visual appeal drastically. Thanks to the strong shoulder crease and Coupe-like rooflife that adds a good stand to the overall appearance. The S90 is the second to the Volvo XC90 that is based on Volvo’s latest SPAR (Scalable Product Architecture) platform.
Model | Volvo S90 | BMW 5-Series | Jaguar XF | Mercedes-Benz E-Class |
Kerb weight (kg) | 500 | 530 | 505 | N/A |
Length(mm) | 4963 | 4936 | 5067 | 5063 |
Width(mm) | 2019 | 2126 | 2091 | 1860 |
Height(mm) | 1443 | 1466 | 1457 | 1494 |
Ground clearance (mm) | 152 | 158 | N/A | N/A |
Wheelbase (mm) | 2941 | 2975 | 2960 | 3079 |
The chassis design claims to offer a good percentage of boron steel that is known for its tough character. The architecture not only looks stylish but also aids several interior fitments.
Exterior Features
Some of the notable exterior features are:
Inscription grill
Bright decor side windows
Fully colour adapted sills and bumpers
Colour coordinated door handles with illumination and Puddle lights
Dual integrated tail pipes
Colour coordinated rear view mirror covers
Retractable rear view mirrors
Foglight in front spoiler
LED headlights with automatic bending
Headlight high pressure cleaning
EBL, Flashing Brake Light and Hazard Warning
2020 Volvo S90 Interiors
The interior of Volvo S90 looks calm and composed, thanks to several luxurious offerings on board. The leather dashboard with chrome inserts looks rich and modern in every aspect. The best thing about the centre console is that it gets only eight buttons, making the operation handy. This also helps in making the dashboard clean and perfect.
Car | Volvo S90 | BMW 5-Series | Jaguar XF | Mercedes-Benz E-Class |
Passenger Capacity | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
The seats,like on every Volvo car, are designed in such a way that they deliver what they are meant for. The seats are very comfortable and offer adjustable side bolsters, lumber and squab. The seating offers ample knee room and shoulder room.Although the Coupe like roofline ruins the rear seat experience by offering limited headroom. Volvo has tried to bring in best comfort and upholstery with the seats but still fails to match the offering with the likes of BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class.
Infotainment System
The 9-inch infotainment system is super responsive and straight away feels like working with any regular tablet. It sports all the car functions like navigation, drive modes, air-con and other ancillaries. The overall quality is really impressive, except for some normal bits which could have been better.
Interior Features
Linear Walnut decor inlays
Standard colour on headlining/ceiling
Illuminated vanity mirrors in sunvisor LH/RH side
Parking ticket holder
Leather upgrade on dashboard
Leather Steering wheel with uni deco inlays
Leather gear lever knob
Cigarette lighter/ Ashtray
12 volt outlet, in rear/lower tunnel consol
Automatically dimmed inner and exterior mirrors
Carpet kit, textile Inscription
Sillmoulding ‘Vovo’ metal illuminated
Interior illumination high level
Heated front seats, Backrest massage
Power folding rear headrests
Nappa leather upholstery with ventilated front seats
Power adjustable drivers seat with memory
4 way power adjustable lumbar support
Boot Capacity
Volvo has offered a generous boot capacity of 500 litres with the S90. You also get an automatic tailgate that increases practicality and convenience altogether. The boot space falls short when compared to 540 litres of boot space offered by the E-Class.
Model | Volvo S90 | BMW 5-Series | Jaguar XF | Mercedes-Benz E-Class |
Cargo Volume with rear seats up (Litres) | 500 | 520 | 505 | 540 |
2020 Volvo S90 Safety Ratings and Reliability
The 2020 S90 comes with an array of safety features including airbags for both driver and passengers, OSOFIX, Adaptive cruise control, Lane-keeping aid, Emergency brake assist, inflatable curtains, and much more.
Safety Features:
Driver and Passenger airbags
SIPS airbags
Inflatable curtains
Front seats Whiplash protection
Pretensioners, front/rear all positions
Cutoff switch passenger airbag
Isofix- Outer position rear seat
Emergency Brake Assist
High positioned rear brake lights
Intelligent Driver Information System (IDIS)
Adaptive Cruise Control
Collision Mitigation Support
Lane Keeping Aid
Hill Start Assist
Rainsensor
360 degree camera
2020 Volvo S90 Competition Check
Volvo S90 vs BMW 5-Series
The BMW has improved with the time that you can’t find any fault in its lines. It’s absolutely loaded with technology, it’s far more luxurious with far better quality, it’s more spacious and comfortable than before, and it drives better too. The BMW 5-Series doesn’t have one big killer advantage but several little ones. When it comes to offering four-cylinder diesel engines in this class, most buyers care more about rear-seat comfort than features and driving pleasure.
Volvo S90 VS Jaguar XF
The Jaguar XF has a better front fascia for obvious reasons. The steering has more weight, but it feels responsive and gives better feedback, and even the chassis tuning makes it feel a lot more agile around the corners. Jaguar’s new Ingenium engine, with 180hp and 430Nm, feels strong low down compared to the Volvo S90’s D4 engine. Meanwhile, the S90’s steering does nothing to make you want to sprint, it doesn’t feel quick nor provides a lot of feedback.
Final Verdict
The Volvo S90 will suit executives who demand back-seat comfort, supreme build quality, and lots of feel-good elements. It serves up a diverse sense of appeal and style, and will suit those peeps who often look for the safety aspect of the vehicle. To be honest, the car is not too exciting to drive but offers a lavishly appointed cabin with additional aids.
