Overview: The Volvo XC90 T8 Ultra in Brief
You could, if you were feeling a little uncharitable, refer to this XC90 T8 as Volvo's cop-out car. Having promised that it would become an all-electric car maker by not quite the end of this decade, Volvo has since backtracked and decided that plug-in hybrids are still what a substantial car-buying demographics desires.
To be fair to Volvo, it's not the only car maker to have worked that out, as others as diverse as Audi and BYD have come to the same conclusion, and so the XC90 is being kept on sale alongside the new EX90 all-electric seven-seat flagship.
Of course, Volvo hasn't just kept the old XC90 going - the Swedish (albeit Chinese-owned, by car making giant Geely) car maker has given the XC90 a thorough going over to keep it fresh and sprightly, which is quite some effort for a car celebrating its tenth birthday. Car years are akin to dog years, so that means the XC90, at its core, has left middle age well behind itself in the mirror. Can an aged platform still stand up after so much time has passed? And is the XC90 a better option for buyers than the all-electric EX90?
Pros & Cons of the Volvo XC90 T8 Ultra
Pros: Excellent cabin, lots of space, comfort, refinement, quality, safety, infotainment
Cons: Electric range not the best, small-ish boot for such a big car, not cheap
What's changed compared to the old XC90?
Not a lot has changed, to be fair. The XC90 is as it has always been - big, luxurious, practical, comfortable and incredibly safe. This is the car that, after all, Volvo claims has never known an occupant fatality since the original model was launched way back in 2003.
Clearly, Volvo was going to be careful not to throw the XC90 babies out with its upgrade bathwater, so to speak, so the updates have been of the careful and considered kind.
You'll notice a new look at the front, where the grille gets a series of intersecting lines, instead of conventional vanes, which looks rather nice and gives the nose of the XC90 a touch of jewellery, but without the outré styling of some other big-grille SUVs.
The distinctive T-shaped 'Thors Hammer' headlights remain, but are a little more sculpted now, and their LED internals have been updated and modernised. If they can cope with a Nordic winter, they should do fine in Irish conditions.
There are some nice new alloy wheel designs too, smoked brake lights and a new 'Mulberry Red' colour option, although our test car was finished in a pale 'Bright Dusk' beige colour which seems to be quite fashionable at the moment, and also wore €1,050 worth of 22-inch alloys.
Visually then, the XC90 hasn't changed much, and that's fine by us. It still looks good and manages to be a large SUV that doesn't appear towering nor threatening to other road users (which may be more down to the Volvo brand image than anything else).
Performance of the Volvo XC90 T8 Ultra on Irish Roads
• Powerful hybrid setup
• Ride quality could be improved
• Refined and comfortable on a long run
'Nice' is often used as almost a pejorative term, but in the case of the XC90 it's the perfect way of summing up how it drives. Air suspension comes as standard in Ireland, along with adaptive dampers, as only this T8 plug-in hybrid model is offered, and so the XC90 rolls along comfortably, ironing out most of the tarmac imperfections as you go.
The optional 22-inch wheels do induce a bit of bump-thump, which is annoying at times, and it means that the XC90 can sometimes struggle to provide a truly smooth ride quality, which is a pity for a model that really ought to be comfort-focused.
The steering is really quite good, though. I reckon that Volvo is actually often better than it's given credit for when it comes to producing fulsome, talkative steering setups, and while no-one is going to mistake the XC90 for a Lotus (even if they are Geely Group stablemates these days) it's actually quite a nice steer and holds its own on a twisty road. As sharp as a BMW X5? Don't be silly, but it's good.
However, the plug-in hybrid system is clearly straining at its seams a bit now. The official 71km of electric range is more like 50km in real-world conditions, and that's a bit of a let down compared to the likes of the Range Rover Sport or the aforementioned BMW X5. It's better than the Hyundai Santa Fe, it's true, but then that's a much more affordable car.
The XC90 is also a thirsty car on a long run, using around 9.0 litres per 100km when you can't charge it up, which isn't great, but performance is more than decent, with 455hp on offer from the turbocharged petrol engine and electric motor working together, and more than 700Nm of torque.
This massive, two-and-change-tonne SUV can hit 100km/h from rest in just 5.4 seconds, which was BMW M car pace not so long ago. Refinement takes a hit when you accelerate hard - the Volvo four-cylinder engine is an even older design than the XC90 itself, and it can't compete in aural terms with Land Rover's nor BMW's straight-six hybrids - but the rest of the time it's just fine.
Interior, Practicality, Tech & Comfort of the Volvo XC90 T8 Ultra
• Impressive new touchscreen
• Old-school cabin quality (in a good way)
• Small boot for its size
Inside, the biggest - indeed, aside from some tweaked cupholders and a couple of new trim options, the only - change is the adoption of a new infotainment screen. This is bigger than the old, inset screen (remember how revolutionary that looked back in 2015?) and measures 11.4 inches across the diagonal, but Volvo hasn't done much in the way of sculpting to make it fit the cabin. You know how some taxi drivers install a big touchscreen in their old Avensis, that looks as if it's just been Blu-Tack'ed to the dash? Yeah, that.
On the upside, the interface with the screen is fairly good, thanks to native Google software (as seen in all other Volvo models) and the XC90's age actually plays in its favour here, as it still has a smattering of physical switches, such as those for adjusting the door mirrors, which makes the screen so much easier to cope with.
It helps too, that unlike the smaller EX30, the XC90 retains a big, clear, digital driver's instrument panel, which includes some seriously classy, understated graphics.
Other than that, it's as you were - nice crystal gear shift, using Swedish Orrefors crystal, fabulous front seats which are both heated and cooled in Ultra spec, and a slight shortage of useful storage space, as the area under the armrest isn't quite deep enough, and there's little space at the base of the centre console.
One thing you'd have to say, though, is that the XC90's cabin feels impressively well made from high-quality materials. You can tell that it's a vehicle designed before car makers started to massively de-content their cabins, fitting cheaper parts in search of thicker profit margins.
In the back seats, things are also ever so slightly tight. There's sufficient space for tall rear seat passengers, but the likes of the Kia EV9 is roomier back there.
That said, I fitted in nicely behind my own driving position, albeit the seats seem a touch narrow. The seats do recline and slide, though, and while there's a shortage of ISOFIX points (just the two, in the outer middle-row seats) that's partially made up for by the integrated child booster seat, built into the cushion of the middle position, which is really handy.
If you're big and you're sitting in the outer seats, though, you'll feel a bit crammed up against the door panel - the EX90 beats it in this regard.
What about the third-row seats? Even I can fit into the rearmost seats of the XC90 T8, with just enough kneeroom and just enough headroom. For reference's sake I'm 1.85 metres tall (that's 6'1” in pre-decimal coins) and that makes the XC90 one of the precious few seven-seat SUVs that can accommodate full-sized adults in row three.
However, fold down those third-row seats, and the news in the boot isn't so good. A volume of 668 litres seemed like a lot back in 2015, but the likes of the Kia EV9 and the Skoda Kodiaq have moved that game well and truly on.
It also irks that there's nowhere to store the retracting luggage cover if you want to fold down the back seats to open up the full 1,690 litres of space, although at least the XC90 does get a handy pop-up boot floor panel which allows you to divvy up the space as needed.
Irish Pricing & Rivals of the Volvo XC90 T8 Ultra
• Not cheap
• Still a lot of car for the money
• Impressive standard spec list
The XC90 has a starting price of €99,595, and our top-spec Ultra model clocked in, with a couple of optional extras, at €111,645. Which is a lot of money. However, you are getting a substantial amount of car for that, and in recent months we've driven diesel-engined versions of both the BMW X3 and Audi Q5 which had similar on-the-road price tags, and those are both much smaller, and don't come with seven seats.
Spec highlights include the adaptive air suspension, 21-inch alloys, Matrix LED headlights with a beam strength that seems as if it will cause nearby paint to flake, upholstery that does a good impression of leather (upgraded to proper Nappa hide on our test car), wireless phone charging and a brilliant Dirac sound system which can be set to replicate the soundscape of the philharmonic concert hall in Volvo's home town of Gothenburg.
As for alternatives, there are direct rivals from BMW, Audi and Mercedes in the shapes of the X5, Q7 and GLE, but of those only the Mercedes can offer both seven seats and plug-in hybrid power at the same time.
The Kia EV9 must surely now be considered a rival, in style and space, if not quite in price, and the Hyundai Ioniq 9 too. You could throw in the likes of the Skoda Kodiaq and Hyundai Santa Fe as well, but these are smaller cars on the inside, and again the Skoda can't have both plug-in hybrid power and seven seats. Oh, and let's not forget the Volvo EX90, the XC90's fully electric sibling.
Verdict - Should You Buy the Volvo XC90 T8 Ultra?
Yes, you absolutely should. In fact, the XC90 for all its age still has the guts to get the job done. It should have a smoother ride (maybe avoid the optional bigger alloys) but it's pleasant to drive, comfortable beyond belief, has seats for seven and, if the boot is slightly small, you'd still struggle to call it anything other than wonderfully practical. Better than the EX90? Given that model's software struggles, and the continuing paucity of EV infrastructure on the island, the XC90 just edges it.
FAQs About the Volvo XC90 T8 Ultra
What is the most common problem with a Volvo XC90?
XC90s are well-made, but previous models have not been immune to reliability issues, which can hit the infotainment, the air suspension, the gearbox and batteries. They also have a habit of burning through both brake pads and brake discs quickly.
Is Volvo discontinuing the XC90?
Absolutely not, in fact as we've outlined above, the XC90 will be kept on sale for some time yet, at a hybrid-powered alternative to Volvo's all-electric models, until more buyers are ready to take the leap to fully electric.
Does the XC90 charge while driving?
Yes, you can top up the battery while driving, as inefficient as that would be. It's worth noting that mains charging is quite slow, at only up to 7.4kW, and with no option for DC fast charging.
Want to know more about the Volvo XC90?
If there's anything about the Volvo XC90 we've not covered, or you'd like help in choosing between it and other cars, you can avail of our expert advice service via the Ask Us Anything page.
