2019 Volvo XC90 T8
For this week’s review we’ve gotten our hands on the 2019 Volvo XC90 T8, a turbocharged supercharged plug-in hybrid. This is the flaghship SUV from 5 years ago that was the building block and set the tone for their new design language on all vehicles to come after. This year the XC90 has a bigger battery for a longer EV range. The base AWD models get heated seats and four-zone climate control. The XC90 is also the first Volvo I’ve driven on the road!
Disclosure: VolvoCanada provided me with the 2019 Volvo XC90 for a week to test drive, and photograph. All photos in this blog post was taken by me. #VolvoXC90T8
ACCELERATION: 8.5/10
400 HP / 472 lbs-ft (Combined)
2.0L I4 Turbocharged & Supercharged:
316 HP @ 5700 / 295 lb-ft @ 5400AWD
8-speed Geartronic Automatic Transmission
5.7 second 0-100 km/hr
BRAKING: 7/10
Average braking score
HANDLING: 7.8/10
XC90 is more fun than I expected and has a confident feel to it on the road.
RIDE: 8/10
Good balance from suspensions. Aren’t too soft or hard.
ECONOMY: 9.5/10
2.5-3.5l/100km (Combined)
This is a vehicle you can plug-in and drive about 25-30 kms on pure electric range even with the bigger battery. This is pretty low all-electric range but it still has excellent fuel economy!
CABIN NOISE: 9.5/10
Cabin noise is very well controlled! The only time it will get noisier is when you deplete the battery and have the engine recharge enabled.
EXTERIOR: 9/10
While the vehicle is 5 years old, you wouldn’t know it by looking at it has aged gracefully. Volvo has struck out on a design language that will remain timeless.
INTERIOR FOR DRIVER: 8/10
One of the most comfortable car seats I’ve experienced.
Fully digital instrument cluster
If you’re new to Volvo, the engine start & stop is in the middle under the shifter.
Hybrid model gets a digital joystick shifter. It’s different but you’ll quickly get use to it!
The interior storage of the center console armrest area is pretty small.
Touch screen can be hard to use while driving. I had to ask my passenger to help me!
INTERIOR FOR PASSENGERS: 8.5/10
Front passenger seat has the same range of motion as the driver.
Very spacious legroom and headroom. While the numbers aren’t class leading it is more than enough for most families
Kinda wish this version had a 3rd row so I can see how it is to get into the rear and how much leg & head room there is
Combined Legroom:
114.8 - QX60
112.3 - Aviator
112.1 - X5
110.7 - X7
109.8 - XC90
109.8 - XT6
109.7 - Q7
106.1 - MDX
Headroom 2nd Row:
39.7 - Aviator
39.1 - XT6
38.9 - X7
38.8 - Q7
38.7 - X5
38.5 - XC90
38.3 - MDX
38.3 - QX60
INTERIOR STORAGE: 9/10
Our trunk storage was massive because our model was a 2 row instead of 3 row! It’s more than enough cargo for any family.
INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM: 7.25/10
Vertically designed infotainment system looks like a tablet. I liked how the interface looked and how intuitive it is but there are times I found it a bit laggy to respond. Interestingly, the 2019 version has a faster processor than the previous generation. It doesn’t feel as snappy as other tablet style infotainment systems like Tesla. That being said, it’s not a deal breaker for me since the overall design is simple, intuitive and modern.
Supports Android Car Play and Apple Car Play
OVERALL IMPRESSION OF THE 2019 Volvo xc90:
Volvo’s 2019 XC90 is an around great family focused vehicle with it’s spacious interior and comfortable seats. It’s interior design language is elegant, simple and modern that will look good for many years to come. Despite it’s short all-electric range, it is still A+ in terms of fuel economy. It is worth noting that the XC90 T8 is considerably more expensive than it’s base level trims. With my tester coming in around six figures after tax, it’s hard to say it is good value for money but it sure was a nice and plush experience. If you’re in the market for a BMW X5 or Benz GLE, I would also consider looking at the XC90 when cross shopping.