- XC90 plug-in wears recent face, revamped inside
- It inherits EX90 EV’s interface and OTA replace functionality
- EPA-rated EV vary ought to be 33 electrical miles
- Core, Plus, Extremely trim packages; six- or seven-passenger variations
- XC90 Core prices $59,745; Extremely, $81,495
Søren Kierkegaard had it proper: life should be lived forwards. Nonetheless, not each new-SUV purchaser is prepared for what lies forward within the all-electric-car period.
When they’re, Volvo’s prepared. It has the pert little Volvo EX30 hatchback quickly dribbling into showrooms, and the splendid Volvo EX90 three-row electrical SUV that makes a powerful case for a transition away from gasoline.
However Volvo gained’t be all-electric by 2030 because it had deliberate. It gained’t chase the final bits of ICE automobile enterprise, however it’ll evolve its plug-in hybrids and lean on them extra closely than it had as soon as deliberate.
For 2025, because it rolls with the electrified tide, Volvo will replace its finest hybrid and considered one of its bestselling autos ever. The 2025.5 Volvo XC90 (sure, it’s a uncommon half-year intro) will get extra sound insulation, finer inside supplies, a brand new touchscreen with an up to date interface borrowed from the EX90, and a revamped suspension to accompany its restyled entrance and rear ends.
It’s no laborious reboot. The XC90 nonetheless feels acquainted—however not stale. That’s important, since there’s little doubt the plug-in hybrid, a part of a lineup launched a decade in the past, will play a a lot larger function at Volvo for the rest of the last decade.
2025.5 Volvo XC90 T8 PHEV check drive assessment, Copenhagen
Volvo XC90: Stately and low-key beautiful
Refined modifications to the outside and inside marks the newest iteration of the XC90. Probably the most placing? A new entrance finish with a grille consisting of diagonal slats—a callback to its conventional diagonal-bar grille—and a stronger model mark. It’s framed in brilliant trim, and pinned to the nostril by slim hammer-style LED matrix headlights. Stylists resculpted the hood and entrance fenders across the headlights, sketched out new wheel designs, tinted the tail lamps darkish, and specified a deep new crimson to mark the modifications.
What they haven’t touched: The XC90’s sturdy however svelte wagon physique, and the substantial impression it makes.
It’s less complicated to identify the modifications contained in the XC90. On the heart of the sprint, a bigger 11.2-inch touchscreen stands proud the place a 9.0-inch display screen as soon as took up sprint house. Vertical air vents bracket it and the remainder of the sprint, which now wears panels trimmed in recycled material tailor-made to enhance cut-aluminum speaker grilles and wooden trim.
New lighting brings drama to these finishes; there’s a white-wood palette with a Hollywood Regency vibe, a subdued charcoal-gray setup, and—better of all—nut-brown ash paired with cardamom-brown material, which sends every kind of pumpkin spice vibes to the blue-burban households that the XC90 targets with laser precision.
2025.5 Volvo XC90 T8 PHEV check drive assessment, Copenhagen
2025.5 Volvo XC90 T8 PHEV: EV lite?
On a misty November morning outdoors of Copenhagen, I twist the beginning knob on the XC90 plug-in to life and set out on a Google-mapped journey throughout the Øresund bridge-and-tunnel tandem, into southern Sweden, to see if the up to date XC90 held many surprises—aside from suiting up as an ideal match for the type of commuter responsibility I stay with now, plenty of quick stints punctuated by a long-distance haul as soon as a month or much less.
For many who don’t need to hassle with a plug-in, the 2025.5 XC90 nonetheless presents a alternative of a 247-hp turbo-4 coupled to an 8-speed computerized and commonplace all-wheel drive. The turbo- and supercharged model of the identical engine cranks out 310 hp. Each have mild-hybrid techniques to scrimp on gasoline. First, I drove the bottom mannequin, in Extremely trim with white wooden and a fabulous denim-blue woven inside. I whittled away miles of Swedish farmland and not using a foot fault, regardless of the automobile being shod with large 21-inch wheels and being with out the out there air suspension.
The PHEV suits my daily-driving cycle higher, although—particularly since free, low-speed charging is a five-minute stroll away. It’s no surprise Volvo calls the XC90 T8 its “backup plan.” To the supercharged turbo-4 in different grades the T8 provides an 18.8-kwh lithium-ion battery pack, with 14.7 kwh of that usable. It’s the identical battery present in lots of Volvo’s revamped plug-in hybrids. With the extra 145 hp and 228 lb-ft it pairs with the engine’s output, its web 455 hp and 523 lb-ft of torque will push the chunky, practically 5,000-pound SUV to 60 mph in 5.0 seconds whereas it generates an EPA-estimated 33 miles of all-electric energy.
That’s a half-week’s value of driving on electrical energy for me—and immediately it excursions me round south Swedish counties with all of the diacritical marks a budding linguist may ask for. It’s unchanged on the powertrain stage, however with the refined inside comes thick acoustic glass and sound-deflecting supplies that deaden highway noise—and depart house for the spatial best hits of the Bowers & Wilkins audio system and the strains of Fleetwood Mac.
By means of its onboard 6.4-kw charger, the XC90 PHEV can prime off its battery in about 5 hours on a Stage 2 charger. It may well preserve battery energy for later by toggling via a collection of drive modes, too. For now, there’s no phrase on the arrival of a Tesla-based NACS cost port. That may triple the out there charging choices the place I stay. For me, and for a lot of drivers, the XC90 PHEV can act like a pure EV.
2025.5 Volvo XC90 T8 PHEV check drive assessment, Copenhagen
2025.5 Volvo XC90 T8 PHEV: A well-controlled trip
When it may possibly’t, the engine energy that backs it up will be spun via a set of drive modes that add to the Pure EV mode the alternatives of Hybrid, Energy, Off-Street, and Fixed AWD. As soon as I’ve exhausted virtually all of the battery energy, the whir of the engine clicks on within the background and I select Hybrid mode, to maintain velocity in verify.
With its web 455 hp, the XC90 nonetheless doesn’t press limits. It’s measurably, observably fast, however the mixture of its substantial curb weight and well-sorted 8-speed computerized implies that energy builds in a predictable line, with battery filling in the place turbo lag would possibly drop out torque. It’s sturdy, however not overwhelming—and the facility transitions appear smoother as properly. A “B” drive mode engages extra regenerative braking, but it surely’s not sufficient to depart the brake pedal for particular events, like a pure EV’s one-pedal drive would possibly allow.
As for its trip and dealing with, the XC90’s out there air-suspension improve reaps immediate, complete rewards. The place the multi-link entrance, integral-link-and-leaf rear suspension of the bottom automobile had spells of disagreement with the few patches of unhealthy pavement I drove over, the air suspension negated all of them, even on winter tires fitted in anticipation of an actual season. It’s able to 8.1-8.5 inches of floor clearance, and might tow as much as 5,000 kilos—however in these elements of the Baltics, the rugged driving’s confined largely to muddy rural farm trails.
The XC90’s higher reserved for the highway, in any case. Mild steering, with out a lot suggestions, and the fixed filtering of highway imperfections hundreds up the XC90 with considered one of its secret weapons—trip high quality and composure on winding roads. It’s sorted properly sufficient to make much more sophisticated suspension setups—just like the energetic anti-roll damping on large Benz and BMW SUVs—appear a step too far.
2025.5 Volvo XC90 T8 PHEV check drive assessment, Copenhagen
2025.5 Volvo XC90 T8 PHEV check drive assessment, Copenhagen
2025.5 Volvo XC90 T8 PHEV check drive assessment, Copenhagen
2025.5 Volvo XC90 T8 PHEV check drive assessment, Copenhagen
2025.5 Volvo XC90 goes for Google whereas it stands with Apple CarPlay
Underneath the pores and skin the XC90 hasn’t altered its expansive cabin. It’s nonetheless 195.0 inches lengthy, on a 117.5-inch wheelbase, and is available in both a seven-passenger configuration with a middle-row bench seat or in a six-passenger mannequin with that bench changed by twin captain’s chairs.
Volvo bathes the cabin in mild via a panoramic glass roof, and units up passengers for long-distance consolation with benchmark-grade seats. The entrance chairs have well-pocketed backside cushions, out there cooling and massaging, and even within the base inside, near-perfect cushion firmness. Volvo’s Nordico artificial leather-based will get quilted for look, however the recycled materials within the base automobile I drove seemed even higher—just like the denim of a classic pair from denims discovered on Japanese eBay.
Entrance-seaters additionally get a reshaped heart console with a wi-fi smartphone charging pad in entrance, and twin cupholders that may disguise beneath a sliding tambour. Second-row passengers in captain’s chairs have entry to cupholders, seat heaters, and a central pass-through to the third-row seat—however they’ll need to cease shy of the wayback in the event that they’re medium-sized or bigger.
It is simply in need of sufficient room for giant individuals to slot in each the second and third rows on the identical time; legroom specs verify in at 36.6 inches and 31.9 inches, respectively. All XC90s have three rows, however the rear two rows will be folded away to spice up cargo house from 9.3 cubic toes behind the third row, with cargo loaded solely to the glass line, to 70.8 cubic toes behind the entrance seats, absolutely packed like a Swedish Joad household headed west with each earthly possession in tow.
On deck from the motive force’s seat, Volvo’s intensive security techniques now have audible speed-limit warnings that may be canceled with a faucet on the left steering-wheel controller, in addition to digital camera aids for parallel parking and the same old adaptive cruise management with Drive Pilot hands-free driver help. The up to date touchscreen has ditched Volvo’s Sensus OS and its infrared-sensitive show for a traditional capacitive display screen with Google built-in and an interface developed for the EX90 EV. It’s Google underpinnings, but it surely nonetheless presents Apple CarPlay and incorporates over-the-air replace functionality.
Costs for the up to date XC90 begin at $59,745 with commonplace gear that features the mild-hybrid turbo-4, all-wheel drive, and seats for seven, in addition to a panoramic sunroof, an influence tailgate, 20-inch wheels, entrance and rear parking sensors, quilted Nordico artificial leather-based upholstery, heated entrance seats, a stitched sprint panel, an Orrefors crystal gear shifter, energy entrance seats, 220-watt audio, adaptive cruise management, blind-spot screens, energetic lane management, and people pesky speed-limit warnings. The six-passenger model provides $500, in any mannequin.
The $63,485 XC90 Plus will get a second-row heart booster seat, a surround-view digital camera system, 21-inch wheels, digital camera/audio-assisted parallel parking, acoustic glass, and heated rear seats. For $68,245, the XC90 Extremely provides cooled entrance seats with nappa leather-based, front-seat lumbar adjustment, Harman Kardon audio, energy aspect bolsters and front-seat prolonged backside cushions, and a head-up show.
Choices are few: massaging entrance seats, 22-inch wheels, Bowers & Wilkins sound, the air suspension, and that snazzy navy herringbone woven upholstery.
An improve to the supercharged turbo-4 brings costs to $64,645 (Core), $67,445 (Plus), and $71,845 (Extremely). For the T8 PHEV, it’s $74,295 for the Core, $77,095 for the Plus, and $81,495 for the Extremely.
With some overlap with the 2025 mannequin, the 2025.5 XC90 arrives in showrooms within the first quarter of 2025. It’s a backup plan for the EV future, for positive—however for loads of drivers, the backup plan’s higher than absolutely anything else.
Volvo paid for journey bills so we may strafe larger Copenhagen and convey you this test-drive assessment.
