Volvo is extremely excited about its new XC90, so much so that locally it launched the car to the media two weeks before it actually goes on sale (on sale from 1 August). The XC90 is the first all Volvo-developed car since the Geely take-over and showcases what the brand intends to do with future models. In the next four years, Volvo plans to release several new models to the global market, so in a very short whilethis XC90 will be the oldest in the line-up. We headed out to Franschhoek, Western Cape to sample this reinvention of the Volvo brand.

What is it?

The XC90 is the Swedish brand’s flagship model until a rumoured new luxury sedan, probably called the S90, arrives. The XC90, it claims,raises the game of modern, premium SUVs in terms of style, safety and connectivity. The front end will be passed down for generations to come and ‘Thor’s Hammer’ – the daytime running lamp style – will be a characteristic we’ll see on future Volvos. This premium SUV is a proper seven-seater, capable of comfortably carrying people of up to 170cm in height in the third row of seats.

What makes it special?

For starters and as mentioned above, the looks are impressive for a bulky SUV. The XC90 easily stands out of the crowd and if you want to bling it up you canorder it with crazy 22-inch diamond cut alloys. The wheels look incredible, but you may want to keep them away from a dirt road or pavements as the profile on the tyre is extremely low. This also affects the ride quality on bumpy tarred surfaces.

The interior is another impressive aspect of the XC90. It’s a luxurious place to sit and the dashboard boasts soft-touch leather and aluminium inserts. It’s very stylish and uniquely minimalistic. The infotainment system works very similar to a smartphone so modern users should have no problem working out the swipe functions and selections. It’s a very intuitive system and simple to get to grips with. The rear passengers share in the luxury with dual-zone rear climate control available and seats that can slide forwards and backwards to increase legroom. The rear seats can all be folded down to create a huge, flat loadbay as well.

The engines are now all Volvo engines, which means no more Ford units doing duty under the bonnet. Volvo has been able to develop a new generation of engines specifically for this XC90. All of them are 2-Litre, four-cylinder units that develop plenty of power and torque thanks to the addition of turbochargers, superchargers and in the T8 version’s case, electric power. From launch, only the D5 turbodiesel – 165 kW, 470 Nm and the T6 super and turbocharged petrol (235 kW and 400 Nm) will be available. Later on this year the D4 with 140 kW and 400 Nm and the T5 with 187 kW and 380 Nm will become available. Then in early 2016 the plug-in hybrid T8 will be introduced with 300 kW and 640 Nm.

How does it feel?

The D5 and T6 we drove on launch both coped very well on freeways and in town-driving situations. The eight-speed automatic gearbox seems intuitive to the driver’s needs and works seamlessly in the background. The ride is very comfortable and it’s nice that it’s not trying to be overly dynamic for an SUV. That said, the XC90 can handle a corner if needed and feels stable in fast cornering situations.

On our dirt excursion we played withthe various drive modes on offer, one of which is ‘Off Road’. The throttle feels less responsive in this mode, but that’s probably so you don’t jump into an obstacle with too much speed. The XC90 coped with the bumps and gutters on the dirt road well although I would certainly specify smaller wheels and higher profile tyres if you plan to venture down dirt paths regularly.

Volvo XC90 Pricing

Volvo initially launched pricing for the first edition XC90 last year and has managed to stay relatively close to that with the local introduction. There are plenty of options to choose from and tons of safety features available as Volvo plans to have nobody killed or severely injured in a Volvo product by 2020.

XC90 D4 Geartronic FWD Momentum R 804 000

XC90 T5 Geartronic AWD Momentum R 827 400

XC90 D4 Geartronic FWD Inscription R 844 600

XC90 D5 Geartronic AWD Momentum R 853 200

XC90 T6 Geartronic AWD Momentum R 867 000

XC90 T5 Geartronic AWD Inscription R 868 000

XC90 T5 Geartronic AWD R-Design R 888 700

XC90 D5 Geartronic AWD Inscription R 893 900

XC90 T6 Geartronic AWD Inscription R 907 600

XC90 D5 Geartronic AWD R-Design R 914 600

XC90 T6 Geartronic AWD R-Design R 928 300

XC90 T8 Twin Engine Geartronic AWD Momentum R 1 005 100

XC90 T8 Twin Engine Geartronic AWD Inscription R 1 042 000

XC90 T8 Twin Engine Geartronic AWD R-Design R 1 066 400