Motor Sri Lanka – July 2019

Motor

maglanka.lk

23

VOLVO XC90 T8 TWINS

QUICK REVIEW

being able to discern any major distortion.

Those outside the car were also able to enjoy

the music through the closed doors and

windows. Very impressive! You are left in no

doubt by who developed the sound system

either, as all speaker grilles are polished

metal and carry their maker’s name.

Let’s move into the back seat, and on that

token, I’m going to talk about the R-design

first. You see, the R-design, although the

driver focused one is still well geared to play

family transport duty. It’s got seven seats (5+2

configuration where the last row is folded and

can be deployed when needed) and smaller

adults will fit into this row too. When they are

stowed, you have a decent cargo area with

hooks, nooks and crannies, and a cargo net

to prevent things from intruding into the cabin

under exuberant driving.

The Excellence is where the back seat

is the place to be! It’s a four seat interior

with two separate electrically reclining seats

at the back with tray tables and footrests.

Placed in the front seat head rest backs

are USB ports for charging use by the rear

passengers. Couple that with the soft brown

leather and wood surfaces of the tray tables

emerging from their stowage on polished

metal arms, and it feels like an upscale office.

Moving down, you find two crystal glasses

in holders in the centre console. Yup, there’s

a fridge where the third seat would normally

be. You could store a bottle of bubbly and

some snacks in there! Also, there’s a small

touchscreen within arm’s reach in the

centre arm rest where you can control the

multimedia system – no need to ask your

driver to change track, adjust volume or shut

off the music, you are in control. Behind

these two luxurious pews is a strengthened

glass divider that cordons off the boot instead

of the cargo net on the R-design. The boot

also offers more space as it doesn’t have to

accommodate two folding seats.

Safety

Where to start? Let’s go with airbags. You

have airbags in front, side and behind you.

That’s all you need to know. I didn’t take a

count because, frankly, I lost count and was

sure that there were more than apparent –

some are multi-stage deployment and all.

Other gubbins include hill descent control,

park assist, collision mitigation support, blind

THE EXCELLENCE CABIN IS MORE RELAXING, WHAT WITH THOSE

SOFT, COMFOFTABLE SEATS, WOOD APPOINTMENTS AND LAVISH-

LY APPOINTED REAR QUARTERS. ONLY FOUR PEOPLE CAN TRAVEL

HERE, ALONG WITH SEVERAL SUITCASES...

THE R-DESIGN CABIN IS CLEARLY DRIVER-FOCUSED AS CAN BE

SEEN BY THE MORE GENEROUSLY BOLSTERED FRONT SEATS,

METAL PEDALS AND DARK, SINISTER CABIN TRIM. REAR IS MORE

FAMILY ORIENTED TOO, AND IT’S A FULL SEVEN SEATER...