VOLVO S90 D5
INSCRIPTION
AWD FOUR EVERYONE
After successfully launching what was,
to this publication at least, 2016’s best
urban family SUV, Volvo adapted that win-
ning formula to the luxury sedan market.
The result is another stellar outing for the
Chinese-owned Swedish manufacturer. If
you want to know what the company’s
secret is, it’s simple: limited engine options
and a common platform. That allows it to
sell cars that feel like a million rand for
slightly less than a million rand, undercut-
ting the German competition while still
outmatching them with features.
With the semi-autonomous Pilot Assist
system now capable of speeds up to 130 km/h
- a mere 10 km/h shy of the equivalent
Mercedes-Benz solution – there isn’t much
more Volvo could offer. A glaring omission,
if you pull out the magnifying glass, would
be adjustable suspension. I can imagine a
few instances where a slightly raised ride
height would’ve come in handy. Although
that may tread on the toes of its V90 Cross
Country wagoneer sibling.
In the cabin, it’s standard new age Volvo
fare. Our test unit had the metal trim, but
I did have a go in one with a woodgrain fin-
ish and it is quite elegant. The 9,5-inch
Sensus touchscreen dominates the dash-
board, continuing with the irritating trend
of putting the aircon controls in the digital
interface instead of having physical knobs
or buttons. What’s new with Sensus this
year? A software update that now adds in
Android Auto (go to apkmirror.
com and download it manually;
it works fine, but also check back
regularly for updates because
Google doesn’t seem to have
plans to release it officially) and
Apple CarPlay by default. Though
those two interfaces don’t take
over the entire screen, merely
displaying as a good-sized panel,
it’s good to have fully integrated
access to your smartphone on
the in-dash display. Not saying
that Sensus is bad at all.
There’s enough space for five
adults, but I never loaded more
than two children in the rear.
One of those was with the aid of
a child seat that highlighted
another mild grievance I have
with Volvo. The rear headrests
can’t be removed because the
company equipped those seatswith its proprietary whiplash mitigation
system WHIPS. My son’s car seat goes up
quite high, but luckily we have another one
that lives in the grandparents’ car. Volvo
will happily sell you a design of its own
invention.
On the drivetrain side, you have a choice
of two two-litre four cylinder turbopetrols
and two two-litre four-cylinder turbodiesels,
which transmit power via an eight-speed
automatic gearbox and drive your choice
of front or all wheels. This is where Volvo
really wins. Because the company isn’t
obsessed with shoving every conceivable
engine size into its product ranges, it is
more focused on refining the substantial
technological advancements in vehicle
occupant safety.
The D5 turbodiesel in our test car was
spirited, but that really isn’t the point. Yes,
it’s important to be the first one to get
away from a traffic light, which it can, but I
found the S90 best suited as a cocoon that
shields me from the horrors of the morning
and evening commute. With Pilot Assist
engaged and my favourite podcast or
album channelling through the well tuned
Bowers and Wilkins audio system, encased
in premium materials, I arrived at work in
the morning or at home in the evening in a
far better mood than usual. On a weekend
trip to a market in the Winelands, my chil-
dren’s lunchtime meltdowns faded away
when we went for a leisurely drive.
This calming effect is partially because of
my confidence in Volvo’s attention to pas-
senger safety, but mostly because of the
level of refinement shown by a company
with a clear vision. The S90 is magnificent
and worth well more than this model’s
R829 400 sticker price. – LINDSEY
SCHUTTERSLocal laws still require a person
to operate a car at all times. Be
careful when going autonomous.AUGUST 2017 _ http://www.popularmechanics.co.za 77