► Likeable V90 now out of production
► The beginning of the end for the Volvo estate?
► V60 remains. For now
After a brief resurrection in the UK, the Volvo V90 is now officially dead with no sign of direct replacement. The big estate car is naturally a victim of SUVs ever increasing popularity, with the XC90 outselling it, and XC60 shifting even more units to become Volvo’s biggest selling model worldwide.
Curtis Moldrich uncovered clues that this was going to happen previously, and also drove the last ever V90 off the production line in 2025. With the ES90 ‘saloon’ now a slightly lifted hatchback, the practicality advantage of a theoretical EV90 estate shrinks significantly.
As CEO Jim Rowan says, ‘We’re a single brand company, Volvo, that’s it. And we do 30, 40, 60 and 90 – so we have a nice stack. We do SUVs, sedans and wagons at the moment, and the question is “do we renew all of those?” With the traditional saloon being replaced by something with estate-like qualities, and most current estates’ load areas shrinking to enhance style and presumably aero, a one-size-fits-all car seems the slightly bleak future, especially as the V60 is the only remaining Volvo estate,
So let’s remind ourselves why the death of the V90 should be mourned. Not only have I lived with a brand new T8 plug-in hybrid for a week, I also ran a T6 PHEV as a long-termer for sister site Parkers for over six months. If you wonder how we test here at CAR, have a look at our explainer page.
At a glance
Pros: Relaxing to drive, smooth hybrid system, limo-like rear legroom, fast, decent electric range
Cons: Tiny touchscreen, boot not as big as you think, doesn’t enjoy being hustled
What’s new
Volvo has constantly updated the V90 over its life, so it isn’t as behind the times as you might expect. Even so, this is effectively the same car that was available before Volvo briefly stopped selling estates in the UK in 2023, perhaps with a couple of new shades of paint.
What are the specs?
You still get a 2.0-litre turbocharged and supercharged four-cylinder petrol engine driving the front wheels, and a single electric motor powering the rears. Total system output is 345bhp for the T6 and 449bhp for the T8, enough for 0-62mph in 5.5 and 4.8 seconds respectively. Both are capped at 112mph.
The 19kWh battery gives a WLTP electric-only range of 54.1 miles combined for the T6 and 52.2 miles for the T8. That’s by no means bad and does allow an awful lot of electric only running, but newer plug-ins from Mercedes and Volkswagen can go much farther, dropping them into a lower BIK tax bracket.
A 488-litre boot is by no means giant by estate standards, but isn’t bad at all for a plug-in hybrid. Fold the rear seats flat and this increases to 1,517 litres. You can also tow up to 2,100kg and stick 100kg on the roof, too.
How does it drive?
Just as a big Volvo estate should, only with far more firepower than most would expect. I can’t recall a single moment when I wished for more power in the T6 long termer I had, although the additional urge of the T8 feels hilariously out of place in such a calming environment.
Upgrading to T8 also gives you adaptive dampers and rear-air suspension which provide the V90 a touch of waft that you can dial out in Sport mode. You do feel a little patter over broken surfaces and a bit of a thud over ridges which wouldn’t be as noticeable in 5 Series with adaptive dampers, but it’s miles better than most of the leaden-wheeled SUVs I have to drive these days.
There’s no progressive rack or fast steering ratio here, just a well-judged weight and response that cements your impression that this is a big, solid car. I’ve no complaints regarding the precision of the system, but you won’t find feel or feedback here.
The chassis beneath you doesn’t exactly encourage rapid transit anyway. Grip from the wide tyres on 20-inch wheels is plentiful and it’s not too roly-poly so you can cover ground quickly. However, the unenthusiastic sounding engine, front-biased four-wheel drive and an ESC system that’s always on high alert encourages you to drive smoothly, sensibly and, naturally, safely.
Do this and you’ll see around 35-40 miles of EV range if you’re spending some time on dual carriageways and A roads, with more than adequate performance from the electric motor. Engine on efficiency isn’t quite so hot, averaging low 30s mpg in my experience.
What about the interior?
One look at the 9.0-inch touchscreen takes you all the way back to 2016. Yes, the Google-based infotainment system is way more responsive and looks sharper than the system on those first cars, but a few more inches would mean some of the tiny icons could be made usefully bigger.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are naturally standard, and, for the first time I can remember, now show my route from Waze on the driver’s display map. It’s a tiny touch, but one that I truly appreciate. While previously I would have hammered Volvo’s almost complete lack of buttons and switches for key functions, everybody does it these days.
Sigh.
Look past the tiny screen and this feels like a quality product. Hard plastics are tough to find, there’s attractive wood trim, and the leather feels thick yet supple. The seats themselves have tonnes of adjustment, memory and are wonderfully comfortable on long journeys. Only a massage function is absent.
Space for people up front is not an issue. There’s loads of headroom, a broad cabin with a wide central armrest, and the seats go back an awfully long way. Oddment storage is more of a problem as the cubby under that armrest is shockingly shallow because of the batteries beneath it, and there’s not many other storage spots on the centre console.
The rear seats are perhaps the V90’s best feature. There’re comfortable and you get an enormous amount of legroom and good headroom, too. A central passenger has to contend with a transmission tunnel, but the middle seat is actually quite comfortable and the V90 is wide. Only an ID.Buzz has had my in-laws grumbling less.
The boot is a usefully uniform shape and has built in load separators that are pretty handy for stopping big, heavy items destroying fragile ones. The electrically retracting load cover is useful everyday and a pain to remove, and I wish there was a 40/20/40 split instead of 60/40 with a tiny load-through hole.
Before you buy – trims and rivals
The V90’s rivals have always been the Audi A6 Avant, BMW 5 Series Touring, and Mercedes E-Class estate, and they still are today. The Audi is the last of these to enter a new generation beyond that of the V90, and I’m not sure that’s necessarily a bad thing.
An E-Class is unbearably chintzy inside these days, the A6 is a dark hole filled with screens, and while I like the 5 Series, it feels more executive car than luxury. Just bear in mind all will have better plug-in hybrid systems with longer ranges and potentially lower BIK groups.
If you want a T6, you’ll be looking at ‘base’ Plus trim. This still comes packed with Harman Kardon audio, heated seats and steering wheel, two-zone climate control, black or blonde leather, a powered tailgate and load cover, 19-inch wheels, ambient lighting and rear sun blinds.
Ultra models get the T8 powertrain with adaptive dampers and rear air springs, a panoramic roof, Bowers & Wilkins audio with more speakers and power, a head-up display, full LED headlights, tinted rear windows, 20-inch wheels, a power passenger seat with memory and laminated side windows. It’s the one I’d have.
Verdict
It’s true that the Volvo V90 was starting to lag behind luxury load-lugging rivals. It can’t match the best for electric-only range, the E-Class estate, or for performance and handling, the 5 Series Touring, especially as it’s now available as a 550e with a smooth six-cylinder and as the M5 Touring.
But the V90 has more spacious rear seats than those rivals and a calming feel not even an air-sprung E-Class can match. In other words, it’s still a relevant, sensible, and useable thing that remains desirable after nearly nine years of production. It will be missed.