Not to be confused with Android Auto, Android Automotive is essentially a way to seamlessly integrate your smartphone with your car. When it comes to the front seats, all I ask is that they find a way to make the gap when you lengthen the thigh extender less obviously felt.Īlso accessed via the touchscreen is the latest and (some would say) greatest new arrival to in-car tech: Android Automotive. Rear headroom is compromised a little bit, but the standard full-length moonroof does a great job of making it brighter everywhere and my guess would be that the kids that most commonly occupy the back seats will be much happier with brighter environs that a cathedral-like roof height.
The V90 is a comfortable place to sit both front and back. I’d much prefer a hard button interface, but I feel that’s a request that’s going to continually go unheeded as cars get increasingly tech-heavy. They come both heated and cooled here and it’s done in a nice, radiated way, but they are operated by the touchscreen which isn’t my favourite. The seats, as has become the norm for Volvo for decades, are very comfortable and supportive and finished in high-class leather. The V90 gets light-coloured wood inserts, a good sprinkling of aluminum on the switchgear and other trim pieces, jeweled Bang & Olufsen speakers – including the now customary roundel speaker atop the dash – and a 9-inch vertical touchscreen infotainment system. Inside, the Volvo wagon is a good mix of luxury and the modernist simplicity of that other famous Swedish export, Ikea furniture.
So, these are the colours, take it or leave it. Likely that’s because while the V90 may a luxury model, Volvo remains one of the smaller manufacturers in the premium domain, and they can’t go the extra level of customization like Mercedes’ Designo studio or BMW’s Individual program. You can’t get any shade of red, for example, even though one of the CC’s biggest competitors, the Mercedes-Benz E 450 All Terrain gets a bright red colour option that looks really, really good.
Of course, you kind of have to like it or lump it - there aren’t many bright colours available for the V90. And though I’m normally fond of bright colours on cars, I don’t mind the Thunder Grey colouring on my tester as it recalls paint used on the futuristic Polestar 2 EV. You still get the brand’s signature Thor’s Hammer DRLs and vertical taillamps and two-tone 20-inch wheels that look good even when wrapped in chunky winter rubber. Luckily, not much else has changed style-wise for the V90 and it remains one of the better-looking utility vehicles found on the market today. , 100% online, shop for your next car, buy online and get it delivered to you anywhere in Quebec! The result is faster, smoother and more efficient progress.
It doesn’t allow the car to cruise on full EV power like the Recharge models, but it does help boost acceleration and is how the supercharger gets its power it no longer has to make use of the horses delivered by the engine. What that means is the V90 is now a mild hybrid, and features a 48V EV motor. The EV crowd, meanwhile, will be interested in the new “B6” designation, replacing the “T6” nomenclature from years previous. These features should appeal to the crossover crowd. It rides higher than other V90s, gets plastic cladding around the wheels and rocker panels and comes standard with AWD. The first is actually a mixture of features included in this particular V90’s Cross Country designation. The thing with this particular V90, though, is that it has two important attributes that appeal to both crossover and hybrid/EV buyers. Travel to Sweden, and you will see a great many Volvos, and many of them are V90s or the smaller V60s. Granted, that’s probably because that station wagons still get a lot of love in Sweden and its neighbouring countries. Never mind that big station wagons like this are incredibly few and far between, the fact that even with all of Volvo’s EV development work (including its Polestar brand) and ever-bigger offering SUVs and crossovers, the big V90 wagon continues to occupy a spot in the lineup is somewhat of a miracle. The Volvo V90 Cross Country returns for 2022 with a few changes, among them at least one pretty important one. Auto123 reviews the 2022 Volvo V90 Cross Country.