Volvo XC90 review

All premium SUVs are expensive these days. Heck, you can’t get a VW Touareg for less than £71k, and this is a notably better family SUV than that. But you don’t need much more than a base B5 to get the best from your XC90 ownership experience.

Even the base Core model – available from £61,670 on the road in this 2024 MY guise – is well stocked: all cars come with LED lights, a power tailgate, nine-inch touchscreen, rear camera, front and rear parking sensors, sat nav, adaptive cruise control, keyless entry and start, a 10-speaker 220W sound system, four USB sockets, wireless phone charging, a heated steering wheel and heated front seats. Oh, and much safety tech. Of course.

The mid-range Plus trim is a bit of a step up at £69,425 with the B5 powertrain, but it adds a panoramic roof, Harman Kardon audio system, full LED lighting, a 360-degree parking camera, 21in wheels, tinted rear windows, Nappa leather upholstery and fancier interior lighting. 

Ultra trim costs from £75,075 and adds a brilliant Bowers & Wilkins sound system, massage seats up front, active air suspension, 22in wheels, a head-up display, and a fancy crystal drive selector.

The T8 plug-in hybrid model is expensive by comparison, with the cheapest Core trim starting at £71,405. That’s a lot, but a plug-in BMW X5 starts at more than £10k on top of that, and the Audi Q7 PHEV is also more expensive.

The Volvo is the car you’ll want to tell your friends and neighbours about, not the one you hide from view when they call by.