Luxury That Can Haul in the Volvo Tradition
Not too long ago, Volvo announced its intention to introduce a luxury car catalogue. We’ve seen a few already and you can finally add one more to the list with the new Volvo V90. The first thing you can see about this car is that it does look beautiful. It’s got gorgeous curves and a sleek body that might make you think of a modern Jag. It’s an estate car (station wagon to those of us in the U.S.) and with that, luxury is built into the title. That certainly shows from it’s exterior style alone. We particularly like the sharp, in cut grill and the indents on the doors. For some it’s going to be quite bold, but for us, it works.
At the Geneva show, the price of the car was also revealed. Starting at just over $48,000, this isn’t the cost you might have imagined for a luxury automobile. All said and done, that cost might appear quite friendly to many. At the same time, however, you’ve got to think about the add-ons you might want, including a more powerful engine. If you want the turbocharged engine in this machine, that’s going to push the price up to well over forty. This is the kind of cost we’d expect from a luxury vehicle. At the same time, in it’s basic form the new Volvo does beat out the rival BMW by a substantial amount. If you’re interested you can check out other luxury automobiles on www.topgear.com.
Some of the features you can look forward to with the basic model are heated leather seats. In the past Volvo has received praise for its design of these luxury accessories so we’re looking forward to seeing what they do with this one. You can also expect LED lights and that’s great because it saves power, giving you a clean light on the roads. Then there’s the Drive Pilot assist. In the past, reviewers haven’t been particularly fond of this feature, so we’ll have to see what the new improved program is like when we take it out for spin.
If you buy the upgraded version, you can also expect alloy 18-inch wheels and napper leather seats. So you’ll be getting a touch more style for the added price, and that’s to be expected.
If you’re interested in comparing the new model to the older range and are in teh U.K., check out www.harratts.co.uk. They’ve got the full Volvo catalogue for you to browse and to see whether it’s worth the upgrade. Or, if you might be better off picking an older model.
Performance wise, you can expect the new estate to go from zero to 60 in eight seconds. That’s not bad at all but not as fast as some of the more expensive luxury estates currently on the market.
Unfortunately, the new Volvos biggest downside is fuel efficiency. If you’re looking for a new car that’s appealing and fuel efficient, you might want to look elsewhere. The Volvo is expected to get around 48 MPG (U.S. or 57.6 MPG U.K.). For an estate that’s quite low and you can certainly do better if you shop around the market.
That said, this still looks like an impressive vehicle and we’re excited for when it hits the market later this year.
