2017 Volvo S90: Volvo on a Roll

Since the breakup of Volvo and Ford in 2010, the Swedish brand has been designing and engineering a new lineup paid for by an $11 billion investment by its owner, Chinese carmaker Geely. Volvo’s solution to life without Ford is an all-Volvo–designed platform called SPA (scalable product architecture). Highly adaptable, the platform’s only immovable dimension is the space between the front axle and the engine firewall, we’re told. The wheelbase and the width can be pulled or pruned as necessary to work under a variety of cars and SUVs. SPA made its debut with the XC90 SUV; the S90 sedan and V90 wagon are next. We recently drove the new sedan in the Swedish hinterland.

Besides serving as the bones for a big SUV and sedan/wagon, the hardware will underpin the next S60 and XC60. One reason the platform is so flexible is that, from the S60 to the XC90, every SPA vehicle will have four-cylinder power. If you need more power than the 316-hp turbo- and supercharged four can provide, Volvo will sell you a plug-in-hybrid version whose electric motor boosts output.

In the S90, the SPA platform measures 115.8 inches in wheelbase, nearly two inches shorter than the XC90. The front and rear suspension hardware is shared with the XC90 but tuned for the sedan, which Volvo says is 440 pounds lighter. Even if the claim proves true on our scales, Volvo will still end up with a 4300-pound sedan. Keeping the weight off is a major challenge when using flexible platforms intended for both SUVs and cars.

At least the S90 seemed solid as it busted through chunks of snow and ice during our sampling in this Nordic country. It’s quiet, too. Though our T6 prototype wore studded winter tires, the car barely emitted a hum. The small, mighty engine and the eight-speed automatic come on strong and shove fast. In the 4706-pound XC90, we’ve managed a zero-to-60-mph run of 6.0 seconds; expect the S90 to dip into the mid-five-second range. The 400-hp plug-in-hybrid system of the T8 version will be even quicker.

Perhaps the most compelling part of the S90 is its clean and elegant design. Inside and out, the sedan looks expensive without any bit of flamboyance. But it’s not boring, either. It’s a lean car, with low, long, and wide proportions. Aston Martin’s Lagonda Taraf might be prettier, but it costs $1 million, and we haven’t even talked about the better-looking Volvo wagon version, the V90.

We’d guess that the 400-hp S90 T8 should eat up most of $70,000; the 316-hp S90 T6 will begin at $53,945; and the base model, the 250-hp S90 T5 with standard front-wheel drive, will cost $47,945. There also are specially equipped versions that can be ordered online. All three models go on sale this fall. The V90 will waltz into showrooms in 2017.

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