Industry news

The 2017 Volvo V90 Estate: Is It Any Good?

The swedish car manufacturer Volvo is most commonly known for its roomy station wagons, like the one James drove in Top Gear’s Africa-special. However, a little while ago, they came up with a new model: the 2017 Volvo V90 Estate. After a somewhat rocky past, Volvo has settled for an image as a company making stylish cars for people who “wanted peace and quiet” as Jeremy Clarkson states in his review of the new V90.

Anyway, the question any car enthusiast who wants to buy a decent station wagon has to ask here, remains: Is the V90 any good? Surprisingly, the opinions seem to vary quite a bit. But let’s take a closer look at some recent reviews of Volvo’s newest creation.

Jeremy Clarkson: “It’s really, really good looking”

For Jeremy Clarkson, Volvo has accomplished its mission to create a good looking car. But this “beauty”, he says, “comes at a price”. Here are his pros and cons on the V90:

The good

  • It has a very fine interior, similar to a Royce Phantom, with a combination of leather, wood and aluminium
  • The controls are quite intuitive and the V90 is roomy and nice to sit in
  • The V90 is “as uncrashable as is technically possible these days”
  • It is very economical regarding its fuel consumption

The bad

  • For the time being, you can only get this car as a 2-litre diesel
  • The engine therefore is way too small for the big V90 and does make the car unpleasent to drive
  • The burglar alarm is rubbish and goes off “20 times per day”
  • The boot is surprisingly small
  • The V90s price at a basic £44,555 is “ridiculous” for a 2-litre diesel
  • Diesel-engines may become a problem in bigger cities in the near future

Jeremy Clarkson concludes, that he would not buy the V90 – and gives it a rating of two out of five stars.

The Telegraph: “Boring Volvo estate cars are a thing of the past”

The Telegraph doesn’t quite agree with Jeremy on its verdict of the V90. Here’s what they say:

The good

  • There’s a lot of room for the passengers and the seats are comfortable
  • The engine starts quietly and runs smooth (except when excelerating)
  • The V90 has a very well organized dash board
  • It comes with a smooth shifting gearbox and a good mid-range power
  • It has a good resale value
  • The safety-standards are state of the art
  • The entry-version of the V90 is very well equipped

The bad

  • Other comparable cars have a bigger boot
  • Steering is slow and due to its stability it isn’t really “fun” to drive
  • The dependability and warranty are only average

The Telegraph concludes its review with an eight out of ten judgement and deems the V90 a “delight to drive”.

Top Gear: “Very safe, relaxing and a delight to sit in”

Although the Top Gear website doesn’t use the established rating system, they still have a bit to say about the V90. This is the quintessence of their review:

The good

  • The V90 comes with a modern and stylish design
  • The seats are “wonderful”
  • The touch-interface on the dashboard is very responsive
  • The V90 drives “harmoniously” with pleasent steering and good traction
  • It runs pretty quiet and comes with some of the best safety-measures available

The bad

  • The V90 is not the quickest off the spot
  • The automatic gearbox makes it feel a bit bossy
  • Last but not least: The boot could be bigger

Top Gear declars the V90 being a “useful” and “subtly enjoyable” car.

Overall, Jeremy Clarkson seems to be one of the few reviewers of the V90 who says he wouldn’t buy it. Although all reviews agree on the fact that the V90 has a small boot and a nice interior, they seem to differ on its driveability. That is why we are asking your opinion on this behalf. Did you have the oportunity to lay a hand on the new V90 yourself? Let us know what you think of it in the comments below.

Related Articles

One Comment

Back to top button