NAIAS 2016: Volvo S90 is Your Deer-detecting Swedish Executive Saloon
After winning the North American Truck of the Year award with the excellent XC90, Volvo is clearly on a roll. Get it? Volvo is Latin for “I roll.”
No? Never mind.
Following up the SUV is a new large luxury sedan, the S90, sharing much with the big truck.
(There once was a time when CUVs were developed from sedans. What a world we live in.)
The S90 comes standard with the T6 four-cylinder twincharged engine found in the XC90. A T8 plug-in hybrid version is optional, offering 410 horsepower.
A semi-autonomous “Pilot Assist” feature is standard, which provides steering input to maintain lane alignment on the highway, coupled with adaptive cruise control.
The styling looks quite low, wide, and sleek, though the rear is much less dramatic than the rest of the car.
Important for some parts of the country is “Large Animal Detection,” which, unsurprisingly, detects and warns of roadside deer, moose, and other large animals to minimize collisions.
Some enthusiasts say they were born with gasoline in their veins. Chris Tonn, on the other hand, had rust flakes in his eyes nearly since birth. Living in salty Ohio and being hopelessly addicted to vintage British and Japanese steel will do that to you. His work has appeared in eBay Motors, Hagerty, The Truth About Cars, Reader's Digest, AutoGuide, Family Handyman, and Jalopnik. He is a member of the Midwest Automotive Media Association, and he's currently looking for the safety glasses he just set down somewhere.
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I don't get this car. Whoever has the money to buy this car wouldn't be better off spending said money on a BMW or a Merc, if European luxury is a must? Second thing is: what's wrong with Volvo dropping a V8 400HP engine in this E-Klasse wanabe and bringing to N America a 2l 4 cylinder mastodont of an SUV? Did someone say these guys are on borrowed time? This reeks of desperation. Not to mention design wise this car is a trainwreck. The designers of the front end never met with the designers of the rear end. Here, I said it.
Because between now and 2020 the EPA Co2 and gas mileage requirements, are going to be tougher. I am sure there will be penalties for low CAFE mileage and high Co2. In addition, more cars will offer plug in hybrid as an option. If Volvo wants this to be it's big global seller, they must plan for the future, with turbos and superchargers...not resort to the OLD way of doing things. Don't get me wrong, I love a V8 too. My Mercedes S Class has one, but the future is all about clean, efficient, if not powerful from turbos...4 cyl, electric, hybrid tech. The V8 will still be around...just not in a companys main car. Even the new Camaro has a turbo 4 now...as well as the Mustang.