One of the Swedish’s highly-sought-after sedan models, the new Volvo S90, offering Malaysians with its latest upgrades for the year 2024.

A Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), it comes in one locally-assembled (CKD) variant (S90 Recharge T8 Ultimate - MYR 372,888).

Price (OTR, w/o insurance) covers vehicle (five years/unlimited-mileage) and PHEV battery warranties (eight years/160,000 KM), and a Digital Service Package (DSP - five years free).

Four exterior colours (Crystal White, Onyx Black, Platinum Grey, Vapour Grey).

Weighing in at 2,105 KG, the new S90 stands at 4,969 MM long, 2,019 MM wide, 1,436 MM tall, and with a wheelbase spanning 2,872 MM.

An elegantly-sporty presence, it exudes a solidly-sculpted exterior with smooth contours and sharp styling elements. 

The front-end sees sleekly-lined bonnet/fenders, a vertically-slatted grille (High-Gloss Black insides, Chrome bars/surround), and a bumper with air-vents (corners, centre).

Accentuating the layout is the Volvo emblem (centre grille - Black-Chrome), and bright aluminium trimmings (Chrome - bumper/side door strips, window surrounds). 

Sporty and mildly-tapered, it radiates a symmetrically-horizontal outlook, adorned by angularly-smooth and chiselled lines.

The rear-end sees a sculpted boot (moulded boot-lid spoiler), smoothly-lined quarter panels, and a squared-out bumper with lower cladding (body-colour).

Accentuating the layout is the Volvo script (middle tailgate - Chrome), and bright aluminium trimmings (Chrome - bumper/side door strips, window surrounds).

Framed angularly-smooth, fitted are Pixel LED units, with ‘Thor’s Hammer’ LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL). 

Features are Adaptive High Beam (AHB), and automatic On/Off/levelling and cornering light functions.

Unique and highly-warped, the tail lamps are fairly large and in an inverted C-shape design. Fitted are LED combination units.

The side mirrors (body-colour) are electronic-powered (auto-fold, adjust), with turn- and blind-spot (Blind Spot Information System - BLIS) indicators, and memory and auto-dimming functions.

Installed is a setup of ventilated disc brakes (front, rear). Drive is aided by an Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) with Auto Brake Hold system.

Sportily-designed, it rides on a set of 19-Inch eight-spoke Black Diamond-cut alloy rims, rubbered-up in 255/40 R19 Continental ContiSportContact 5 tyres. 

The new S90 gets a clean, streamline and tiered dashboard, featuring premium quality soft-/hard-touched materials and details (dash, centre console, door panels).

Outfitted in Charcoal interior, it sees two design schemes (Charcoal Nappa upholstery with Grey Ash decor, Maroon Brown Moritz Nappa upholstery with Black Ash decor).

Centre-staged is the dual-screen setup (instrument cluster, infotainment), and linked to the dash is a flat centre console (Orrefors Crystal gear shifter).

Overall, it is well-designed and purposefully-arranged with every accessibility being driver-centric and user-friendly.

Installed is a 12-Inch digital instrument cluster with a Heads-Up Display (HUD). The system supports two display modes (Calm, Navi).

Charcoal interior outfitted, the upholstery is in Nappa Leather (ventilated) with two colour options (Charcoal, Maroon Brown Moritz).

The front sees electronic-powered (front - driver/passenger - adjustable, lumbar, cushion extension, memory) Contour seats with an armrest (centre console). The rear gets a bench seat (60:40 split-flat-fold) with an armrest (centre seat fold-out).

Accentuations are mood lighting (door panels, centre console), headliner (Blonde), textile floor mats (Charcoal) and Panoramic glass sunroof (electric - dark tint, UV protect, sunshade).

A five-seater saloon, it offers generous cabin space, providing the front and rear occupants with plenty of interior mobility. 

Sufficient head-, shoulder-, and leg-room.

Mounted is a three-spoke steering wheel, wrapped in leather-free synthetic material (Charcoal) with colour-matched stitching and Satin Silk/Silver trims.

Features are multi-switches (Bluetooth, Media, Voice Recognition, Vehicle settings), column adjustments (tiptronic, tilt, telescopic), and heating.

Drive is aided by an Electric Power Steering (EPS) system.

Numerous storage compartments. E.g., side door/seat back pockets, centre console partitioned/caverned spaces (armrest storage), driver-dash card holder, and an extensible hook-integrated glove box.

Provided are four cup holders (two - front, rear), and four bottle holders (one - front, rear - side doors).

Several power outlets are available. E.g., four USB charging ports (two - front, rear), three 12 V power sockets (one - front, rear, boot), and one wireless charger (front). 

The boot comes with a powered-boot-lid feature (operation - remote control/key fob, buttons (boot-lid, dashboard), contactless (kick-sensor) - height adjustment). 

Accessing one of the features opens up to 461-Litres of load capacity.

The new S90 features a comprehensive set of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).

Installed are the City Safety suite (collision avoidance and mitigation with intersection support for pedestrian, cyclist and large animal detection with steering support and braking), Front and Rear Collision Warning and Mitigation Support, Lane Keeping Aid (LKA), Run-Off Road Mitigation with Road Edge Detection, Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) with Steer Assist, Cross Traffic Alert (CTA) with Autobrake, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Steering Assist, Pilot Assist (Driver Assist System), and Park Assist (360-degree camera). 

Other systems include Anti-lock Brake System (ABS), Electric Brake Force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist System (BAS), Brake Override System (BOS), Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Traction Control System (TCS), Hill-start Assist Control (HAC), Hill Descent Control (HDC), and Indirect Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (iTPMS).

Passive safety includes six airbags (driver-passenger, front side, front-rear curtain), Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS - front seats), Side Impact Protection System (SIPS - dual chamber airbags), seatbelts (anchors, reminders, pretensioners), ISOFIX (anchor, top tether - two outer rear seats), auto-dimming rear-view mirrors (exterior, interior), parking cameras (reverse, 360-degree), parking sensors (six - front, rear), ready-to-drive notification, emergency stop assist, door ajar warning, Run-Off Road Protection, tyre sealant kit, extra-thick tempered side windows (front, rear), and security alarm (immobiliser, anti-theft).

Four drive modes available (Hybrid, Pure, Power, Constant AWD).

Installed is a 9.0-Inch portrait integrated colour touchscreen infotainment, running on an Android Automotive Operating System (Android Auto OS).

Features are Google Automotive Services (Digital Service Package - DSP) - Google Assistant, Google Maps, Google Play Store), Apple CarPlay/Android Auto (wireless), and YouTube.

Entertainment is channelled via a Bowers and Wilkins High Fidelity Audio System (1,410 W). The setup consists of 19 speakers and an air-ventilated subwoofer.

The new S90 nestles a Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) powertrain.

Featured is a 2.0-Litre inline four-cylinder 16-valve direct-injection turbo/supercharged with e-boost petrol engine (317 HP at 6,000 RPM, 400 NM at 3,000 to 5,400 RPM), mated to a rear-axle mounted electric motor (145 HP at 15,900 RPM, 309 NM at 3,280 RPM).

Total combined output reads at 462 HP (340 KW) of max power and 709 NM of max torque.

Coupled with the setup is an eight-speed automatic transmission with Geartronic.

Power is transmitted to all four wheels, via an Electronic All-Wheel Drive (e-AWD) system.

Acceleration from 0 to 100 KM/H is done in 4.6 seconds, and the top speed is 180 KM/H.

Fuel tank capacity is at 60-Litres, and the combined fuel consumption reads at 1.4 L/100 KM.

Juicing up the e-motor is an 18.8 KWH Lithium-Ion battery, providing a total pure electric driving range of 98 KM.

Upgraded are the on-board chargers (OBC). Two/three phase AC charging (6.4 KW) takes 3.0 hours for a 0% to 100% State of Charge (SoC). 

Single phase AC charging takes four hours (4.0 KW) and seven hours (2.4 KW) for a 0% to 100% SoC. 

The new S90 features these conveniences.

E.g., keyless entry (engine On/Off button), power tailgate (operation - remote control/key fob, buttons (boot-lid, dashboard), contactless (kick-sensor) - height adjustment), automatic headlamps (On/Off, high-beam, levelling, cornering), automatic wipers (rain sensing), auto-dimming rear-view mirrors (exterior, interior), steering wheel (multi-switches, column adjustments, heating, EPS), Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) with Auto Brake Hold system, Blind Spot Information System (BLIS), electronic-powered front seats (adjustments, lumbar, memory), interior lighting (mood, reading, boot), wireless charger, parking sensors (six - front, rear), parking cameras (360-degree, reverse), panoramic glass sunroof (electric - dark tint, UV protect, sunshade), extra-thick tempered side windows (front, rear), dual-zone Electronic Climate Control (ECC) with rear air-vents, Clean Zone Interior Air Quality System (PM2.5 air purifier), electric cabin heater/cooler, humidity sensor, Google Automotive Services, and armrests (front, rear).

Installed is a dual-zone Electronic Climate Control (ECC). 

The setup comes with rear air-vents, a Clean Zone Interior Air Quality System (PM2.5 air purifier), and an electric cabin heater/cooler.

Underpinned is Volvo’s Dynamic Chassis, propped-up by a setup of double wishbones (front) and multi-link with transverse leaf spring (rear) suspensions.

Ride comfortability feels flexible and firm at the same time. The vehicle delivers a connected steering feel, with more linear and balanced weighing at all speeds. 

Overall, it is spacious and comfortable, and the ride quality is satisfactory. Safe and suitable for a daily driver.

Good sound insulation, covering all the NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) aspects. The cabin is serene, with the engine, tyre, road and wind noises mostly hindered. 

Additional acoustic features come in the form of the extra-thick tempered side windows (front, rear).