Also note the clever middle headrest that does not protrude above the seatback to any great extent this is one reason why the XC90 has very good all-round visibility. Booster seat in the second row, and also showing the way the three second row seats can be slid fore and aft. The middle second row can be reconfigured as a booster seat, a feature that will be most welcome for kids of that size between car seat and full seat. So many things have been lost inside seat pockets that aren’t at least partially transparent. There are two strong nets on the back of the front seats, and the fact they are nets is ideal as you can see what’s in there. The vehicle will also seat three abreast, not something every SUV can do comfortably. The second row is a triple split and folds completely flat to offer over two metres of loadspace. Each of the three seats can be moved forwards and backwards, and the middle seat can accommodate an adult in reasonable comfort, albeit with a firm seatbase. The middle second row seatbelt is built into the seat, not hanging from the roof, and the outer second-row seatbelts are height adjustable, ideal for kids and something very rarely seen. There are three child restraint points, all high up on the back of the second-row seat where they are easy to access. Headroom for me (5ft 11 inches) is a fraction too little, but otherwise is fine. Each of the third-row occupants gets a drinks holder and a little storage comparment. There’s room for a few more odds and ends where you store the cargo net.Īt the side of the boot there’s a couple of usefully strong hooks for bags. Volvo include a cargo net that works in two positions, and it is stored in a neat little compartment accessible when the third row is up. There’s four strong tie-down points in the boot, intelligently located. The cargo area has a roof light, two side lights and a light in the top of the boot, so it’s well lit compared to others. There is a huge amount of room, nearly 600mm, behind the third row when up. The seats fold completely flat and latch in place. The third row is a 50/50 split and level with the boot lip. A bit over a decade later the basic design still holds up well, and this is why. WHAT’S IT LIKE INSIDE AND HOW PRACTICAL IS IT?īack in 2005 I rated all the seven-seat SUVs on the market and the XC90 ranked first for its interior. This racy red doesn’t really fit the XC90, but if you like it, you can have it. One of the customisations is to change the colour and style of the driver’s dash display. Actually, there is something unusual there because that engine is both turbocharged and supercharged – that’s done to maximise efficiency across the rev range. There’s nothing groundbreaking about the overall engineering – a GKN all wheel drive system, the usual electronic aids, eight-speed transmission and in the case of the T6, a modern petrol engine. The car attracted several compliments and not one negative comment. We also did some dirt road driving, a little offroading and of course, the school run. Our review car is the top-level R-Design petrol, and our test was over a week during which we took the Volvo for a three-hour cruise to a friend’s holiday home for a weekend – a very typical XC90 task – where it got a further workout as a seven seater. So successful was the car that it surived another 12 years without a significant change until 2014 when it was updated to the second edition, and that was launched in Australia last year. It was back in 2002 that the biggest Volvo was released and it became an instant hit because it featured an intelligent, spacious seven-seat design, looked modern, drove nicely, offered lots of safety gear and deservedly became the benchmark 7-seat soft-duty SUV. WHEN THE HISTORY OF THE SUV is written the XC90 will have a special place in the chronology as one of the gamechangers, along with the likes of Range Rover, Pajero and Discovery 3.
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