The Volvo S90 has been the flagship sedan for the Swedish car maker for a while now. The S90 first came to India in 2016 and I was super impressed by the package that it offered. The car doesn’t shout out, yet you can’t fail to notice it in a crowd. Not to mention Volvo’s supremacy in safety. What you see here is the updated version of the S90. The main highlight here is the shift from diesel to a petrol only portfolio. This is in tune to Volvo’s ambition to go all electric in the next 5 years. So how good is this updated car. Let’s get down to that right away.

Volvo S90 facelift Engine & Performance:

The Volvo S90 facelift comes with a 2.0 litre four cylinder petrol engine assisted by a 48V hybrid system putting out 250 horsepower and 350 Nm of torque. The motor is super silent at idle and is quick to respond once you hit the throttle. There is no turbo lag felt because of the electrical assistance. It will surprise you with its eagerness to move forward and there is always power available on tap. I had my apprehensions on the performance of this motor, but all that went out of the window as soon as pressed the accelerator. The engine sounds nice once you cross 2500 rpm with a very sporty note and will happily revv up to the 7000 rpm redline. The 8 speed Aisin torque convertor automatic gearbox is improved over the previous one as well. The shifts are smooth and response is good. There is a slight hesitancy while going up inclines. But what do miss on the S90 are paddle shifters. They would have taken the driving experience up a hotch. Same goes for the lack of driving modes. Another thing that takes getting used to is the gear selector. You can’t just shift from P to D. You have to  move the selector a couple of times to do so. Ditto for Reverse.

2021 Volvo S90 facelift Ride & Handling

What is truly impressive is the ride quality. The air suspension works beautifully on our broken roads. Road noise doesn’t filter in either, thanks to the doubled glazed windows. You have to be a little careful over speed breakers though. The long wheelbase makes scrap them many a time. On the other hand, handling isn’t the S90’s forte. The steering feels light going around corners as well and you don’t feel connected to the road. High speed stability is excellent though and the S90 will make for an awesome highway cruiser on those road trips.