First Drive: Volvo’s V90 returns to the UK

But, having taken on some feedback – not to mention a fair bit of public outcry – Volvo has reversed its decision and now, we have both the V60 and this car – the larger V90 – back on sale here. We’ve been driving to see if this encore is a successful one.

One thing which hasn’t returned to the V90 range, however, is diesel power. No, instead, you’ll only find petrol or hybrid offerings – something which ties in with Volvo’s electrification strategy – which is somewhat of a shame, as we always found diesel to be the ideal accompaniment to the V90 experience. Of course, you can still find diesel V90 models on the used market.

Despite this performance, you could manage up to 52 miles on electric-only power, though during our time with the car, we saw around 42 miles from a full charge which will take around four hours via a conventional 7kWh home wallbox. Keep it topped up and you’ll rarely have to trouble the petrol engine if you’re doing local driving.

Step on the throttle and the V90 casts off its more traditional character and hurtles ahead. Though the four-cylinder engine can sound strained when accelerating hard, it’s not too noticeable. The whole experience is at its best when you’ve got a decent amount of charge; once that battery is depleted the V90 feels a little lacklustre and fuel consumption increases by quite a measure. You really need to make sure you’re regularly charging this plug-in hybrid to maintain its edge.

The V90 is available in a series of understated colours, too, with the dark blue exterior colour of our test car looking very smart when contrasting with the cream-coloured leather draped across the interior.

There’s a great level of build quality inside, too. Everything feels solidly made and reassuringly ‘Volvo’. As you might expect, the V90 is equipped with all manner of safety systems and a good suite of airbags.

Standard equipment is good – though it should be, given the price – with all models getting two-zone climate control, automatic LED headlights and 19-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels. There’s a nine-inch central display and while it might be far smaller than the current trend, it still gets all of the features you need. However, both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto can’t be accessed wirelessly, so you’ll need a USB cable to hand in order to mirror your phone on the car’s screen.

Volvo’s decision to return its estate cars to its product range was a good one. After all, these practical models are central to this brand’s history and, without them, the Swedish firm looked a little lost. It’s unlikely that the V90 and V60 will be big sellers given how popular Volvo’s SUVs are but returning them feels as though things are back to normal.

The V90 does everything you want an estate car to do. It’s comfortable, well-specified and in T8 form, comes with a whole lot more performance than you might expect. It’s expensive, yes, but if you need a car that’ll do it all – and keep doing it for years to come – then the V90 is the kind of car to see you through.