2018 Volvo S90 | Why Buy?

– Detroit, Michigan

Restrained and conservative, the Volvo S90 is a splendid luxury sedan. And since it’s loaded down with modern technology, it serves as a pleasant change of pace from today’s German luxury cars. But just because it looks pleasant and wears a traditional Volvo color and has a killer active safety system, doesn’t mean there isn’t some Swedish weirdness.

Most of that weirdness is under the hood, where there’s a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine. Not all that unusual, except that our test car has both a turbocharger and a supercharger. The latter kicks in at low rpms, providing power while the former is spooling. As the engine speed climbs and the turbocharger’s boost builds, its power arrives. The result is 316 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque and EPA fuel economy estimates of 22 miles per gallon city, 31 highway, and 25 combined.

Volvo’s reputation for safety is on full display with its Pilot Assist active safety system. Blending today’s cutting edge active safety systems – full-speed adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, and lane-keeping assist, among others – into a single unified suite means getting started is as easy as pressing two buttons. Once underway, Pilot Assist takes a tremendous amount of stress off the driver. Highway cruising is effortless and safe, meaning that driving long distances is less tiring.

To find out more about the 2018 Volvo S90, check out the latest episode of Why Buy.

Correction: In the video, we mention the S90 has a four-corner air suspension. That is incorrect. The S90 has a rear-leveling air suspension – the four-corner air suspension is available on the XC90. We regret the error.