2025 Volvo XC90 PHEV offers style and technology but could use more range

COPENHAGEN — Volvo’s large XC90 three-row SUV is getting a significant makeover for 2025 with a new interior, infotainment system, suspension and acoustic improvements.

Interior changes include new materials and displays aimed at making Volvo’s next-generation electric vehicles compatible with next-generation electric vehicles, starting with the EX90 this year and the smaller EX30 in 2025.

They all feature Volvo’s new Google-based infotainment system; The Swedish brand plans to install it on 2022-24 model XC90s with upcoming over-the-air updates.

Volvo calls the new model the 2025 and a half model; I don’t believe this designation is recognized by those stuck in the mud like US regulators and insurance companies. It doesn’t really matter. The new model is quieter, more advanced, and a better version of the large people carrier currently waiting in the pickup line at a Montessori near you.

I drove plug-in and mild-hybrid versions of the 2025 XC90 over two days across Denmark’s coastal plains and southern Sweden and the scenic bridge that connects them.

The updated XC90 is expected to go on sale in the United States in the first quarter of 2025.

Volvo XC90 trim levels and prices

2025 XC90 B5 AWD mild hybrid, Core, 7 passengers: $58,450
2025 XC90 B5 AWD mild hybrid, Plus, 7 passengers: $62,550
2025 XC90 B5 AWD mild hybrid, Ultra, 7 passengers: $66,950
2025 XC90 B5 AWD mild hybrid, Plus, 6 passengers: $63,050
2025 XC90 B5 AWD mild hybrid, Ultra, 6 passengers: $67,450
2025 XC90 B6 AWD mild hybrid, Core, 7 passengers: $63,350
2025 XC90 B6 AWD mild hybrid, Plus, 7 passengers: $66,150
2025 XC90 B6 AWD mild hybrid, Ultra, 7 passengers: $70,550
2025 XC90 B6 AWD mild hybrid, Plus, 6 passengers: $66,650
2025 XC90 B6 AWD mild hybrid, Ultra, 6 passengers: $71,050
2025 XC90 T8 AWD plug-in hybrid, Core, 7 passengers: $73,000
2025 XC90 T8 AWD plug-in hybrid, Plus, 7 passengers: $75,800
2025 XC90 T8 AWD plug-in hybrid, Ultra, 7 passengers: $80,200
2025 XC90 T8 AWD plug-in hybrid, Plus, 6 passengers: $76,300
2025 XC90 T8 AWD plug-in hybrid, Ultra, 6 passengers: $80,700

Source: Volvo. Prices do not include $1,295 destination charge.

Driving impressions, exterior changes

The XC90 is a large and comfortable vehicle with six or seven seat options.

The narrow streets of European villages and farmland outsize its size, but the direct-response steering makes it easy to wriggle the big SUV through streets scaled for medieval horse-drawn carriages.

The plug-in hybrid accelerates quickly, hitting 60 mph in just 5.1 seconds. The all-electric mode offers satisfactory performance in city centers and on the highway.

The PHEV tips the scales at around 5,000 pounds, but the updated air suspension smooths out bumps and keeps the

Even with winter tires installed, the car I was driving was quiet inside on backroads and the highway. Note the additional acoustic insulation and active noise cancellation of the Bowers & Wilkins sound system.

The PHEV produces 455 horsepower and 523 pound-feet of torque from the combination of a 2.0L turbocharged gasoline engine and an electric motor.

An eight-speed automatic transmission transfers the engine’s power to the front wheels.

Exterior visual changes are restrained: slimmer matrix LED headlights and revised grille and “iron mark” brand badging at the front; 20-, 21- and 22-inch wheels; Taillights that replace chrome with darker materials complete the package.

The exterior dimensions of the XC90 remain virtually unchanged.

Selected opponents

Acura MDX
Audi Q7
BMXX7
Cadillac XT6
Genesis GV80
Hyundai Fence
Infiniti QX60
Jeep Grand Cherokee L
Kia Telluride
Land Rover Discovery
Lexus TX
Lincoln Airman

Scandinavian style, US scale passenger room

The interior features an 11.2-inch portrait-oriented touchscreen that manages everything from driving modes to climate control. Physical buttons and dials on the center console are limited to volume, pause/play, track, emergency flashers, and front and rear defrost. Flat touch pins on the steering wheel spokes manage the adaptive cruise control, activate voice recognition and allow the driver to choose from a variety of screens on the 12.3-inch instrument cluster.

The center console is quite spacious with improved cup holders and a wireless charging pad. Apple CarPlay and Android are standard. Disappointingly, they require a hard-wired connection to the car. According to Volvo, an over-the-air update could fix this shortcoming.

The seats offer Volvo’s usual high level of comfort and support.

The Bowers & Wilkins audio system delivers excellent sound quality. New stainless steel speaker grilles complement interior materials such as low-gloss wood, leather and stylish fabrics, depending on the mood.

A panoramic sunroof is standard.

Cargo space looks generous, but Volvo didn’t specify volume figures.

The most important features of the 2025 Volvo XC90

four-wheel drive
Hybrid and plug-in hybrid models
Seating for six or seven people
New interior materials
11.2 inch touch screen
Google voice recognition and operating system
More cup holders

What should be better?

Volvo’s penchant for minimalist controls continues to create some pain points.

For a design decision so counterintuitive, it’s hard to believe it wasn’t intentional; The touchscreen eschews the universally recognized “Home” icon in favor of a narrow white line at the bottom of the screen. I’m sure the guys in the graphics office were jumping for joy. The rest of us would appreciate a larger, easier to reach, more intuitive icon.

In another step that seems vague in itself, you need to activate the “Bluetooth media” icon on the home screen to play music via Bluetooth. after You have paired your device with the car. Because I guess some people pair Bluetooth but don’t do that I want to hear their melodies.

Other oversights that are hard to excuse include the lack of wireless connectivity for smartphone mirroring. If I can get wireless CarPlay and Android Auto in a Honda Civic, I should be able to get it in a $70k+ luxury SUV.

Finally, although the PHEV’s 53-kilometer electric range is sufficient, I expected some increase from the model that has been on sale since the 2023 model year.

Why buy a Volvo XC90?

Volvo occupies a unique place in the luxury skies: sophisticated and prestigious, yet understated in an almost ostentatious way. If you want a large six- or seven-seat SUV that says you’ve arrived but haven’t pillaged the neighborhood or robbed the retirement fund to get here, the XC90 plug-in delivers that message.

2025 Volvo XC90 at a glance

Six- or seven-seat luxury SUV with four-wheel drive

Base price: $58,450 (All prices exclude $1,295 destination charge)

Model tested: Volvo XC90 T8 eAWD Plus plug-in hybrid

Price as tested: $76,300 (excluding destination charge)

Tested features:

Engine: 2.0L four-cylinder engine; electric motor

Total system output: 455 hp; 523 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

EPA estimated fuel economy: 27 mpg combined city/highway in gasoline mode. Premium gasoline.

Electric range: 33 miles

Battery 400 volt 18.4 kWh lithium-ion, 14.7 kWh usable power

Onboard charger: 6.4 kW

Charging time: Three hours from 0-100% at 240 volts

0-60 mph: 5.1 seconds

Top speed 182 mph

Wheelbase: 117.5 inches

Length: 195 inches

Width: 76.1 inches (body); 79.1 (mirrors folded)

Height: 69.7 inches

Ground clearance: 8.5 inches

Cargo volume: None

Curb weight: 4,910 pounds

Towing capacity: 5,000 pounds

Gathered in Torslanda, Sweden

Contact Mark Phelan: 313-222-6731 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @mark_phelan. Read more automobiles and sign up for us automobile newsletter. Subscribe.