Full of assistance systems to help the driver, yet it’s surprising how much driving pleasure it provides. Prices starting from 56,350 euros

From the Motor Show in Paris where it was unveiled to the world, the Volvo XC90 is arriving at dealerships in the next few days, following approximately 37,000 orders already registered and bought sight unseen. Beside the market volumes, which inevitably – will be limited in Italy due to the state of the economy, this SUV is of fundamental importance for the Swedish brand in achieving its 2020 target, which is bringing to zero the number of fatalities and injuries in a Volvo. The XC90 is also crucial because it is the first car of this brand to be built on the new SPA platform, which the entire range will be based on, except for the yet to come V40. Not least, we are talking about the heir to a model that debuted back in 2002 and which totaled approximately 636,000 registrations worldwide. These are relevant numbers for Volvo and very realistically they are going to grow mainly thanks to China and USA. The engine I focused on for the preview test is also the most interesting one for the Italian market, namely the D5: 4-cylinder 225 hp 2.0 turbo; all heat engines (which have hybrid versions flanking electric motors) of the XC90 belong to the DrivE line, hence they’re four-cylinder turbocharged petrol and diesel.

A little journey into the future

The Volvo XC90 does not go unnoticed. I realize that five minutes after driving it a few kilomet...