Body style: SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle)
Segment: Premium SUV
Infotainment: Apple CarPlay Android Auto
Production years: 2024
Volvo introduced the second facelift for its ten-year-old second generation of the XC90 SUV in the fall of 2024 for the 2025 model year, hinting that the model will still be around for a few years before reaching the chopping board.
When the Swedish automaker introduced the seven-seat XC90 in 2002, the mid-size SUV was a success. However, after Ford sold the brand in 2010 to Geely Automobile, the evolution of that model was troubled. The new owner needed some time before launching the second generation of this moniker, which hit the showrooms' floors in September 2014 with 1,927 models for the First Edition, which were sold in less than 48 hours. It was an entirely new product from the ground up, based on Volvo's new platform named SPA (Scalable Product Architecture). Unlike the P2, on which the first generation of the XC90 was based, the new one was designed and engineered for electrified and electric vehicles. It was lighter and better, so the automaker used it extensively. It also underpinned the 2025 Volvo XC90, which debuted in September 2024, ten years after the model's introduction.
While hiding the wrinkles on a ten-year-old vehicle was difficult, Volvo tried its best. The design team performed excellently and blended the old styling with new updates. For the 2025 model year, Volvo's largest SUV sported a pair of LED headlights adorned by the automaker's unique design signature lighting, Thor's hammer, for the daytime running lights. Unlike its predecessor, the lower wrapped-around plastic bumper sported a pair of vertical, narrow side scoops that channeled air around the bodywork to create an air curtain and lower drag. A trapezoidal-shaped lower grille adorned the car's apron, emphasizing the sporty look of the vehicle.
From its profile, the refreshed 2024 Volvo XC90 revealed new front fenders to accommodate the redesigned headlights and new rear quarter panels. However, the vehicle's overall shape has remained unchanged since the 2015 model year. Volvo didn't follow the same path as other premium automakers to emphasize ground clearance with black side sills. Instead, it used body-colored ones and adorned the doors on their lower sides with a trim that prevented dirt from spoiling the clean lines of the bodywork. At the back, the SUV had vertical LED taillights that flanked the tailgate. That was another example of not following the trends since most of its competitors. The Swedish brand designers' chose to use Volvo's specific design language with tall, curved vertical taillights. At the lower side of the rear fascia, the car manufacturer chose not to install fake exhausts and concealed the tips under the vehicle behind the bumper.
However, the most significant changes happened on the inside. The automaker used the experience gained when it made the EX90 and the EX30 electric vehicles but scaled them to the XC90 customers' demands. The driver fronted a customizable digital instrument panel integrated into a cluster that resembled the one from the 2014 XC90. On the center stack, between the vertical vents, the automaker placed the touchscreen for the infotainment system based on the Android Automotive operating system. It supported wireless connectivity with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Like other automakers, it integrated the controls for the HVAC into the screen. But still, it kept the most-used controls for the audio system with regular dials on a panel below. Like its predecessors, the XC90 was available with three-row seating in a 2-3-2 configuration where all but the driver's seat could be folded down for increased loading space.
At the time of its launch, the 2025 Volvo XC90 featured a plug-in hybrid drivetrain known as the T8. It was a mix between a turbocharged gasoline four-cylinder engine and an electric motor. The standard all-wheel drive configuration was kept from the vehicle's previous version. Unsurprisingly, though, Volvo didn't include any turbodiesel powerplant in the lineup.
Information about this model's engines has not been yet made public, but we will add it as soon as the car is launched or more data becomes available