Decade-Old 2025 Volvo XC90 Proves It Was Always Ahead Of Its Time

The Øresund Bridge, which connects Denmark to Sweden, is one of humankind’s greatest engineering achievements. When it opened on July 1st of the year 2000, the 7.5-mile long combination of pavement and railroad became the second-longest bridge in Europe, connecting the Scandinavian Peninsula with Central and Western Europe.

The structure has the unique design trait of combining both a physical bridge on the Swedish side, and an underwater tunnel (the Dogden tunnel) in Denmark, creating the illusion of a bridge that disappears into the sea. It’s a truly impressive structure to behold, especially when flying into Copenhagen. At the bridge’s highest point, the sight of the Lillgrund wind farm planted in the Øresund Strait acts as a stark reminder that this part of the world puts clean, sustainable energy at the top of its priorities.

Yet, the Volvo I was driving over that bridge wasn’t an absolute zero-emission vehicle. It was gasoline-powered, only assisted by a small amount of electric range thanks to its plug-in hybrid (PHEV) drivetrain. It was the second-generation XC90, an SUV released no less than 10 years ago. As I drove underneath the Bridge’s massive central pillars, listening to Taylor Swift’s Exile on the XC90’s exquisite Bowers & Wilkins sound system, I wondered why Volvo had flown me halfway across the planet to drive this thing.

2025 Volvo XC90 First Impressions

Volvo’s answer to that question is that the XC90 is an important vehicle for the brand as it marked an crucial renaissance moment for the company after parting ways with Ford. The XC90 is also still built in Sweden, at Volvo’s historical Torslanda plant. That’s an important detail considering that most of Volvo’s latest products are some form of derivative from China’s Geely lineup.

More specifically, Volvo is preserving the XC90 as a sort of backup plan for the all-electric EX90. Realizing that not all North-American consumers are yet ready to embark onto the electric vehicle (EV) bandwagon, Volvo openly stated this year that it would use hybrid and plug-in hybrid powerplants as a way to bridge the gap between its internal combustion engine (ICE) past, and its EV future.

So, the XC90’s cosmetic changes for the 2025 model year are only minor. After all, this was already a fine-looking SUV, so Volvo only slightly redesigned the front grille, bumper, hood and Thor’s Hammer LED headlight designs, as well as the LED taillights. New wheels and paint colors are also part of the facelift. The end result is a fresher looking XC90 that manages to somehow look even better than before.

Exterior Dimensions

2025 Volvo XC90: Differences Between The U.S. And Canadian Market

In both markets, the 2025 XC90 will be offered in three distinct trim levels: Core, Plus and Ultra. The only main distinction between the U.S. and Canada is that Americans get three engine choices; B5, B6 and T8. Canada only gets B6 and T8. At the moment of writing this story, Volvo hadn’t announced pricing for the 2025 lineup.

U.S. Versus Canada Lineup Breakdown (model tested in bold)

Driving Impressions And Performance

It felt truly weird to be all the way in Denmark driving the XC90. After all, this was one of the first vehicles I reviewed during my early days as an auto journo almost a decade ago. Automakers don’t usually spend this sort of money on vehicle launches for models that are this old, which clearly illustrates how important the XC90 is for Volvo.

Actually, Volvo wanted us journalists and content creators to see the XC90’s facelift a bit like revisiting an old friend. In many ways, that’s what it felt like. Even by today’s standards, the XC90’s mechanical components, driving feel, performance, comfort and refinement are on par with the best Europe has to offer. It’s a testament to how ahead of its time this vehicle was upon its release.

My drive time mostly centered around the entry level B5 drivetrain, which is composed of a mild hybrid, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine (247 hp/266 lb-ft), as well as the plug-in hybrid T8 (455 hp/523). With a battery fully charged, I kicked off the first part of the roadtrip from Copenhagen airport in the T8’s fully electric mode (or Pure), and made my way through the tunnel towards Sweden.

The XC90’s PHEV drivetrain allows you to keep running the vehicle in EV mode until the battery runs out, at which point the turbocharged 2.0-liter engine kicks in. You can also opt for the Hybrid drive mode, which automatically shifts from EV to ICE according to what the vehicle needs the most. A Hold feature allows you to hold your battery charge for later use, while Charge mode uses the ICE to charge the battery.

In EV mode, the XC90 is only powered by the rear wheels, and only pumps out 143 horsepower and 228 lb-ft of torque. So it’s not very quick. The available performance is best used for urban driving or casually cruising down the highway. For the best speed-gaining results, it’s best to engage Hybrid mode, where all 455 combined horsepower are let loose to create one heck of a fast-accelerating SUV.

The B5’s performance, on the other hand, is only fine. Sure, it gets this large SUV up and going without too much drama, but it always feels like it’s a heavy car powered by a small engine. Any attempts at gunning the throttle in the B5-powered XC90 translated into a loud engine drone and not much else. My personal favorite “sweet spot” engine in terms of performance is the turbocharged and supercharged B6.

On the handling side, Volvo significantly updated the XC90’s suspension damping, the type of dampers used and the cabin insulation for a softer, plusher ride. The XC90 was always a tad too stiff for North-American roads. Unfortunately, Scandinavian tarmac is as perfect as it gets, so it was hard for me to truly assess the changes in such a short timeframe. But my time with the updated XC90 revealed a fine-riding, smooth and immensely quiet experience.

Performance Specifications

2025 Volvo XC90 Fuel, Energy Consumption And Range

Running the XC90 T8 in hybrid mode (when the battery is charged) will also unleash this vehicle’s best fuel economy. The EPA rates the 2025 model at the same impressive 58 MPG as in 2024. Interestingly enough, although the B5 engine is essentially the same as last year, it saw a 2 MPG bump over last year. Generally speaking though, official fuel economy numbers for B5 and B6 are only fine.

Range in fully electric mode is EPA-rated at 33 miles. Unfortunately, since I wanted to try the T8’s setup in different modes, including some that consumed fuel, and that I shared the vehicle with another automotive journalist, I was unable to perform any significant range tests. This also applies to recorded fuel economy.

I’ll need to live with a 2025 XC90 press unit in my neck of the woods to properly evaluate it. That said, based on my experience driving this PHEV setup several times, both in summer and winter conditions, I can say with confidence that it merely never misses its claimed EV range targets.

EPA And As Tested Fuel And Energy Consumption

Interior Design And Comfort

The XC90’s cabin was already aging like fine wine, so Volvo didn’t do much to spice it up. Aside from the infotainment system, which I’ll get back to in a bit, it’s essentially the exact same interior as before. However, all surfaces were reimagined using newer, fancier materials.

It’s incredibly well executed, preserving the minimalist look and feel of Scandinavian design. My example was dressed up in welcoming wood trim and quilted sand-colored leather. Every surface feels rich and expensive. Even the Bowers & Wilkins speaker grills and central tweeter were massaged. They look and feel like something straight out of a boutique audio retailer. The build quality is superb, showing that Volvo’s still got it. Doors close shut with a satisfying clunk, and once cacooned inside, the XC90 is vault quiet.

The XC90 always felt a tad smaller than competing three-row premium SUVs, and it’s even more the case now that new, fresher models have entered this space. But this Volvo still manages to hold its own with above-average seat comfort and sufficient front and rear leg, head, and hip room for taller passengers. My only real complaint about this vehicle’s cabin comfort is the incredibly tight third row with narrow access for adults.

Interior Dimensions

Technology And Ease Of Use

The infotainment system is the real big cabin update as Volvo harmonized it with its latest models, the EX30 and EX90 electric SUVs. Entirely Google-based with over-the-air update (OTA) technology, the system relies more than ever on voice-command through the Hey Google voice prompt. Ask it to find the nearest beach, ice cream shop or latte, and as long as it’s connected to a data plan, it’ll quickly find you the nearest search results. While using it around Malmo in southern Sweden, it found my requests quickly and without fail.

The hardware itself is still a relatively small (for the industry) 11.2-inch tablet. But Volvo considers that we don’t need more than that to operate a car, and I totally stand behind that claim. The tight real estate allows this system to act more like a smartphone where you set up your favorite settings and then barely ever need to touch it.

Accessing vital information such as drive modes or climate control settings does require going through a few menus, but the system’s speed and minimalist design does allow it to remain relatively easy to operate. I aslo appreciate how Volvo preserved physical buttons and knobs for headlights, fog lights and audio controls.

Cargo And Storage Space

Just like its cabin, the total and default cargo space in the XC90 is not at the forefront of the segment. That’s because every player in this segment has since increased in size. While it remains a spacious vehicle, the XC90 trails behind competing models such as the Acura MDX (18.1 cu-ft/48.4 cu-ft/95 cu-ft) and even the Lexus TX (20.2 cu-ft/57.4 cu-ft/97 cu-ft).

2025 Volvo XC90 Cargo Space Specifications

You Can Count On It

What I personally like about updating an old model is that we know exactly what to expect from it. While the XC90’s reliability was disastrous during its first years of production, Volvo has since corrected most of its kinks. This is a tried and proven formula for Volvo, a generally feel-good product that’s oozing with Scandinavian culture, and a familiar face for consumers. The 2025 Volvo XC90 is proof that sometimes, it’s best not to mess with a good recipe.