No, that isn’t a typo in the headline. Volvo is calling its refreshed flagship the 2025.5 Volvo XC90 to distinguish from the 2025 models already on sale with the old design. I’m not gonna lie, that’s kinda weird. But what isn’t weird is the refresh itself. It’s actually pretty darn nice.
While the powertrains are a carryover from the previous model, the design gets a significant refresh inside and out, we have a new suspension, and the Google built-in user experience gets an overhaul.
Let’s dig into the details and first impressions.
The 2025.5 Volvo XC90 design details
Let me start by saying photos won’t do the front end of the 2025.5 Volvo XC90 justice. Pretty much everything from the A-Pillar forward has been redesigned. You have a new front bumper, grille and hood as well as refreshed Matrix-design LED Thor’s Hammer headlights. At the back, you have upgraded taillights with a new darkened design for better visibility.
To me, the grille is the most striking feature. It draws you in with its simplicity and is almost a rebuke to the over-done, over-large grilles we’ve seen of late.
Inside, you have a Swedish clean uncluttered space and a strong, horizontal lines. The air vents have been redesigned, and the interior materials have been updated. The biggest change you’ll see is to the infotainment screen, which is now 11.2 inches and pops out over the dash.
While I generally like the interior design, there were a couple of choices I question. First, let’s talk about that infotainment screen. While I appreciate the larger screen and the overall clarity of the display, rather than being integrated into the dash like on previous XC90s, it pops out over the dash and almost looks like it was tacked over the smaller, original screen. It kinda makes me want to tear it off just to see what’s under there.
Second, Volvo has just two interior color themes, light and dark. I’ll start with the positive, the light theme is gorgeous with the ivory leatherette or Nappa leather, medium colored wood and brown textile dash insert. This is 100% the interior I’d choose – even though I’d worry about getting it dirty. While I wanted to like the new navy herringbone-patterned textile seating material, the combination of dark headliner and gray textile insert on the dash – along with the blue – give me pause. I’m a bit too matchy, matchy in my tastes for this option. I feel like the blue textile should have been carried through to dash. But perhaps that could be just me.
Cleaner, simpler UX
The other thing that got a huge upgrade is the infotainment system. Gone is the out-dated “tiled” home screen and difficult-to-navigate menu. Instead, you have a home screen that includes a Google map, a couple widgets for your phone and music, tiles for frequently used items and your climate controls. You have easy access to your in-vehicle apps and vehicle settings as well.
While I typically don’t like climate controls in the screen, I think it works in this system because the tiles for temperature and fan speed are large, which means you aren’t likely to hit the wrong thing while driving.
Even though Volvo is implementing the Google OS on the XC90, you do still have access to Apple CarPlay, and it fills out the screen nicely with large, easy-to-hit app tiles. The downside: This is still a wired-in system.
This system is modeled after the user experience you see in the all-new EX90 electric vehicle, but Volvo opted not to house the steering wheel and mirror adjustments within the screen on the XC90. Hallelujah. That is the one thing I truly disliked about the EX90.
But how does the 2025.5 Volvo XC90 drive?
The 2025.5 Volvo XC90 has a trio of turbocharged, 4-cylinder powertrain options in the form of the B5, B6 and T8 models. Volvo brought us to Denmark and Sweden to do the first drive, and we had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the base B5 and top-tier T8 plug-in hybrid (PHEV). Both are good powertrains. The B5 is equipped with an inline turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that delivers 247 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque. While I wouldn’t classify this as fast, it certainly has some pep. There’s a little lag under hard acceleration, but it’s not bad.
The T8, in comparison, is downright fast. Total power output with the engine and electric motor is 455 horsepower. There was one instance during our test drive that I had to turn left with heavy traffic coming from both the right and left. I felt a little like Frogger, looking for an opening and hoping I wouldn’t get squashed. When I got a small window, I mashed the gas pedal to the floor, and I was properly impressed. The XC90 T8 accelerated smoothly, without any kind of stutter and pull on the steering wheel. There might have even been a little stomach flip.
The standard suspension has been improved with Frequency Selective Damping, and I’ll be honest, this was hard to test in Scandanavia because the roads are so darn good. So, that will be another test for another time when I can drive the XC90 over the potholes and speed bumps of Chicago.
The good stuff
The XC90 has always been a nice vehicle. The tactile feel of the materials is both solid and pleasing, and seat comfort is excellent. I love the next-level attention to detail that you find in everything from the metal beveled edges on the switches and dials to the stitching on the seat, door panels and dash.
Volvo also does a really good job creating a good seating position for both tall and small drivers. The seats are highly adjustable with thigh-bolster extenders, lumbar support and height adjustment. So, I had really good visibility out all the windows – just like my 6-foot-tall drive partner.
The best thing about the XC90, however, has to be the available Bang & Olufsen premium audio system. I’m not an audiophile by any stretch of the imagination, but the clarity and quality is evident – even to someone who’s fairly tone deaf like me.
The bad stuff
Because I liked the 2025.5 Volvo XC90 so much, I feel like anything I didn’t like is picking knits. But there are a couple things I’d point out. First, I was disappointed with the telescoping range of the steering wheel, and I don’t remember having that problem in previous XC90s. I really wanted to push the steering wheel further away from me by about an inch, so I was left with the feeling that the wheel was closer to my chest than I wanted it to be.
Second, with the larger info screen, Volvo improved the camera display – making the image larger and clearer. However, I’m not sure the around-view image was large enough. It seemed like there was a lot of white space around the car, and I would have liked to zoom in a bit.
But that’s about it. I could also point to the limited cargo space with the third row in place, but that’s what you’d expect from a midsize three-row vehicle, so I’m not sure that counts.
Pricing
With three different powertrains and three different trims on each, you have a wide range for pricing on the 2025.5 Volvo XC90. What’s really interesting is, base to base, the price increases by about $1k, including destination. If you look at the PHEV top trim to top trim, the price increases by about $1,200. Overall, I think that’s a bargain for what you get in return: more tech, better interior materials and handsome design.
Here’s a quick breakdown on pricing, without destination:
As a vehicle on the luxury spectrum, you get a lot for your dollar.
The bottom line
I’ve always enjoyed the driving dynamics on the Volvo XC90, and the interior itself is both familiar and comfortable. With the suspension tweaks and vast improvement to the infotainment user experience, this 2025.5 model has a lot going for it.
Editor’s note: Driving impressions in this “First Drive” review are from an invitation-only automaker launch event that allowed special access to the vehicle and executives. Volvo covered our accommodations, meals and transportation costs.
