Volvo’s New S90 Looks Great But You’re Not Allowed To Buy It
The S90 facelift brings fresh styling and tech, but tariffs and falling sedan demand block its return to the US, UK, France, and other markets
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by Chris Chilton
Volvo has given its big hybrid sedan, the S90, a mid-life cycle update.
Slimmer LED lights, a new grille and a 11.2-inch screen are the highlights.
The S90 gets mild-hybrid or PHEV engines, but won’t come to the US.
Volvo updated its aging XC90 last year and now implemented the exact same tweaks added to keep the SUV have found their way into the also-old S90 sedan, including a more stylish face and better infotainment. But you almost certainly won’t be able to buy one.
The BMW 5-series-sized sedan debuted in January 2016 and it’s already had one facelift in the intervening years, during which the market has shifted even further away from sedans and towards SUVs. Slow sales of the China-built four-door and, in the US, the problem of navigating Trump’s tariffs means the revamped new S90 won’t be available in a number of countries.
Related: Tariffs Might Have Killed This Luxury Sedan In America
Volvo’s American operation is reported to have axed the S90, a move already made by the UK and France. The automaker says the revised car is specifically aimed at Asian markets and lands in Chinese dealers this summer with “selected” other markets getting their hands on it later.
So what are we missing out on? As we mentioned at the outset, the S90’s revisions mirror those already seen on the XC90 last year. That means slimmer Thor’s Hammer LED matrix headlights that stretch further across the nose so they’re touching the new grille, which is convex, rather than concave. The hood, bumpers, fenders and diamond-cut alloy wheels are fresh additions and the taillights also get a makeover.
Volvo hasn’t neglected the interior in this round of modernizing, adding a bigger 11.2-inch media screen and OTA functionality, which should cut down on the number of visits it needs to make to a dealer in its lifetime. The cabin ought to be quieter, too, because Volvo has packed in some superior sound insulation and supplies adaptive suspension as standard to boost comfort.
If you are living somewhere where the S90 is still available, you’ll get the choice of a 2.0-liter mild-hybrid engine that drives the front wheels, or a 2.0-liter plug-in hybrid that sends its power to all four wheels and can be driven for 50 miles (80 km) on electric power alone. If you need more EV range, you’ll have to move over to the new ES90, a more modern and fully-electric S90 alternative that, unfortunately, might also be denied entry to the US due to Trump’s tariffs.
