A $100,000 Volvo? Doug DeMuro Says the XC90 Excellence Is a Limousine

It's not a Swedish rival for the BMW X5 M, more of a luxury limousine that just happens to take the form of a family SUV. It's actually made for China, where getting chauffeured in the back of a Volvo is popular, and it costs over twice as much as a base XC90.

So, hat kind of options did they install to double the value? Well, the 7-seater has been turned into a 4-seater with most of the attention focusing on the back. The first things Doug points out are the two champagne flutes, which cost $300 per piece. So there's $600 right there.

The XC90 Excellence has pretty much everything you'd expect in the back of an S-Class, like heated and cooled cupholders via an awesome touchscreen. You can also move the passenger seat in front the back seat to create more legroom.

It's also got pop-out picnic tables and iPad screens in the headrests. However, this is the only Volvo with a refrigerator that fits two large bottles.

The most puzzling feature is a glass partition in front of the cargo space that's supposed to insulate from road noise. The odd part about that is it means the XC90 now has a "trunk" and needs a trunk release. So the Excellence is the only model that's kidnap-proof.

Beyond that, the car is praised for all the things we liked on the regular XC90 models, like the giant touchscreen, the sound system or the cool starter button.

But does it actually drive like a limousine? Well, it does, and it doesn't. The Excellence's cabin is well insulated from road noise. But even with electric help, the 2-liter engine doesn't have the enormous power reserves you'd find in a Mercedes and especially a Rolls.

Good or bad, what we think of it is kinda irrelevant. Only a few hundred will be sold in America each year, as most will be going to China. But we think it's worth the $100,000 which isn't a lot of money by today's standards.