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VOLVO V90 Models/Series Timeline, Specifications & Photos

Generations: 3
First production year: 1997
Engines: Diesel, Gasoline, Hybrid, Hybrid gasoline
Body style: Wagon (station wagon, estate, combi, touring)
VOLVO V90 photo gallery

In 2020 Volvo refreshed its upper class lineup and, besides the S90 and V90 Cross Country, the V90 was refreshed also. Even if it wasn't really necessary

The most striking detail changed on the V90 is the design of the new taillights. It now includes a LED signature for the sequential turn-light indicator. Other exterior changes include new light-alloy wheel designs and new colors for the bodywork.

Inside, Volvo installed two USB-C sockets for the rear seats, instead of the 12v outlets. Maybe this is a downside since most people are still using regular 12v type plugs. For the front occupants there is an option for a wireless charger for phones.

The SPA (Scalable Product Architecture) used for the V90 now allows the use of a Bowers & Wilkins audio system, which means that the vehicle will be like a concert hall on wheels. The same platform is responsible for the introduction of the mild-hybrid system with a 48v architecture.

Elsewhere in its model range, Volvo Cars is significantly expanding the number of its 48 volt mild-hybrid powertrain options, making these engine options available on every single Volvo model.

For the engine range, Volvo installed 4-cylinder diesel or gasoline units, all turbocharged. For diesel, the power ranges between 150 hp and 235 hp, while the gasoline engines offers between 190 hp and 310 hp. The top of the range is the plug-in hybrid model T8, which offers a total output of 390 hp and 640 Nm (472 lb-ft).

full description and technical specifications
VOLVO V90 photo gallery

Sometimes in the past, the Volvo station-wagon vehicles looked like boxes on wheels but that was changed, and in 2016 the Swedish company launched the stylish V90 station-wagon.

After the departure from Ford Motor Company, Volvo started to reshape its products making them more stylish than before. The new Chinese management listened to the Swedish officials and followed their ideas in building cars. The V90 was the station-wagon version for the company's flagship sedan, the S90.

Volvo started a new direction in its design language after 2010 and brought new ideas for the headlights and the grille. The daytime running lights are inside the headlamps and showed a T-letter design, with the inspiration of Thor's hammer, a mythical god in the old Swedish religion.

Inside, the V90 featured four seats with limited legroom for the third passenger in the rear bench. The carefully selected materials and the minimalist design language offered a luxurious experience. The audio system was developed with Bowers&Wilkins that simulate the Goteborg concert hall. For the trunk area, Volvo V90 offered a big volume that could have been extended up to 1526 liters (53.9 cu-ft) of space.

The V90 was offered with a choice of diesel, gasoline, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid versions, with front or all-wheel-drive systems. All versions were mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission.

full description and technical specifications
hybrid gasoline engines:

VOLVO V90 2.0L T8 8AT AWD (407 HP)

VOLVO V90 photo gallery

At the end of the '90s, Volvo started to change its car's names from numbers to a combination of letters and numbers, and that's how the short-lived V90 appeared on the market.

Volvo was losing ground on the market, and its boxy-looking vehicles were no longer in trend. The carmaker decided to do something about that and, after failing to join Renault in 1993, it went on and tried to rise back on its own feet. The V90 was a rebadged 960 Station Wagon. It was introduced in 1997, and it survived only a year on the market before being cut out from the assembly line. The nameplate returned only in 2016.

The Swedish brand managers already saw the shift on the market toward vehicles with smoother, fluid lines. It was the beginning of the biodesign era, and Volvo was still stuck in the late '70s time with its wedged-shaped vehicles. With the 850 series, which was renamed as S/V70, Volvo's designers introduced rounded edges and smoother lines. The carmaker applied the same treatment to the 960, but it was too complicated to make curved body panels on a structure designed decades ago for the 740/760 Series.

Inside, there was a bigger improvement. With its new dashboard design inspired by the 850 model, the V90 featured a compact driving post with an instrument cluster that featured a speedometer, a tachometer, and two gauges. The integrated center stack housed the ventilation and the stereo-cassette player. Thanks to its folding rear bench, the trunk could have been increased.

Under the hood, Volvo V90 relied on the 3.0-liter gasoline engine paired to a standard 5-speed manual. A 4-speed automatic transmission was on the options list.

full description and technical specifications