Interior
The interior layout, fit and finish
The driver of a S90 is treated to a brilliant seating position, no matter what their size or shape. Volvo seats are famous for their supportiveness and these are no different, while standard electric adjustments, including lumbar support, make getting comfortable no problem at all.
The S90’s steering column has a generous amount of extension, and the wheel, seat and pedals all line up perfectly. That's not the case with it rival luxury cars – the pedals in an Audi A6, BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class are skewed over to the right, and the A6 and E-Class have more intrusion in to their footwells.
It's reasonably responsive when you press the icons, but the small size of some of those and the large number of functions the screen operates make this a fiddly system to use on the move. It has an Android-based system, but Apple CarPlay will be available as an over-the-air update in the future.
We prefer the dial controller you get in the 5 Series and E-Class, and a few more physical buttons in the S90, for frequently-used features such as the climate control, would improve it.
There’s a great ambience to the Volvo S90’s cabin. It’s a clean-looking design finished to a high standard – on a par with that of the Audi A6 and BMW 5 Series. Everything feels well built and there are plenty of soft, dense materials and solid switches throughout, which mark it above the Mercedes E-Class's slightly flimsier feel.
All models get leather seat trim and ambient interior lighting, but only the higher-grade Inscription trim gets softer Nappa leather and plusher wood veneers.
