Over the past few years, Volvo has made some great cars. Their standards have really improved and they have gone from some awkward Swedish car company trying to copy BMW to a company that has made their own name in the luxury market and has become a great alternative to the likes of its German and Japanese rivals. Volvo is the last mainstream car brand left in Sweden. Saab, its main rival, went bust in 2011. However, Volvo is now owned by Chinese giant Geely hence the rapid advancements in technology and luxury.
The first Volvo model to really show this is the new XC90 launched back in 2015. The XC90 has become the Skeleton and the backbone for the future Volvo models in terms of dynamics, interior design, exterior design, and technology. The XC90 is a sublime car that is built to the highest of standards, and even 5-year-old cars feel new today. The previous XC90 felt a bit boring and it had way too many buttons. The old Volvo design of being premium on a budget has long gone. These new cars have a higher sticker price because they are of higher quality.
Not all Volvo cars are sky priced though. The S60 base starts at $38,395 with top models only retailing for over $44,000. The new BMW 3-Series starts at $40,750 base which is over $2000 more than a base S60. Volvo is also still mad on safety with their cars all achieving the highest ratings in the recent safety tests in North America and Europe. These cars are built like tanks. They are solid, reliable, and very comfortable hence why they make great use as family cars.
You should seriously consider getting a new Volvo this year. It no longer is an alternate brand and with the latest Polestar division introduced to challenge Tesla, there is 100% a car for you in their current lineup. You no longer will be considered as someone different if you have a Volvo. It is no longer that budget premium brand with a confused identity. Before Volvo wanted to be in the category of VW and Ford but also to be in the Mercedes and Lexus category. It didn’t make sense at all.
Volvo Make Perfect Daily Drivers
This isn’t really new news but Volvo does make perfect ideal daily drivers. The car with the most miles in the world is a Volvo p1800 which is based in New York. Volvo makes cars that are built to last. They are like tanks essentially. They’re comfortable cars and can easily withstand long highway commutes. But even city driving is fine, especially with the new hybrid twin-engine models. One of these new twin-engine cars is the sporty S60 T8 twin-engine which pushes out 400hp from its twin-charged (turbocharged and supercharged) 2.0 4-cylinder and its 11.6 kWh electric pack. This is a car ideal for the city because it isn’t too big, it’s executive, it can run on electric-only and it’s a plug-in too meaning you have the rights to use an electric car charging/parking spot.
These cars are relaxing to drive. They have all the safety sensors you need and some have very high tech cruise control systems where if you want to, you can take your hands off the steering wheel. Though this is not recommended. One key feature which is shared across all Volvo cars is the 9-inch touchscreen for the infotainment system. It feels like an iPad to use with its portrait layout. It’s very simple to use being minimalistic. There are no buttons or dials but rather a small rectangular button at the bottom of the screen which acts as a home button, just like you would see on an iPad.
Volvo’s are also somewhat economical. Right now all of their new cars are either electric or 4-cylinder petrol, diesel, or hybrids. There are no V8s or V6’s anymore. Even the legendary Volvo 5-cylinder has gone. But Volvo says this is for a good thing because they can get the same power out of a 4-cylinder unit as they would with an 8-cylinder unit. They do this by using hybrid solutions and also smart twin charging systems, which is where they combine a turbocharger and a supercharger together. This means then that there will never be any lag or power loss since the turbo kicks in when the supercharger is weak and vice versa.
Volvo diesel cars are pretty good on gas too. Nowadays it seems only petrol and hybrid cars get all the credit when actually Volvo’s diesel engines make little to no nitrous oxides. This is brilliant news as not only are their diesel units super economical but they are also clean. Volvo petrol engines on their own may be a little thirsty especially in larger cars hence why if you are doing motorway journeys, the hybrid or diesel models are the ideal choices.
Value For Money
Volvo really does go above and beyond when it comes to build quality and design. The interiors are all trimmed in soft leathers or fabrics, the technology is really easy to use and even the buttons are very uniquely designed and they make the car feel more expensive than it actually is which is brilliant. Volvo brings its Swedish Scandinavian roots when it comes to design. The interior of all modern Volvo cars is very minimalist but organized. You have everything you need when you need it. There are hardly any buttons and the only dial is the large volume dial centered in the middle just under the display.
In all honesty, Volvo actually makes far better-built cars than Mercedes do. You can tell that Volvo takes a lot more time building and designing their cars compared to their rivals. Volvo has sort of made their own idea of what a premium car should be and they have also established their ideal customer. Volvo does not make drivers cars like BMW or cars that hold a lot of presence like Mercedes. They make cars for the more practical person or the person that wants to be different. A Volvo is a car that is mature.
The amount of toys even base models get is ridiculous. You get a sat-nav, a great audio system, 5-star safety, many airbags and so much more. In fact the interior of most Volvo cars are more luxurious than people’s houses. Even the key has an option to be finished in leather.
The XC90 and the S90 models are the top dogs in the current Volvo lineup. The top R-Design models look really beefy. The top model though is the $100,000 XC90 Excellence model which is the pinnacle of Volvo. That is a private jet on wheels, it really is one of the most luxurious cars out there and for the price it is insane.
Featured image credits via: autocar.co.uk