2018 Volvo S90

Pros: Spacious back seat; elegant, distinctive styling; impeccably luxurious cabin when properly optioned; good selection of safety features

Cons: Spendy option packages drive up the bottom line; ride is a bit stiffer than expected; vertically oriented touchscreen is complicated and not particularly intuitive

CG Says: The 2018 Volvo S90 is stretched 4.5 inches to increase rear-seat legroom and a T8 plug-in hybrid powertrain joins lineup. Also the base T5 model is now available with all-wheel drive. S90 production moves from Sweden to China. Volvo revived the S90 badge for 2017 on an all-new flagship sedan that replaced the outgoing S80 in the Volvo model lineup. The S90 is a premium midsize sedan that shares its basic platform with the Volvo XC90 SUV that debuted for 2016. The S90 offers three model/powertrain choices: T5 with a 250-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine and front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive; T6 with 316-horsepower supercharged/turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder and all-wheel drive; and T8 plug-in hybrid that combines the supercharged/turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder with an electric motor for a total 400 horsepower and is also all-wheel drive. All S90s use an 8-speed automatic transmission. As expected of Volvo, there’s a long list of safety features. The newest is Pilot Assist, a semi-autonomous driving system that can assist acceleration, braking, and steering to help the driver follow traffic within a chosen lane. Also available is a safety system that detects large animals on the road, warns the driver, and can also apply the brakes to avoid collision. The all-but-forgotten S80 was long overdue for replacement. The 2018 Volvo S90 is not without its quirks, but it offers a uniquely luxurious personality, a notably roomy interior, and a fine selection of optional features—all of which make it a compelling alternative to the default premium-midsize-sedan standard bearers.