All I really need for the holidays is a quiet and comfortable ride, so the 2017 Volvo S90, in T6 AWD Inscription guise, is already a winner in my book.

Like the XC90, the S90 isn’t out here to shout and that’s great for those of us who, on this day in December, cringe when Mariah Carey comes on the radio for the seventh time in an hour. But does Volvo’s relaxed approach to luxury work on a big luxury sedan as well as its big SUV? I’ve been driving the 2017 Volvo S90, a World Car of the Year contender. Here are some thoughts.

Lines in the suit
“Volvo finally made a good-looking car,” a Volvo-indifferent person said when he walked up to the S90. It’s not a breathtaking car, but I’m convinced the S90 must be seen up close to be appreciated. The lines and detailing throughout the car are what makes the design.

Light and bright
Go for the Blonde leather with the Inscription package’s Linear Wood inlays and the inside of the S90 is an airy and spacious thing. There’s actually a lot of glass here compared to other cars. Rear visibility would have been better if the rear deck weren’t so high, though.

Pretty things _______________________ #Volvo #VolvoS90 #sunsets #santabarbara

A photo posted by Zac Estrada (@zacestrada) on Dec 20, 2016 at 5:50pm PST


 Wannabe warbler
The 2.0-liter super-turbo-charged four called the T6 is present here, as it was in the XC90 I just wrote about. It makes a different noise in the S90, somehow, and at times, sounds like it was tuned to please old inline-five devotees. It’s only partially successful in that regard, but power is more than sufficient.

Leave it in comfort
Like everything these days, the S90 has multiple driving modes, namely Dynamic, Comfort and Eco. I haven’t found much use for Dynamic, which really just makes the steering and brakes a little more aggressive, but it doesn’t suit the car’s character particularly well. Comfort is its jam and that’s fine.

 Under the skin
As far as big luxury sedans go, $66,945 for an all-in S90 T6 AWD is not a bad place to be, considering that will pretty much buy you just a moderately optioned Mercedes-Benz E300 4Matic. There are some niggles, but the Volvo S90 is certainly infatuating, which isn’t something you say about a lot of expensive sedans these days.

There have been some hiccups, such as an annoying wiper sensor issue and a sometimes-laggy touchscreen. Since the XC90 I had was flawless, I’ll chalk these problems up to this early build car that has done a lot of hard journalist miles.

I’ll be testing out Pilot Assist while I melt into the driver’s seat a little more over the Christmas weekend. In the meantime, what would you like to know about the S90? Have your say in the comments below.

Photos: Keith Moore/Carscoops

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