This is the 2025 Volvo XC90 T8. An SUV that promises you safety, luxury, speed, efficiency, and the ability to move your entire family across Sweden without anyone needing to scream, ‘Are we nearly there yet?
What’s New?
The XC90 has been around since 2015. Which, in car years, makes it practically prehistoric. And yet somehow, Volvo has made it feel brand new again. They’ve given it a facelift. Visually, the updates are pretty minor, though they keep the XC90 looking fresh. But this isn’t Botox and lip fillers. This is Scandinavian restraint. A new grille, new chrome trim, Thor’s Hammer headlights sharpened. It’s the same suit, just pressed a little better.” The proportions are still spot-on. Big, square, and solid. It’s not pretending to be a spaceship or a gangster’s blingmobile. It just… looks like it will protect you from wolves.
Suspension Upgrade
The most significant mechanical modification involves an enhancement to the fundamental suspension system. The configuration remains consistent with prior models, featuring control arms at the front and a multilink arrangement at the rear, distinguished by the unique inclusion of a transverse composite leaf spring in place of traditional coils.
However, the standard dampers are now equipped with a bypass feature that activates during sharp, rapid impacts, enabling the vehicle to more effectively absorb rough terrain. This improvement permits softer spring rates both at the front and rear, while the front anti-roll bar has been made slightly stiffer. My test vehicle is equipped with the optional air springs, which have been retained without changes from the previous year.
Powertrain
This is the T8 plug-in hybrid. This means you get a 2-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged engine at the front, producing 310 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. There’s also an electric motor at the back, with 145 hp and 228 lb.-ft. Together they produce 455 hp and a healthy 523 lb-ft. O-60 takes 4.8 seconds, and it has a combined fuel economy of 27 mpg. The electric range? Thirty-two miles. Which is enough for school runs, grocery trips, and sneaking away from your in-laws without burning a drop of petrol.
Driving
For a large SUV, it offers a good balance on the road, and it’s a pleasant way to travel, be it on the highway or on back roads. There’s no need to really push it to the limit, although if asked, it is fairly adept at swift cornering. My tester came equipped with the optional air suspension system, which is combined with electronically controlled active dampers that, according to Volvo, can adjust based on measurements taken 500 times per second.
It may not be the ideal vehicle for navigating winding backroads, but the XC90 effectively manages nearly 5000 pounds of weight while minimizing body roll. Despite its decent performance in corners, the XC90 still had difficulty fully absorbing road imperfections and bumps, and those road imperfections can elicit some harsh suspension noises.
Grab it by the horns, and despite being a large 3-row, it doesn’t wallow about like a drunk hippo. The suspension is composed, the steering is light, and when you plant your foot… it just goes. Effortless, serene, fast. Like Thor himself, pushing you along with a giant hammer.
Interior
Inside, it’s exactly what you expect from Sweden. Clean lines, tasteful wood, and if you opt for the leather seats, they feel like they came from a cow that was massaged daily and sung lullabies. And then there’s the screen, Google-based, Apple CarPlay, all easy to use. Unlike in a German SUV, where it takes seventeen menus just to turn on the heated seats.”
And yes, there are three rows. Seven seats. You can put the kids back here, and when they inevitably complain, you won’t hear them because Volvo has sound insulation thicker than the walls of a bank vault.
Inside, it’s exactly what you expect from Sweden. Clean lines, tasteful wood, and if you opt for the leather seats, they feel like they came from a cow that was massaged daily and sung lullabies. And then there’s the screen, Google-based, Apple CarPlay, all easy to use. Unlike in a German SUV, where it takes seventeen menus just to turn on the heated seats.”
And yes, there are three rows. Seven seats. You can put the kids back here, and when they inevitably complain, you won’t hear them because Volvo has sound insulation thicker than the walls of a bank vault.
Volvo has been consistently updating the XC90’s infotainment system to keep up with the times. For 2025, they made a significant upgrade by fitting an 11.2-inch portrait display into the dashboard. It’s bright and sharp, offering a sleek user interface with Google Assistant, which comes with handy features like built-in Google Maps. Additionally, there’s a 12.3-inch display for the driver’s instrument panel, showing information like speed, range, and power.
If you’re using any navigation—whether through Apple CarPlay or another method—the map will show up on this display, so you can keep your eyes on the road while checking directions. Regarding CarPlay, it’s still not wireless. Even in 2025, you’ll need a wired connection to use CarPlay in the XC90. That’s a major drawback, especially since the all-electric EX90 offers wireless CarPlay right from the start. Fortunately, Volvo intends to fix this issue next year.
Practicality Cargo Space
This is where it absolutely shines. Ten cubic feet behind the third row. Thirty-four behind the second. Eighty-five with everything folded flat. That means bicycles, skis, a small sofa, or a few hundred bottles of wine. Oh, and it can tow 5,000 pounds.
Pricing
The base price is $83,400 for this Ultra trim, and it has a couple of options. The Active chassis with Air suspension is $1,800, and the Bowers and Wilkins premium sound is $3,200. Total price is $89,695
Rivals
Against rivals? Audi doesn’t even bother with a hybrid Q7. BMW’s plug-in is only two-row. Mercedes has a GLE hybrid with three rows, but it’s cramped. Which leaves this big Swedish box that still manages to be better at the job than all of them.
VIDEO REVIEW
Verdict
So, what we have here is a decade-old design… that still feels fresh, still feels competitive, still feels very Volvo. It’s powerful, efficient, safe, practical, handsome, and still manages to have a bit of soul.” Is it exciting? No. Does it set your trousers on fire? Also no. But when you actually live with it, day in, day out, it’s the one you’d actually want. And for me, that’s the mark of brilliance.
2025 Volvo XC90 T8 Ultra Numbers
BASE PRICE: $83,400
PRICE AS TESTED: $89,695
VEHICLE LAYOUT: Front-engine, rear-motor, rear/all-wheel-drive, 6/7-passenger, 4-door SUV
POWERTRAIN: 2.0-liter turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, 310 hp, 295 lb-ft
REAR MOTOR: Permanent-magnet synchronous AC, 145 hp, 228
COMBINED POWER: 455hp
COMBINED TORQUE: 523 lb-ft
TRANSMISSION: 8-speed automatic/direct drive
0-60 MPH: 4.8 seconds
CURB WEIGHT: 5,150 lbs
WHEELS: 21-inch
TIRES: Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season, 275/40
ELECTRIC RANGE: 32 miles
EPA HWY + COMBINED: 27 mpg
OUR OBSERVED FUEL ECONOMY: 25.3 MPG
CARGO SPACE: 10 cu ft behind 3rd row, 34 cu ft behind 2nd row, 84 cu ft with all seats flat.
PROS: Superb seats, tasteful and well-made interior, shows the rest how it should be done
CONS: Flinty ride over poor pavement
2025 Volvo XC90 Ultra Review
