Volvo XC90 was introduced in 2002 as a 5-door mid-size luxury crossover SUV with either a front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout or a front-engine, four-wheel-drive layout. It was manufactured by Volvo cars spanning through two generations, with each generation receiving from Motor Trend an SUV of the Year award.

The First Generation (2002-2014)

The XC90's first generation appeared in 2002 at the North American International Auto Show. It was based on the Volvo P2 platform offering both front-wheel-drive layout and all-wheel-drive layout. The first-generation models included the XC90 Ocean Race with a unique blue colour and leather interior and XC Classic available in China.

In its debut, the XC90 won the North American Car of the Year award and the Sport/Utility of the Year award by the Motor Trend magazine.

Euro NCAP gave it a total of 5 stars that included 34 points for adult occupant protection and 10 points for pedestrian protection. Its safety equipment included front seatbelt pretensioners, front seatbelt load limiters, driver frontal airbag, front passenger frontal airbag, side body airbags, and side head airbags. Featured as well were systems for preventing and minimising accident forces such as roll stability control, electronic stability control, side impact protection system, and whiplash protection system. Therefore, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded it the Top Safety Pick award which included a rating of Good in small overlap front and Moderate in overlap front, side, roof strength, and head restraints and seat tests.

In 2003, the Volvo XC90 was released in Australia with the following powertrain options:

• 2.5T, 2.5T Lifestyle Edition, and Lifestyle Edition - 2.5L petrol turbocharged I5 engine (154 kW, 320 Nm) paired with a 5-speed automatic transmission
• T6, and T6 Lifestyle Edition - 2.9L petrol twin-turbocharged I6 engine (200 kW, 380 Nm) paired with a 4-speed automatic transmission; offered with a Haldex Traction all-wheel-drive layout as option
• D5, D5 Executive, D5 Volvo Ocean Race, and D5 R-Design - 2.4L diesel engine (136 kW, 400 Nm) paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission
• V8, V8 Executive, V8 R-Design, V8 Volvo Ocean Race, and V8 Sport - 4.4L petrol engine (232 kW, 440 Nm) paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission
• (2007) 3.2, 3.2 Executive, 3.2 R-Design, and 3.2 Volvo Ocean Race - 3.2L petrol SI6 engine (175 kW, 320 Nm) paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission 

The basic features included: 

Dual Front/Head/Side Airbags, Anti-lock Braking, Automatic Air Con / Climate Control, 17-Inch Alloy Wheels, Brake Assist, Cruise Control, Central Locking Remote Control, Dynamic Stability Control, Electronic Brake Force Distribution, Front Fog Lights, Engine Immobiliser, Power front seat Driver/memory, Power Mirrors, Power Steering, Power Windows, Radio CD with 8 Speakers, Seatbelts Pretensioners (Front), Automatic/Self-levelling Suspension, Trip Computer, and Traction Control System

The T6 added 18-inch alloy wheels, CD with 6 CD stacker, heated front seats, leather upholstery, power front seat (passenger), and sound system with twelve speakers.

The 2.5T Lifestyle Edition added auto climate control with dual temp zones, leather upholstery, rear parking distance control, and third row seats.

In 2007, the facelifted model came with 19-inch alloy wheels, special leather trim, and metallic paint.

The V8 Sport added leather steering wheel, power front seats, sport seats, and sports suspension.

The Second Generation (2015-present)

The second-generation XC90 was introduced in 2015 as a mid-size 4, 5 or 7-seat luxury crossover SUV based on the Volvo SPA platform.

The Euro NCAP test rated the XC90 in 2015 with 5 out of 5 stars, which included 97% for adult occupant protection rating and 87% for child occupant protection rating. Its safety systems include Run-off Road Protection package, City Safety with an auto brake in intersections, IntelliSafe with City Safety, and Adaptive Cruise Control with Pilot Assist Traffic Jam Assistant. Likewise, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave it a rating of Good.

Powertrain options offered in Australia are:

• 3.2 R-Design, and 3.2 Executive - 3.2L petrol engine (180 kW, 320 Nm) paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission
• D5 2.0 Inscription, D5 2.0 Momentum, and D5 2.0 R-Design - 2.0L diesel engine (165 kW, 470 Nm) paired with 8-speed automatic transmission
• D5 Executive, and D5 R-Design - 2.4L diesel engine (136 kW, 400 Nm) paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission
• T6 2.0 Inscription, T6 2.0 Momentum, T6 2.0 R-Design, T8 2.0 R-Design, T6 INSCRIPTION, T6 MOMENTUM, T8 Inscription Hybrid, T8 R-Design Hybrid, T8 Excellence Hybrid, T6 Inscription (AWD), T6 Momentum (AWD), and T8 R-Design Hybrid (AWD) - 2.0L petrol engine (235 kW, 400 Nm) paired with 8-speed automatic transmission
• D5 INSCRIPTION, D5 MOMENTUM, D5 Inscription (AWD), D5 Momentum (AWD), D5 R-Design (AWD) - 2.0L diesel engine (173 kW, 480 Nm) paired with 8-speed automatic transmission
• T6 R-Design, and T6 R-Design (AWD) - 2.0L petrol engine (246 kW, 440 Nm) paired with 8-speed automatic transmission

Some of the most notable features of the base model are: 

Dual Front/Head/Side Airbags, Air Con + Climate Control Multi-Zone, 19-Inch Alloy Wheels, Brake Assist, Cruise Control, Collapsible Steering Column, Dynamic Stability Control, Heated Seats, Engine Immobiliser, Over-Fender Flares, Power Mirrors (with Indicators & Folding), Rollover Mitigation System, Rain-Sensing Wipers, Reversing Camera, Side Impact Protection, Automatic/Self-levelling Suspension, Premium Sound System with Twelve Speakers, Trip Computer, and Traction Control System

The 3.2 R-Design adds leather gear knob, steering wheel, and upholstery, satellite navigation, sport seats, sports suspension, and spare wheel.

The D5 2.0 Inscription adds driver's knee airbag, adaptive headlights, adjustable speed limiter, 20-inch alloy wheels, city brake support forward, cross-traffic recognition, driver awareness alert, electronic stability program, glovebox cooler, hill descent control, hill holder, power tailgate, speed-sensing auto door lock, and voice recognition system, to name a few.

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Author: Andrijana Pavlovic