2025 Volvo XC90 Freshens Up for a Few More Rounds

05/28/25 UPDATE: This review has been updated with instrumented test results for a B6 model.

04/08/25 UPDATE: This review has been updated with instrumented test results for a T8 model.

Automaking is tough. It’s a series of placing bets to the tune of millions or even billions of dollars, trying to position a company according to beliefs about how the future might unfold many years out, and then continually adjusting to what actually transpires. No one gets it right all the time, or even most of the time. Originally, the plan was for the electric, three-row 2025 Volvo EX90 that just launched to replace the stalwart gas-powered and plug-in-hybrid XC90, which has been a U.S. bestseller for the past decade. But EV adoption isn’t accelerating as quickly as predicted, so the second-generation XC90—which launched for the 2016 model year—is getting another modest update to remain on new-vehicle shelves for at least a few more years. But there’s a slight catch: The updates arrive midway through the 2025 model year, so early 2025s won’t have them. (Volvo is marketing the updated model as a “2025.5” but, officially, they’re both branded with 2025 vehicle identification numbers.)

In automotive age, the current XC90 is geriatric, being in its 10th model year, but it’s a credit to its initial excellence that it looks far from stale still today. Visually, the updates are pretty minor, though they keep the XC90 looking fresh: A new notched hood with slightly different bone lines rests above new, slimmer headlights and a redesigned grille highlighted by angled brightwork. There are new designs for the available 20-, 21-, and 22-inch wheels, slightly more tinted taillights, and a new Mulberry Red paint color.

Inside, there’s a Google-based infotainment system with a revised layout displayed on a larger 11.2-inch screen. The new display is bright and crisp, and we found the layout intuitive, but its reaction to our tapping was sometimes laggy. One benefit of this Android-based system is the ability to tap into the massive app store. For example, our car didn’t have the native Waze app initially, but it was a quick download away; the native integration looks better and is more feature-rich than its Apple CarPlay or Android Auto counterparts.

There are also new interior trim options, and our favorite is the navy-on-navy herringbone option for the seats and door panels, a subtle bit of tailoring excellence that has become synonymous with Volvo during its decade-long resurgence that kicked off with this second-generation XC90. As a bonus—one that’s hard to believe considering the plushness of the surfaces—the seat material is made with recycled polyethylene. There’s also a new hide-free pseudo-leather option, as well as real-deal nappa, as found on our top-trim Ultra. And the ambient lighting now illuminates the gorgeous ash wood trim, rather than shining below it.

The largest mechanical change is an update to the base suspension. The layout is the same as before, with control arms in front and a multilink setup in back with the unusual detail of a transverse composite leaf spring instead of coils. But the base dampers now have a bypass function where sharp, fast impacts will open the bypass and allow the vehicle to better absorb the rough stuff. This allows for softer spring rates front and rear, while the front anti-roll bar is slightly stiffer.

Unfortunately, over the well-kept roads of southern Sweden, we didn’t experience pavement bad enough to get a sense of the improvement and, to further muddy our impressions, the cars were wearing winter tires. Ride quality has never been the XC90’s strong suit, so we look forward to seeing how much the new setup can improve it. The air-spring and adaptive-damper upgrade remains an $1800 option for the top Ultra trim, and that tuning hasn’t changed; in both B6 and T8 models with optional 22-inch wheels equipped, it still felt firmer than we’d prefer over Michigan’s winter-ravaged roads.

The XC90’s powertrains carry over from before. All use an eight-speed automatic, and all-wheel drive remains the only way to go. The B5 model takes motivation from a 247-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four, while the B6 adds an electric supercharger to make 295 horsepower. The range-topping T8 is a 455-hp plug-in hybrid, with the front axle wielding a 310-hp turbo 2.0-liter four and the rear axle carrying a 145-hp motor and a 15-kWh battery pack that’s good for the same 32 miles of electric-only driving as last year’s model.

While the B5 has solid midrange torque, it feels slow when you flat-foot it. Compared to its peers, its estimated low-seven-second run to 60 mph is pokey, although the updated XC90’s $59,745 starting price is also at the low end of the segment. The B5’s turbo four sounds buzzy at high engine speeds and loads, but at least it’s reasonably muted. The T8’s turbo four runs higher boost pressure, sounds better, and generally isn’t working as hard since the electric assist steps in with instant squirts of thrust when called upon. Both propulsion sources fade in and out seamlessly, and the brake pedal is delightfully linear whether it’s calling up regenerative or friction braking.

The middle-option B6 bumps output by 48 horsepower to 295 total. Sixty mph arrives in 6.8 seconds, which is about average for the three-row mid-size luxury-SUV class, but the Volvo trails entries with a boosted V-6 option like the Audi Q7 or Acura MDX Type S.

But the XC90 T8 plug-in hybrid betters those two competitors in acceleration, taking 4.8 seconds to reach 60 mph and 13.4 seconds to cross the quarter-mile at 105 mph. Compared to other luxury PHEVs, the Volvo is not nearly as swift as the BMW X5 50e, but it’s in the neighborhood of the Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid and quicker than the Lexus TX550h+. In our 75-mph highway-fuel-economy test, the T8 traveled 25 electric-only miles before switching to hybrid mode, at which point it averaged 25 mpg. That’s a useful amount of electric range; in more mixed driving, we saw closer to 30 miles. Around town, there’s enough electric thrust to generally keep up with traffic, though you have to be gentle accelerating to highway speeds to keep the engine from switching on. Unlike in many other PHEVs, the XC90’s motor powers the rear axle directly, rather than being upstream of the transmission, so there’s no annoying shifting in electric mode either. The biggest PHEV downside, however, is that the XC90 can only recharge at a rate of 3.7 kilowatts. At five hours, its charge time is longer than that of most other plug-in hybrids.

As before, the XC90 driving experience is more competence than excitement, but that’s just fine for an upscale family hauler. We’ve always loved these firmly supportive seats, which we believe are some of the best available in any vehicle. There are also some unique, thoughtful touches, such as a built-in booster seat in the center of the second-row bench that pops up into place to get small riders into proper position with the seat belt. The hard points haven’t changed, so the XC90’s interior packaging remains adult-generous in the second row, but the third row is small and mostly for children. Then again, the XC90’s exterior footprint is mid-size, which means some competitors like the Mercedes-Benz GLE only offer a third row as an option, while others such as the Porsche Cayenne don’t offer it at all. Here, it’s standard.

We’d be quick to dismiss this mild overhaul as too little, too late if the XC90 weren’t so good to begin with, and we still prefer it over many newer competitors. Pricing for the freshened 2025 models is up roughly $1000 across the board, and the updated models arrived in early 2025.

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