Volvo S90 T5 test drive review for the herd!

April 10, 2017

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Speak to any BMW or Mercedes-Benz owner in their late 40’s or early 50’s and they will probably have a Volvo story to share with you. Their father, grandfather, maybe uncle or neighbour owned a Volvo at some point. Yes, in the 1960’s and 1970’s Volvo was the default luxury sedan to own in Malaysia. The 240 Series followed by the ‘ahead of its time’ 740 Series. Then Mercedes Benz moved in strong with the W123 Series and BMW made an impact with the 5-Series sports sedans. Audi, sadly only had the 100CD which impressed only a handful of Malaysians.

As the years progressed Mercedes and BMW took the fight to a new level and Volvo struggled behind with their last luxury sedan the S80. Now in 2017 the game has changed. Mercedes and BMW are way ahead with a strong suite of products and services and Audi is the troubled brand in this segment lacking a compass to find a new direction. Volvo after years without a compass has woken up to the mid-executive sporty sedan segment. Say hello to the S90 T5 sedan we are test driving here.

Say hello to Swedish design

Long, low and sleek, this new Volvo breaks new ground in Swedish design and its power delivery, plus it has a cabin to persuade BMW and Mercedes drivers to look in its direction. Yes, today it is all about looks, inside and outside and this Volvo S90 delivers in both areas.

In this tough segment, all brands can deliver in safety features, drive dynamics and driver feel. One car might be slightly ahead in one area, but the rival might be ahead in another. Still all the relevant boxes get ticked with the new Mercedes E200 at RM395,888.00, the just launched BMW 530i M Sport at RM398,800.00 and the Audi A6 3.0TFSI at RM487,900.00. All three cars have great safety features, powerful engines, great dynamics and very spacious comfortable interiors. So what will set this new Volvo S90 T5 apart from the competition at its selling price of RM388,888.00?

Where is the HERD heading?

It starts with branding. Most Malaysian car buyers for this segment are in a herd. Yes, a herd, like cattle. When the leaders of the herd head to Mercedes-Benz, the rest will follow to be part of the herd. They just look at the shining star and what it represents and sign the booking form.

Being a driver’s car relevant?

Then another herd heads to BMW because it says you are a performance driver. Yes, BMW’s have the driver dynamics crown, but as BMW owners get older, their sore ageing bodies want a more comfortable ride as the enthusiasm provided by the ‘M’ inspired tight suspension and the stiff run flat tires no longer represents a need and instead they want a gentler more luxurious ride.

This is where the Audi A6 advantage lies. It is comfortable yet provides for a driver’s experience almost like with the BMW. But there is that badge branding issue. The main leaders in the herd do not endorse the Audi badge.

Why we need to move the herd?

So, things need to change and the segment needs a shakeup. Now here comes the Volvo S90. A game-changer that wants to break up the herd. Yes, it has class best safety features, it drives really well whilst being very comfortable and the looks are Caucasian handsome. Strong bold lines, Hammer inspired headlamps and an interior that is hard…very hard to fault even the very slightest, this Volvo S90 wants to break up the herd. This Volvo S90 wants to start chaos.

This Volvo S90 wants to pull away BMW and Mercedes owners to try some Swedish meatballs. This Volvo S90 no longer wants to be a third wheel in the executive car segment. They want to be a segment contender and after a weekend with the S90 T5 we think the herd will start thinning as more people see, feel and drive this S90. Well done Volvo for starting a new fad in luxury car buying.