2022 Volvo V90

In these crossover-laden days, station wagons are a maverick choice, a private privilege for a select few who want the versatility of an SUV but crave something much more individual. The Volvo V90 is exactly that kind of rare machine. Its styling would look at home in an Architectural Digest photo shoot. Its interior is sumptuously appointed and lovely to look at. It drives like a luxury sedan, can go off-road and offers as much room as some midsize crossovers. But Volvo sold fewer than 900 of them last year.

For 2022, the regular V90s are gone from the U.S. lineup, leaving only the lifted, body-kitted V90 Cross Country, but it gets some major upgrades this year. The old supercharged-and-turbocharged T6 2.0-liter engine is replaced by a new version of the same powerplant, the B6, with a mild-hybrid system integrated. It makes a little less power, but more torque, and improves fuel economy with little loss of performance. Volvo has also given the infotainment system a major upgrade with a new Android-based operating system.

Reacting to the success of the Subaru Outback, Volvo first applied the Cross Country treatment—added ground clearance, standard all-wheel drive (AWD) and a butch body kit—to its wagons in 1998. Since then it’s proliferated throughout the larger wagon segment. While there are also performance wagons these days like the Audi RS6 Avant, the V90’s closest competitors are the Outback, the Audi A6 Allroad and Mercedes-Benz’s E450 All-Terrain. The Volvo falls neatly between the humble Subaru and the haughty Germans in price, but it feels no less luxurious than the latter.

The broad hood view from the driver’s seat can make the V90 seem bigger than it actually is, but it’s agile for a 4,200-pound station wagon and doesn’t get out of shape on twisty roads. It easily smothers bumps and sails to 60 mph in 6.4 seconds (marginally slower than last year’s figure). Subaru’s more aggressive AWD setup gives the outback a slight edge in transmitting power where it’s needed, and it has more ground clearance too, but the Cross Country is a very capable casual adventurer. Also, even the fanciest Outback feels plebeian compared to the Volvo’s sybaritic confines.

What the Volvo doesn’t have as much of is cargo space or backseat room. Both Mercedes and especially Subaru (who consider the Outback an SUV) have it beat on those categories, but the V90 is supremely comfortable and filled with clever touches, including built-in booster seats for children in the back. The cargo hold may not match the Outback, but it actually has more room behind the rear seats than the XC60 or the Lexus RX. And, of course, it looks great from every angle.

Volvo’s technology and safety offerings are second to none, with a mile-long list of standard active-safety technology (including an excellent adaptive cruise control system) and top marks from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The new infotainment system is both faster and more expansive, though it does come with more of a learning curve. It’s a material improvement. The V90 doesn’t come cheap, but it stands out among the sea of crossover sameness like a lighthouse of style, and it isn’t any less practical or capable than the alternatives.

Performance: 12/15

There’s only one way to get a V90 now, as the AWD Cross Country, but the powerplant is new. Shared with the XC60 and other Volvos, the “B6” is a 2.0-liter turbo- and supercharged four-cylinder engine with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system within. It makes 295 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque, a drop of 21 hp but a gain of 16 lb-ft from last year’s V90 T6 Cross Country, which used a similar engine but without the hybrid system. Last year’s eight-speed automatic transmission returns.

This car already skewed towards comfy and quiet and those characteristics continue for 2022, though it’s hard to perceive much difference in speed compared to last year. It isn’t as agile or fast as the Audi A6 Allroad or Mercedes E450 All-Terrain, but it’s not slow either. It can handle twisty roads just fine and canters to 60 mph in the mid-six second range without breaking a sweat or making excessive noise.

Volvo really means “Cross Country” on the label, too. We tested the V90 on an off-road obstacle course and some rough roads and found it very close in capability to the Subaru Outback, though not that car’s new Wilderness version. It may not be as aggro a trail-buster as that specific wagon, but the V90 is a capable adventurer for outdoorsy folks.

Fuel Economy: 12/15

The V90 Cross Country delivers average fuel economy for its small segment, but the new powertrain really does boost its numbers. The B6 helps the Cross Country earn 22 mpg city, 29 highway and 25 combined. The mild-hybrid helps most at lower speeds, so it’s not surprising that this is 2 mpg better in town and 1 mpg combined better than last year, but it also loses one 1 mpg on the highway by comparison.

These numbers are about even with the turbocharged Subaru Outback XT and better than both the Audi A6 Allroad and the Mercedes-Benz E450 All-Terrain, and all of these are far more efficient than the high-performance wagons on the market like the Mercedes-AMG E63 S or Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo. 

Safety & Driver Assistance Tech: 14/15

The V90 earns a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). It has not yet been evaluated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), but that agency gives the V90’s platform mates, the V60, XC60 and XC90, five stars. 

It comes standard with Volvo’s IntelliSafe suite of active-safety features that include adaptive cruise control with lane centering, blind spot monitoring, forward automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, traffic sign recognition and a host of other systems. These systems are not only standard where other automakers charge extra (notably not Subaru, however), but they also work very well. Volvo’s adaptive cruise control is one of the smoothest systems on the market when compared to other gas-powered cars.

Comfort & Room: 13/15

Four large adults can travel comfortably all day in the V90. Although the roof will seem very low for people used to SUVs, this is a family hauler and there’s plenty of room in both rows. Even a 6-foot-4 adult can fit behind another 6-foot-4 adult in the driver’s seat, and both will be perfectly comfortable. The supportive, cushy seats keep you planted but don’t wear you out, and are perfect for long road trips.

That’s despite the fact that on paper the V90’s back seat is a little smaller than those of its competitors, particularly the Outback. The V90 offers 35.9 inches of rear legroom to the Subaru’s 39.5 and the Mercedes’ 36.1. The difference is palpable when stepping from the Subaru into the Volvo, but somehow it doesn’t feel that much smaller in real-world use. The rear door openings aren’t huge, but there’s plenty of room for car seats and the V90 features child boosters built into the rear seats.

Infotainment: 13/15

2022 sees a major change to the V90’s infotainment system, but stepping into the vehicle the change isn’t apparent until you use the system. The driver is greeted by the same configurable 12.3-inch digital cluster behind the wheel (optimized by setting the live map to display between the “gauges”) and Tesla-like 9-inch portrait-style center screen. But the software for that central screen is all new.

Gone is the sometimes-laggy Sensus system and in its place is an Android-native operating system similar to the one on the XC40 Recharge and other new Volvos, with many layers of Google integration built-in, including Google Assistant, which allows many functions to be operated by “Hey, Google” voice command. 

The only downside to this system is that there’s much more to learn than before, but it seems faster to respond to inputs, particularly right after the car starts up. Apple Carplay and Android Auto are still standard, as are navigation and in-car Wi-Fi.

Cargo Space & Storage: 12/15

The V90’s low roof does cut into cargo room relative to rivals, but this is still a fairly capacious car. The V90 offers 19.8 cubic-feet of space behind the rear seats and 53.9 with them folded. That’s much less than the Outback (a segment-topping 32.5 cubes behind the rear seats and 75.7 cubic-feet overall) or the E450 (35.0 and 64.0, respectively), but the Volvo’s cargo hold is still big and versatile. There’s more space behind the rear seats than in the XC60 and overall it’s just 5 cubic-feet shy of the Lexus RX midsize crossover.

Style & Design: 10/10

It’s hard to go wrong with longer, lower and wider proportions, and all those traits are inherent to station wagons. The V90 stretches Volvo’s current design language into a wrapper so rakish and handsome that even Anna Wintour wouldn’t look away. The shape is accented by stylish wheels and LED lighting, and even the fender flares don’t detract from this car’s presence. 

The interior is just as nice, with beautiful detail work and high-quality materials available in a variety of colors. The V90 is less expensive than either the E450 All-Terrain or A6 AllRoad but it definitely doesn’t feel that way inside. 

Is the 2022 Volvo V90 Worth it? Which V90 is the Best Value? 

With the slick-looking but rarely ordered regular V90s now discontinued, there’s only one way to get this wagon and that’s as the $57,295 B6 Cross Country, which is almost $16,000 more than a fully loaded Subaru Outback Touring XT but $10,000 less than the Audi A6 Allroad and $12,000 less than the Mercedes-Benz E450 All Terrain. 

The V90 also comes very well equipped to start, with real leather upholstery, a panoramic sunroof, dual-zone climate control, 19-inch alloy wheels and Volvo’s heaping plate of safety gear standard. It isn’t cheap, but the appointments and features are closer to its German counterparts than the Subaru, so by that standard, it’s a bargain.

There are some options worth considering, including the $2,800 Lounge package which adds four-zone climate control, a memory seat for the front passenger, Nappa leather, massaging seats, sun shades and upgraded dashboard materials and the $1,200 Four-C adaptive air suspension. Scuff plates add $950. None are essential but all are nice. There are also 20- and 21-inch wheel options, though they transmit more harshness than the 19s if you plan to go off-road.

How Much Does it Cost to Insure the Volvo V90 Cross Country?

The V90 costs less to insure than the Germans, but much more than the Outback. According to our data, the average 30-year-old female driver with a good record can expect an average annual premium of $2,600 even. The Audi A6 Allroad runs to $2,982, the Mercedes E450 All-Terrain at $2,854 and the Subaru Outback $1,690. To get a more accurate picture of your potential insurance expenses, see our car insurance calculator.