Scandinavian winters are long, with short, gray days. Against the gray sky, the green, gray and brown landscape stands out along the road. It is this landscape that inspired Volvo’s design, color palette options and safety mission.

For the 2025 model year, Volvo significantly refreshed its three-row SUV XC90. It’s not all new, but it’s new in very significant ways: the powertrain has been updated, the styling reworked and the technology improved. Additionally, there is a new grille and headlight design that is quite appealing.

Confusingly, Volvo will sell this new model, called the 2025.5, alongside the old 2025 and the Volvo EX90. This review is for the 2025.5 model.

Two days of driving the vehicle in Denmark and Sweden revealed that the SUV is much more refined than it claims to be on paper, especially in plug-in hybrid form.

While the smooth roads of both counties were hardly a formidable foe for the car’s suspension system, some rather unexpected trail riding (thanks to a bad turn at Växjö) and plenty of time spent cornering on back roads allowed it to shine. . The cabin is vastly more stable than before and the steering offers a more connected feel, making roundabouts less demanding.

All-wheel drive is standard on all XC90s, which was especially useful on slippery back roads that were sometimes covered in rain-soaked leaves.

The cabin of the XC90 Hybrid (B5 or B6 variants) is also significantly noisier than the XC90 T8 Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), despite the company saying they added more sound deadening material than the previous model. generation. That alone would be enough to make me want a PHEV over a hybrid.

The XC90 T8’s 455bhp powertrain has been tweaked to be less clumsy, although it does occasionally want to blast you forward off the line when it’s running on just its electrons.

Resetting or saving your range to pure electric power is as easy as tapping the touch screen a few times and then driving as usual. This allows drivers to choose to use their EV miles in the city or while sitting in traffic, rather than driving on the highway.

Driving these roads, passing giant piles of potatoes for miles and miles, was a comfortable experience thanks to Volvo’s familiar seat design. As driver and passenger, it was easy to find a comfortable seating position even as we approached six hours on the back.

Entry (with a cup of hot cocoa from acclaimed chocolate factory Österlen Choklad in Skåne-Tranås, Sweden) was easy thanks to the XC90’s air suspension, which allowed a cup to be placed in the cup holder before fully entering the car. This air suspension also makes getting off less challenging for those of us who are vertically challenged.

Thanks to the predictably wet weather in Sweden at this time of year, we were able to put the wipers to the test and I can confirm that they performed superbly, whether it was a simple spit or a downpour.

Volvo has replaced its old dashboard design in the XC90 with a new one that’s sleeker and includes the SUV’s large, tablet-like touchscreen. The new look is appealing and streamlined in a sophisticated, typically Scandinavian way.

The tablet runs on the Android Auto platform and has a Volvo look on it. The interface has been improved for this new model and now mirrors the Volvo EX30. While I’m usually a fan of more buttons and controls rather than a touchscreen interface, I’m less keen on physical controls in the Volvo. That’s a big credit to Volvo’s design team, who made it relatively easy to carry out the driver’s day-to-day tasks on the road.

As part of the interior revisions, the usefulness of other components has also improved. The SUV’s center console is much more usable with two cup holders and additional storage space.

The position of the wireless photo charger has also been changed to be near the cup holders rather than in the console’s enclosed storage area for convenience. This charger adds power quickly, but my iPhone felt rather toasty to the touch.

It wasn’t road tested, but Volvo’s commitment to safety is worth noting. The automaker offers a large number of driver assistance and safety technologies, prioritizing things that affect the vehicle’s construction, such as the metals used to protect the vehicle’s occupants in the event of a collision.

The new Volvo XC90 is a pleasant place to spend the day. Road trips are a relative breeze as the Volvo delivers heaps of comfort, style and confidence-inspiring handling. It’s just a matter of figuring out how efficient and emission-free you want the journey to be.

The price of the new XC90 starts at $58,450. Its maximum is $80,700. While there are plenty of other luxury six- and seven-passenger SUVs under $60,000, as you approach $80,000, the number of value-for-money offerings dwindles.

The 2025 Volvo XC90 (2025.5) is an elegant and efficient choice at the heart of the premium market. It’s an SUV that knows what it is and doesn’t try to offer you more.

Updated 12/2/24 4:06 PM ET: The model year of the vehicle under review has been updated based on additional information provided by Volvo.