28: Volvo XC90 – the frontline in the reinvention of the Swede

That the XC90 would be the first of an entire new breed of Volvo, we already knew coming in.

A new chassis (flexible enough to be used under all Volvos but for the smallest V40), new engines (all 2.0-litre, all-turbo, all-Swedish designed and built) and a new paymaster underwriting the costs (Chinese giant Geely, which now also owns Proton, Lotus, and London Taxi).

The thing is, we didn’t quite realise just how appealing it was going to be. The XC90 is massive (and can actually be a bit intimidating in small car parks), as comfortable as it is big, has a gorgeous cabin (with its big iPad-alike touchscreen, still the best infotainment setup around) and lots of seats.

Seven to be exact, and unlike most rivals, you can keep the extra seats even if you go for the T8 plugin hybrid, so good is Volvo’s packaging. You’re better off, for now, in a 190hp D4 diesel though, which is mostly refined and smooth, although not as quiet as some rival engines.