Four years old and nearly a year into its first facelift and the Volvo XC90 is still ahead of its premium badge rivals, not only on practicality, but also on costs.
The 50.7p cost per mile beats both the equivalent Audi Q7, Mercedes GL-class or Land Rover Discovery. To beat the seven-seat 4×4 Volvo you have to look at a Nissan Pathfinder, but that misses out on the prestige image.
The addition of the SE Sport trim gives the XC90 more than just extra kit too. ‘Sport’ means the XC90 gains a series of suspension settings to firm up the ride if you want to show the car a set of corners. And that answers one of the big Volvo’s biggest criticisms – that the car just wasn’t as fun as other on-road off-roaders.
Verdict: Easily our favourite business and family 4×4.
