Volvo has revealed sporty R-Design versions of the S90 executive saloon and V90 estate to further boost its upmarket appeal.
Expected to be available with the same choice of engines as the rest of new 90 range, the R-Design adds more aggressive styling with sporty front and rear bumpers, larger alloy wheel designs, silver door mirrors and a unique front grille, competing for a place in the company car park against the BMW 5 Series M Sport and Audi A6 S Line.
The performance theme continues inside with leather sports seats, R-Design-specific pedals and floor mats and carbonfibre-style trim for the dashboard and centre console.
What else is new?
The R-Design isn’t just a pretty face, because Volvo has tweaked the chassis to provide a more involving, ‘road-hugging’ driving experience. We’ll let you know if it’s a successful move when we get behind the wheel later this year.
Elsewhere, it’s business as usual for the S90 and V90, meaning a beautifully built interior dominated by a large portrait touchscreen and some neat features including a ‘Made in Sweden’ tag on the seats and a whole host of advanced safety and driver assistance equipment.
It boasts a spacious and luxurious interior with generous levels of standard equipment, although it’s easy to rack up the kit tally (and the price) by dipping into the options list.
How much will it cost?
An XC90 R-Design costs around £1,000 less than a top-spec Inscription model, so we’d expect the S90 and V90 to follow this formula. That means an S90 R-Design could start around £34,500, while the V90 R-Design would be around £36,500. We’ll confirm this when full prices and specs are released in due course.
What’s under the bonnet?
Volvo has yet to confirm engine details, but we’re expecting to see D4 and D5 diesel engines and the T8 plug-in hybrid, mimicking the engine range of the larger XC90 SUV with which the S90 and V90 share a platform. It’s not yet clear whether the T6 petrol will make it to the UK.
Providing Volvo equips the S90 and V90 R-Design with the most efficient 2.0-litre D4 diesel engine, buyers will benefit from CO2 emissions of 116g/km for tax of £30 and claimed fuel economy of 64.2mpg.
Currently, the V90 D4 Momentum falls into the 23 percent company car tax bracket, costing company car drivers £132 per month on the basic 20 percent tax rate.
We expect the R-Design won’t deviate too far from this figure, because its Audi A6 Avant rival in 2.0 TDI S Line spec is also in the 23 percent bracket and costs £144 per month for company car drivers.
When can I buy one?
Despite prices being unconfirmed as yet, the order books are already open for the S90 and V90 R-Design.
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