Midsize luxury crossover SUV for 2024 reviewed
Roseville, Calif.- The XC90 Recharge has lots of in-house company. Volvo is enamored with the Recharge label – nine other vehicles include the name.
The Swedish automotive company uses the Recharge label as the designated name for all its vehicles with any type of electric charging system, including fully electric and plug in hybrid powertrains. In all these offerings, an electric motor and a standard engine combine for a choice of pure electric mode, power mode and hybrid mode.
Plug-in hybrid
One of those vehicles is the 2024 Volvo XC90 Recharge, a midsize luxury crossover SUV that's a plug-in hybrid. It has three rows, seats seven passengers, and is far from the lumbering-type of SUV that often characterizes many family-friendly SUVs.
It's likely the XC90 Recharge might face another Volvo as its biggest rival. And the company says it will introduce the EX90, another seven-passenger SUV, late in 2024. The EX90 is all-electric and will have an estimated range of 300 miles. Speculation is the new electric SUV may one day push the XC90 Recharge to extinction. Currently there is no all-electric XC90.
For now, the XC90 Recharge is doing just fine. The gas-powered XC90 has a reputation for being a classy, luxurious SUV and the same can be said for the Recharge version. The XC90 Recharge has lots of upside, including the wow factor it can deliver from a performance standpoint.
Performance
The XC90 Recharge gets you there in a hurry, thanks to its 0-60 mph speed of 4.5 seconds, mighty fast for a large SUV. Using an electric motor and a turbocharged, 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine, it generates 455 horsepower (143 hp from the electric motor) and 523 pound-feet of torque. It gets 58 mpge in electric mode and a combined 25-27 mpg in regular driving.
Offered in three trim models (Core, Plus, Ultimate), all XC90 powertrains have an eight-speed automatic and standard all-wheel drive. It has a 14.7 kWh battery pack and can travel in electric mode for roughly 35 miles before switching over to gas power. The maximum towing capacity is 5,000 pounds.
Most drivers will quickly adapt to driving the XC90 Recharge. It's easy to get acquainted with its luxury feel for the road and its smooth ride. It has a slight lean around curves, but overall the steering response gives the driver a good deal of confidence when facing anything challenging.
Being a Volvo, one knows the XC90 Recharge will deliver a protected ride. The driver assistance safety features include adaptive cruise control, blind-spot warning with rear cross-traffic warning, rear automatic braking, front and rear parking sensors, driver attention warning, traffic sign reader, automatic high beams, and lane keeping assistance.
AT A GLANCE – 2024 VOLVO XC90 RECHARGE
- Performance: turbocharged 2.0-liter, four-cylinder, 455 horsepower
- Mileage estimate: 58 mpge; 25-27 mpg
- Price estimate: $71,900 to $80,100
- Warranty: 4 years/50,000 miles; drivetrain: 4 years/50,000 miles; roadside assistance: 4 years/unlimited; corrosion: 12 years/unlimited; electric system: 8 years, 100,000 miles
Inside
While the XC90 is spacious for family usage, note that it's not conducive to having adults in the third row. But adults will love any spot in the spacious first two rows, including the second row where heated seats are standard.
The cargo area is suitable at 15.8 cubic feet behind the third row. That expands to 41.8 cubes with the third row folded down and the capacity increases to 85.7 cubic feet with both rear rows folded to the floor. We did find it a bit unusual that third row seats are not power operated when folding to the floor.
Infotainment confusion
Being a Volvo, which loves to establish its own technology trends, we understood the navigation could be challenging and frustrating to master. And we were exactly correct – the infotainment system is far too difficult to master when driving. Even changing something simple like the climate control requires going into the system, instead of an easy knob or button that's within reach.
The XC90 Recharge has a standard 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system and every model has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability. The light-gray leather upholstery is appealing and there's lots of soft-touch areas throughout the SUV. A cool feature is the crystal gear shifter lights up the center console at night.
The 2024 Volvo XC90 Recharge exceeds many of the requirements folks look for in a family hauler. It's super quick, fun to drive, and being a plug-in hybrid, delivers above average fuel economy.