2021 Volvo S90 Petrol

As Volvo moves to an electric-only future, the current S90 sees a new petrol engine and a suite of new tech features

- Tuhin Guha

Type 1,969cc, Inline-4 mild-hybrid turbo petrol

Max power 250PS@5,400rpm

Max torque 350Nm@1,800rpm

Wheelbase 2,941mm

Price ₹74.7 lakh (on road, Mumbai)

+ Refinement, features list, performance

- Low-speed ride, lack of drive modes

The current Volvo S90, being the flagship that it is, has always been the clearest expression of the Swedish brand’s take on bringing a calming experience to its cars’ occupants. And with this midlife update, Volvo seems to have doubled down on that niche with a switch from diesel to a petrol-only engine choice for its top-tier sedan.

This also ties in with the brand’s larger ambitions in India where it wants to go almost entirely electric over the next five years. The transition to this began with a switch to petrol-only engines with the S60 earlier in the year, the S90 and the popular XC60 and XC90 following now.

Driving impressions

We never had any complaints with how Volvo’s diesel engines worked, they were exceptionally refined in fact, but the switch to petrol power in the Volvo S90 now seems to bring an added layer to the serene demeanour of the sedan. This new B5-spec petrol motor with its 253PS is significantly more powerful than the 190PS the diesel offered, although torque is down by 50Nm to 350Nm. But this deficit is far less apparent in the real world with the up to 14PS and 40Nm that the 48V mild-hybrid system adds.