Creating a Safe space

Volvo's flagship SUV, the XC90 has recieved its mid-life update, and we got behind the wheel to find out what the Swedish brilliance is all about

- Anagh Bhaskar

The full-size luxury SUV market has a bunch of options to choose from, one can opt for maximum opulence with the Mercedes-Benz GLE, or sportiness with the BMW X5, but lets say you have sensibility on your mind, well then there is no one better than the Scandinavians, and their latest entrant, the Volvo XC90. This is mid-life update for the SUV, so it isn’t a major overhaul, but rather a smart update to keep the XC90 relevant till it gets a generation change.

I have always been a fan of how Volvo's look, they have got such an understated calmness that is hard to find in today’s exuberant design aesthetics. First off, at the front the XC90 gets a new grille, which has a bolder chrome pattern, and has grown in size, with sharper edges. The LED DRLs, while still sporting the Thor's hammer theme, has split into a hollowed out look, and are longer compared to the older one, protruding into the grille itself, while the Matrix LED headlamps are smaller and sculpted. The interesting part here is the re-designed bonnet, which has a flat lip at the front, and more muscular lines. The bumper has also been given a reprofile, with vertical slats and a blacked out air vent.

From the sides, the SUV is more or less the same, but the alloys have been given a new look, more aerodynamic, according to Volvo. At the rear, the changes are much less, and are focused mainly on the taillamps, which sport the same shape, but get a darkened look, giving it a bit of premiumness, and look much better as darkness falls. Overall, I give full points to Volvo for maintain the sedate, SUV appearance that not just looks proportional and muscular, but that much more modern.