What's the news?
Volvo has introduced a new version of the much-praised S90 saloon, using the 2.0-litre 150hp D3 diesel engine. That brings the asking price for a basic model down from €48,500 for the D4 to €43,900. Volvo says that with the new engine the S90 can average 64mpg and returns CO2 emissions of 115g/km. Those figures aren't drastically different to those of the D4 190hp engine, but the lower price tag will presumably be rather welcome, especially to business user-choosers.
That €43k buys an entry-level Momentum with standard leather upholstery, LED headlights, two-zone climate control with 'CleanZone' air-filtration system and automatically dimming mirrors both interior and exterior. It also includes a nine-inch touchscreen, satellite navigation (including lifetime annual map updates), a sophisticated voice-control system and access to the internet and a range of cloud-based apps such as TuneIn, Stitcher and Yelp.
As with the more powerful S90 models, the D3 also gets Volvo's Pilot Assist system, which is a close-to-autonomous driving mode, which can handle most of the driving duties on main roads and motorways, as long as the driver remains alert and ready to take over.
The S90 also gets City Safety as standard, which has been tweaked so that, in addition to detecting potential collisions with other cars and pedestrians, it can also keep an eye out for large animals in the road. Useful, when you remember how many reindeer there are running wild in Sweden...
Volvo dealers will be running an 'Open Week' from October 24th to 30th, which will allow potential customers to size up the S90 and the rest of the Volvo range.
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