Facelifted Volvo XC90 SUV revealed: price, hybrid versions and release date

Volvo has announced prices for the new Volvo XC90 range. The brand’s flagship SUV has had a minor facelift and, while the exterior is almost entirely unchanged, the XC90 is now available with more hybrid options than before. The new model is on sale now, with prices starting at £52,235 for the T5 petrol model in Momentum trim, rising to £71,945 for the T8 hybrid in Inscription Pro form.

There are three main trim levels, each with a ‘Pro’ version that adds more equipment including a head-up display and a heated steering wheel. No XC90 is lacking in equipment; even the entry-level Momentum features a nine-inch portrait touchscreen with sat nav, leather upholstery, powered and heated front seats, a digital instrument cluster and Volvo On Call connected services. The R-Design model, starting from £55,535, gives a sportier look inside and out, and adds larger alloy wheels and front-seat cushion extenders.

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The Inscription trim is focused on luxury, so includes Nappa leather, wood trim inlays, integrated sun curtains and even a crystal gearlever if you choose the B5 or T8 Twin Engine models. It’s £400 more than the equivalent R-Design trim. Android Auto compatibility joins Apple CarPlay integration across the range for the first time, while Spotify is included on Volvo’s infotainment system.

Inside, the dashboard stays the same as the current model but the interior does feature a drastic change. You can now order the XC90 with a range of different seating combinations, from a four-seat Excellence version - which’ll have luxurious rear chairs and lots of legroom - to the standard seven-seater. Between these is a new six-seat option, allowing the passengers in the middle row to spread out.

You can also choose to specify wool-blend upholstery for Volvo’s largest SUV. It comes as the brand looks to enhance the personalisation options for the XC90, as more people are turning to sustainable, animal-friendly alternatives to leather.

To spot the changes to the exterior, you’ll either have to have a magnifying glass or a photographic memory of the current car. The grille is slightly altered, and there are new paint and alloy wheel choices. A facelift was never going to wildly change the XC90, as it’s the car that kick-started Volvo’s desirable new design language.

Volvo is introducing a new mild-hybrid system, so more XC90s will be electrified. The system recovers energy lost in braking, and Volvo says it adds up to a 15% reduction in emissions and fuel consumption. Sitting below the expensive XC90 T8 plug-in hybrid, the energy recovery system is available on the car’s other engines. Mild-hybrid models are marked with a new ‘B’ badge.

The company has made an ambitious declaration that no-one will die in an XC90 by 2020, so it comes with a long reel of standard safety technology. Among the highlights are a blind-spot monitoring system, a City Safety pack with auto braking - the first system to recognise pedestrians, cyclists and larger animals - and Oncoming Lane Mitigation, which steers you back into lane if you drift out of it. Coupled with the super-strong passenger cell, the safety assistance systems are part of the reason why the XC90 was rated as one of the safest SUVs by Euro NCAP.

Read our in-depth XC90 review for more detail and then see where it is on our best large SUVs list.