A few decades ago, a Volvo at a Spanish resort would have been a station wagon. Square, a bit battered perhaps, brimful of children and beach chairs. Either that, or it was the gardener’s car. Here, stretched out poolside on the Costa del Sol, the 2017 Volvo S90 looks so languid and stylish that I … Read more
2017 Volvo S90 T6 Inscription WHAT THE HELL IS IT? Part two of Volvo’s return to luxury relevance. Also, a damn nice car. WHO IS IT FOR? Well-to-do hipsters-turned-business-folk who like genuinely nice things, but still wouldn’t be caught dead in anything “mainstream.” WHERE DID WE TEST IT? New York, New York, it’s a hell … Read more
Welcome to Critic’s Notebook, a quick and off-the-cuff car review consisting of impressions, jottings, and marginalia regarding whatever The Drive writers happen to be driving. Today’s edition: The 2017 Volvo V90 Cross Country T6. Since the debut of the Volvo S90, the new generation of Volvos has been stunning, to say the least, with a … Read more
Before I beat the electric stuffing out of the plug-in hybrid version of Volvo’s new S60 sedan—as ineffective a hybrid as we’re likely to see in 2019—a disclaimer: I’ve greatly enjoyed every other S60 model that I’ve driven, along with its shapely cousin, the V60 wagon that I tested just weeks ago. The S60 and … Read more
When my family moved from the United Kingdom to New Jersey in 1993, our new car was a dark green Volvo 850 wagon. This car would be the one to deliver my sister and me to all manner of playdates, sports games, school dances, and even an occasional house party. This would be the car … Read more
In the winter of 2002 I was thirteen years old. The world seemed like a dire place in the wake of 9/11, no one was flying and terrorism panic reached far and wide. I asked my dad if we could drive across the country that summer, and amazingly he agreed, eventually. What started as a … Read more
Strapped in securely with a five-point harness, I barreled up Angeles Crest Highway in the world’s most unlikely Volvo. Traffic cleared ahead and my right foot dropped to the floor. The revs climbed along with a cacophony of whooshes and whines as we surged ahead, right until I grabbed fourth and looked over at my … Read more
As with any good sleeper, looking at this gray 2004 Volvo V70 R does not give you any funny ideas about track days at Watkins Glen or Palmer Motorsports Park, or of gapping Subaru boys in their WRX STIs fitted with giant front mounts and external wastegates. But after extensive modifications (“It’d be easier if … Read more
Car nerds like me—and probably like you, too—endlessly bemoan the lack of performance wagons in the United States. It has grown tiresome to hear the near-constant complaints from people like myself about SUV-crazy America and how we should all be driving brown, diesel, manual wagons instead. However, a week in the 2023 Volvo V60 Recharge … Read more
As we progress further towards drastically cutting carbon emissions, companies are taking substantial steps to do their part. In Volvo‘s case, the way it’s configured its powertrains and materials sourcing makes a big impact on its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030, just seven short years away. But this doesn’t mean making changes that … Read more