If there’s a model that symbolises ‘age is just a number’, it’s the Volvo XC90. Now in its tenth year, the broad-shouldered Swede has managed to disguise its vintage rather well. Subtle tweaks over the years have helped, but this 2025 update is a clear ‘facelift’ in the truer sense.
2025 Volvo XC90 facelift exterior design and engineering
Revised grille and headlights help refresh styling
Styling sees a refresh with most of the changes concentrated up front. The focal point is the flatter and wider grille with Volvo’s iron mark logo now flanked by slanted streaks. Slim new headlights (still home to the Thor’s hammer LED light signature) flow out of the grille, and there’s a tidied-up bumper section with fewer but more pronounced lines.
In profile, though, the new look 20-inch wheels are your only giveaway of this being the 2025 model. Tail-end styling, too, has just been breathed upon with redone tail-lights. Still, you’ll like what you see. The XC90 is clean-cut and traditionally upright in its stance, and many will like it for just that.
2025 Volvo XC90 facelift interior space and comfort
Cabin is plush and feels airy. Third row useable too but access is poor
Middle-seat passengers will like the space on offer but could find the seat slightly low-set. The XC90 retains a third row of seats as a USP. Unfortunately, access to them remains awkward via a small passage between the door aperture and the middle-row seat. What’s nice is that there’s usable space aft of the third row for soft bags, and should you need more room, rows two and three can be folded flat to form a huge load bed.
2025 Volvo XC90 facelift features and safety
Larger 11.2-inch touchscreen is big feature update
More has changed on the inside. The dashboard has been redone with more horizontal surfaces and larger AC vents, but it’s the larger 11.2-inch touchscreen that your eyes will lock on to. The new screen is vertically oriented like the older 9-inch unit was, but its larger size makes it almost look like an iPad tacked on to the dash.
Infotainment system powered by brand-new software
The unit runs a new-gen Android system and features large tiles to give quick access to oft-used functions. It does require a shorter learning curve than say, a BMW system, but more physical shortcuts for the climate control system would be welcome. Also, the need to plug in a phone to use Apple CarPlay is not very 2025.
XC90 facelift comes with loaded feature list
The XC90 does pack in much else too. There’s generous use of Nappa leather, digital dials (it’s limited to just two layouts), heads-up display, four-zone climate control, an onboard air purifier, a crisp 360-degree camera, panoramic sunroof, and a sensational 19-speaker Bowers and Wilkins audio system. The shapely front seats offer great support and the experience is upped with ventilation and massage functions that are standard for India. The safety suite includes a laundry list of features, including radar and camera-based advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).
2025 Volvo XC90 facelift performance and refinement
2-litre turbo-petrol engine delivers 250hp and 360Nm
As before, India gets the XC90 with the ‘B5’ powertrain. That’s Volvo-speak for a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbocharged petrol unit with support from a 48V mild-hybrid system. Peak power is 250hp and max torque is 360Nm. The engine delivers sufficient go for average city driving and highway duties, and the 7.94 second 0-100kph time isn’t shabby either.
Thing is, the Volvo simply doesn’t offer the reserve of power that rivals’ (think BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz GLE, and Audi Q7) 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol units do. You can sense the Volvo’s engine working harder, and you hear more of it as well. The eight-speed auto gearbox is also not the smoothest around.
2025 Volvo XC90 facelift ride comfort and handling
Suspension feels firm for our roads. There’s more road noise than warranted too.
The Volvo also trails rivals in how effectively it cocoons you from the outside world. There’s more road noise, and there’s a firmness to the air suspension that comes through on anything less than perfectly paved surfaces. Suspension and steering modes help fine-tune the experience but don’t manage to transform the XC90 into the sportiest or comfiest of the large SUVs.
2025 Volvo XC90 facelift price and verdict
Pricing at par with larger-hearted rivals hurts XC90’s case
Priced at Rs 1.03 crore (ex-showroom), the XC90 is pricier than some rivals. Buyers who associate a big SUV with big power will not find the right match in the XC90, whose engine remains a chink in its armour. However, buyers not hung up on power might see the Volvo in a different light. After all, the XC90’s strong design, inviting interior and long list of features, do tick many of the other boxes of interest.
Lenny D'sa
Sergius Barretto
Saumil Shah
Gavin D'Souza
