Giant Test: Volvo XC90 vs rivalsKEY TECH: XC90Safe as… VolvosVolvo’s obsession with safety reachesnew heights in the XC90. Not onlywill it spot pedestrians and cyclists, itdisplays speed limits so prominentlyit’s surely only a matter of time beforeit starts issuing its own Fixed PenaltyNotices. Two new systems alsofeature: a ‘run-off road protectionpackage’ and ‘intersection autobrake’. The former detects if you’veleft the tarmac and are about toplummet into the scenery, tighteningthe belts. The latter applies the brakesif it thinks you’re about to pull out infront of on-coming traffic.come to a green lane is a gravel-topped scenic parking spot,judging this about as far off-road as most buyers will ever takethese monsters. The ability to comfortably and confidentlynegotiate a high street choked with somnambulant shoppersand errant delivery drivers is a better test of this type ofmettle (or metal) these days, for this has become their reality.Besides, if you do want to go crushing nature, the verdict issimple: buy the Range Rover Sport. Neither rival offers anypretence of such aptitude; being loaded to the gunwales withsuper-articulating axles and off-roadelectronics is one of the reasons theRange Sport is more expensive.All three look perfectly at homeparked outside the Henley rowingmuseum. But the BMW is easily theleast… obvious. As with the Volvo,this example is propelled by a modest2.0-litre turbodiesel, and with 215bhpis the least powerful vehicle in the test.Even with the body addenda includedwith the increasingly default M Sporttrim level it seems somehow demur– despite being bigger in every dimensionthan its squat and muscular predecessorit appears much less arrogantand self-aggrandising. It’s almost as ifthis 4x4 is trying to apologise for itself;the 19in alloys look undersized, andit has by far the most discernible andtechnical aerodynamic elements. Youcan see daylight through both sides ofthe front wheelarches, as the engineershave sought to create Air Cushionsand use Air Breathers (the vents behind the front wheels)to minimise its physical disruption of the environment. It’sat once dull and highly considered, with little to draw you inafter a cursory glance, a theme that continues on the insidewith an interior so typically BMW you lose interest almost assoon as you’ve registered it. Amazing that a car this large canbe trying so hard not to be noticed.Attempted invisibility is not an accusation anyone is likelyto aim at the Range Rover Sport. Representing the breed onthis occasion is CAR’s own long-termer, which means it hasthe smallest engine currently on offer – a 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel,nevertheless 50% greater in capacity than anythingavailable in the Volvo – and HSE Dynamic specification.This middle-ranking trim takes the necessary stockpile offunds even further from the other two but means this Range,which at 2115kg remains the heaviest of our trio in spite of itsaluminium construction, comes equipped with the DynamicResponse active anti-roll-bar system, the better to test theXC90’s ‘driving pleasure’ claim. That our car also looks as ifit’s been specced by someone with ‘seek counselling’-gradeColumbian pharmaceutical distribution fantasies does littleto alleviate the sensation that you’re driving something manypeople despise. You’re immediately the villain in one of these.It’s lucky the windows are tinted, not least because it’s moredifficult for animal rights protestors to see the crimes againstbovinity inside. Stirring though it is to climb up – noticeablymore so than in the others – into a cabin so swathed in leatheryou can’t help thinking of steak dinners, this is a type of luxurythat feels rather old-school to me. There’s no doubting thebase quality: the real metal is cool to the touch, the hide softand inviting, and there’s an impressively befuddling arrayof Terrain Response options to choose from. Yet the moreeveryday technology is outmoded and under-thought. Poor, on reflectionSmallest screen herefeatures dated andmuddled homescreenand slightly crappy navmaps. Luckily, when it’ssunny you can’t readanything on screen dueto epic reflections frompanoramic glass roofSorry, cowsOptional multiviewexternalcamera systema bit gimmickybut reassuringwith these buslikeproportionsto manoeuvreWe only have ourselvesto blame, since thisis our long-termer,but somewhere in theworld there’s an emptyfield that used to befull of brown cows.Seats, and materials ingeneral, are imperious98CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | <strong>August</strong> 2015
Take one tabletTablet-like screen isbiggest this side ofa Tesla, and Volvohas trusted it withalmost every function.Feels slightly underdevelopedand forcesyou to take your eyesoff the road too much2 shades of greyNav maps failto maximisepotential ofbig screen. Butits presencemakes cabinfeel button-freeNo S&M eroticism here– it’s a Volvo, and we’re48 shades short – butthe pale hide, modernsurfaces and blondewood veneers combinewith a Kew Gardensspecglasshouse tomake it feel very airyThe iDrive has itBMW’s iDrive was thefirst system of its kind,and has evolved to nearperfection. Works evenbetter with optionalhead-up display,pitching guidance,audio and phonebookintel into your eyelineDark matterAdaptive Msuspension:continuouslyvariabledampers andself-levelling airsprings. Pressthe up arrowIt may be darkerthan a Scandinaviandramatist’s imaginationbut BMW cabins arebuilt for the job ofdriving. Tactile wheel,slick gear paddles andsuper seats gel like theBarcelona midfieldCARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | <strong>August</strong> 2015 99
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