If you are looking for an elegant SUV that combines fuel economy, safety, comfort and performance in one vehicle, you have come to the right place. Because you have just described the Volvo XC90 D5 in a nutshell.

But let’s savour the flavour of the Volvo XC90 D5 in more detail – let’s crack the nutshell and see what’s inside, so to speak.

What’s inside the Volvo XC90 D5 is a 136 kW common-rail direct injection turbodiesel engine that has torque like only diesel engines can: 400 Nm of it, reached at a low rev level like all diesels do, making this SUV perfect for towing everything, from a trailer of rubbish to a boat or horse trailer, with ease and grace. The Volvo XC90 D5 has an AWD drivetrain, which also makes it great for going off-road when you need to, and is equipped with the six-speed Geartronic automatic transmission found in many Volvo XC models of all types. The chassis is set with a high ground clearance, and is nicely balanced with a low centre of gravity.

However, “inside” can take another meaning, and you may well want to know what the Volvo XC90 D5 has in the way of comfort. It’s got lots. Both the sporty Volvo XC90 D5 R-Design and the more luxurious Volvo XC90 D5 Executive have supremely comfortable leather-trimmed seats (using hyper-cushy perforated soft leather in the Executive) with stepless lumbar support for the driver and side support and padding for everyone, including the rear passengers and the second row passengers – the Volvo XC90 D5 is a seven-seater SUV. All passengers will appreciate the electronic climate control, the thoughtfully placed cupholders and storage compartments, and the interior air quality system that monitors what you’re breathing in the cabin. The driver will appreciate the cruise control, the rear park assist, the rain sensor and the electrically adjustable heated wing mirrors – which double as extra indicators. And don’t forget the heated front seats with a massage function in the Executive model.

The difference between the two Volvo XC90 D5 possibilities lies in the trim. The Volvo XC90 D5 R-Design has a leather-trimmed steering wheel, blue inserts on the “sports watch” styled dials in the dash, and a leather-trimmed gearknob. However, the Volvo XC90 D5 Executive has a wood-trim theme to it, with walnut inlays, a wooden multifunction steering wheel and wood trim on the gear shift lever. The Executive trim also has more exterior paint possibilities for the standard price – the only colour you can’t get it in is matt Passion Red (one of twelve colours for Volvo’s current XC SUV range). The Volvo XC90 D5 R-Design has five colour choices, one of which is Passion Red. The wheels on the two models are different, but both are 19” alloy wheels. The R-Design also has lots of very sporty exterior trim sporting the R-Design logo.

But one area where the two types of Volvo XC90 D5 don’t differ is in the safety. The active safety features in the Volvo XC90 D5 include the fighter-plane developed IDIS system that reduces driver distractions, a comprehensive stability package that doesn’t just include ABS brakes with Brake Assist and EBD. This package combines the stability with the traction control, and adds in roll stability control. The very striking-looking dual Xenon (bi-Xenon) auto-levelling headlights also count as a safety feature, as the use of Xenon increases the illuminated distance so you are less likely to out-drive your stopping distance during night driving – you can see that extra 45 metres or thereabouts. If things get foggy, the front fog lights set low in the Volvo XC90 D5’s “face” help you see your way.

Passive safety features of the Volvo XC90 D5 are the ones you would expect: airbags everywhere you can think of putting them, the perfect combination of crumple zones and intrusion-protection, and head restraints and pretensioned seatbelts for all seats, not just the front ones.

It could be argued that the Volvo XC90 D5’s audio system is something of a safety feature. This is not just because of the IDIS system that shuts down distractions during tricky situations, but also because the rear seats have separate headphone controls, allowing four rear passengers to listen to the radio, the CD (you can put 6 CDs into the sound system at a time) or the MP3 coming through the input jack. This prevents distractions not only by allowing the driver to pay attention to on-road sounds rather than the music, but also prevents fights in the back seat if it’s too loud for one but too quiet for another. If everyone’s listening, the sounds come through 12 loudspeakers and the 5×130 amplifier. These sounds can be controlled for source and volume (including skipping tracks) either via the stereo console or via the steering wheel.

The current model series includes the:

• Volvo XC90 D5 R-Design
• Volvo XC90 D5 Executive

For any more information on the Volvo XC90 D5, or for that matter any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181. If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of Volvo dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!

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