My word, how excited we all were back in 2002 when Volvo launched its first SUV, the XC90. The initial production sold out almost on the spot, or so the message was from Volvo. Certainly there were premiums paid over and above the list price by buyers desperate to get into a Volvo XC90.
Why? Simply it was a seven-seat SUV. Volvo had built lots of estate cars with those funny rear-facing kids’ seats, but in the XC90 children looked in the correct direction and, hey, everyone wanted those cuddly, safe Volvo values in this newest 4x4 on the block.
Six years down the line, problem number one is there’s not much around that’s now older than the XC90. Problem two is the imminent XC60. It won’t have the space or the seven seats, but it’s newer, cheaper and crucially, greener. Is the XC90 R-Design any more than a last-ditch desperate grasp at a few more sales?
What’s special about R-Design?
It’s a specification introduced by Volvo across C30, S40, V50 and XC90. Modifications are usually cosmetic but in the case of the XC90 there’s a sports chassis to round off the package. The suspension on the XC90 had appeared previously on the SE Sport derivative, but now Volvo has pulled all the elements together.
There’s no mistaking this for a regular XC90. 19 inch alloys, quad exhausts, skid plate and matt finished to the mirrors show purpose, as do the deleted roof rails (though you can get them if you really need them). Inside the first things to hit you as you open the door are the contrasting pinstriping and stitching around the front two rows of seats. Tasteful? Your decision. We rather liked them. There’s lots of R-Design tomfoolery with logos, alloy pedals and so on, too.
Article Source:Car Magazine
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