What’s not?

• The XC90 is an SUV, so we were not expecting a sporty driving experience. However we were not keen on the over-light steering and the unsettled low-speed ride on the steel springs. The XC90 doesn’t feel particularly agile either.
• We like the XC90’s touch screen system that controls the infotainment and climate control, but on the road, it can be fiddly to use. The maps for the sat-nav are a bit simple and greasy finger prints can make it look messy quickly.
• The latest XC90 is a big step up in terms of quality and design – this is reflected in the jump in prices – our test car listed at £50,725 with just a few extras

Verdict on the Volvo XC90 2.0-litre D5 AWD Momentum

In Momentum D5 diesel form, the XC90 is worthy of serious consideration, alongside rivals such as the popular BMW X5 in XDrive25d M Sport form. For a start, the Volvo is almost £2,000 cheaper, it goes into the 27% tax band versus the 28% of the BMW. Another reason why the Volvo will be cheaper than the BMW to run is the 149 g/km CO2 figure of the Swede versus the 151 g/km of the X5.

For £45,750, the XC90 seems to offer a lot for as little as £650 a month in company car tax.