Currently reading: Volvo ditches petrol and diesel engines on S90, goes hybrid-only

Flagship executive saloon will now be solely available as a Recharge plug-in hybrid in UK, but V90 estate still gets choice of powertrains

Volvo has dropped all pure petrol and diesel offerings on the Volvo S90 in the UK for the saloon’s 2020 facelift, leaving only the T8 plug-in hybrid variant, now dubbed Recharge.

The brand has also dropped all ‘Plus’ trim levels from its entire range. It means the S90 now costs from £55,180 in R-Design trim, rising to £56,030 for Inscription trim.

The Recharge promises 0-62mph in 5.1sec, a quoted CO2 rating of 40g/km and is capable of up to 166mpg combined. 

The changes do not affect the Volvo V90 estate, which is still available with four-cylinder petrol and diesel variants now featuring mild hybrid technology.  The system uses a 48V battery with an integrated starter/generator and energy recovery system, which Volvo claims contributes to a 15% improvement in CO2 emissions. 

At the same time Volvo has also dropped the price of the smaller S60 Polestar Engineered by a substantial £5,785, while the standard S60 T8 is also reduced by £4,700. 

262611 The refreshed volvo v90 b6 awd cross country in thunder grey

Volvo has made a number of relatively small design tweaks to the S90 and V90, which have been on sale since 2016. Both cars get a new front bumper and foglights. At the rear, there are new-look LED tail-lights for the V90, and the firm has installed sequential indicator lights for the first time. There are a number of new paint colours and wheel options, too.

The interior has also been refreshed, and Volvo has added an Advanced Air Cleaner, which filters particulates from the cabin and can display air quality on the infotainment system. The system was previously only available in Chinese-market models.

There are now two USB-C charging ports in the rear, replacing the 12-volt power outlet, while wireless charging has been added as an option on most variants. The S90 and V90 also gain an upgraded Bowers & Wilkins sound system and an expanded range of leather-free material options.

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James Attwood

James Attwood, digital editor
Title: Acting magazine editor

James is Autocar's acting magazine editor. Having served in that role since June 2023, he is in charge of the day-to-day running of the world's oldest car magazine, and regularly interviews some of the biggest names in the industry to secure news and features, such as his world exclusive look into production of Volkswagen currywurst. Really.

Before first joining Autocar in 2017, James spent more than a decade in motorsport journalist, working on Autosport, autosport.com, F1 Racing and Motorsport News, covering everything from club rallying to top-level international events. He also spent 18 months running Move Electric, Haymarket's e-mobility title, where he developed knowledge of the e-bike and e-scooter markets. 

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Jack15_765lt 6 April 2020

Whether fortunately or

Whether fortunately or unfortunately, it looks like this is the way it's all gonna go...

Mikey C 3 April 2020

Hardly anyone buys the saloon

Hardly anyone buys the saloon S90 outside of China anyway

eseaton 3 April 2020

In intensely deceiving

In intensely deceiving headline.

 

But irrespective, I will never by a £50k plus car with 4 cylinders.

 

 

289 3 April 2020

@ eseaton

Spot-on.

Took the words from my mouth!..... on both counts!

Click Bait.

rickerby 24 May 2020

eseaton wrote:

eseaton wrote:

In intensely deceiving headline.

 

But irrespective, I will never by a £50k plus car with 4 cylinders.

I think Volvo’s target market is people who are literate - buy buy