Volvo is not a low-end automaker, but the Excellence trim in the XC90 is a level beyond. Designed to be ridden in instead of driven, Volvo put the vehicle's fancy front seats into the back, creating a luxurious four-seater where the back-seat passenger have it way better than the chauffeur up front. We got a short tour of the XC90 Excellence in Sweden a week ago, and you can enjoy a bit of that in the video above.
First displayed at the 2015 Shanghai show, the XC90 Excellence feels like the absurd made real, with a cooler for two bottles of champagne, included champagne flutes and the ability to control the front passenger seat from the back of the car. You need legroom? No need to interact with Jeeves, just push a button and the seat will get out of your way. The key selling point is that these Essence trims have only four seats, with the rear seats mostly just copies of the front seats, with different head rests.
Given that the S90 and the XC90 share 70 percent of the same components, we figured that an Excellence trim for the sedan would be easy enough to do. But all we got was a "no comment" from Volvo's Stefan Sällqvist when we asked if it, too, would one day be Excellence. Sällqvist did say that Volvo expects 50 percent of the S90s sold in China to be used by clients with chauffeurs, so we'll take that as a probable yes, at least in that market.
As with the XC90, the S90 will come with both a gasoline-only powertrain as well as a plug-in hybrid option, the T8, for those who want more horsepower and better fuel economy. If you're already riding in comfort, why not spring for the battery power, too, eh?
First displayed at the 2015 Shanghai show, the XC90 Excellence feels like the absurd made real, with a cooler for two bottles of champagne, included champagne flutes and the ability to control the front passenger seat from the back of the car. You need legroom? No need to interact with Jeeves, just push a button and the seat will get out of your way. The key selling point is that these Essence trims have only four seats, with the rear seats mostly just copies of the front seats, with different head rests.
Given that the S90 and the XC90 share 70 percent of the same components, we figured that an Excellence trim for the sedan would be easy enough to do. But all we got was a "no comment" from Volvo's Stefan Sällqvist when we asked if it, too, would one day be Excellence. Sällqvist did say that Volvo expects 50 percent of the S90s sold in China to be used by clients with chauffeurs, so we'll take that as a probable yes, at least in that market.
As with the XC90, the S90 will come with both a gasoline-only powertrain as well as a plug-in hybrid option, the T8, for those who want more horsepower and better fuel economy. If you're already riding in comfort, why not spring for the battery power, too, eh?
Related Gallery 2016 Volvo XC90 Excellence
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