In the event of a collision, vehicles with elevated ride heights impose significant danger to occupants of low riding vehicles. Perhaps it's based on altruism, good acumen, or just possibly trying to save the lives of its many car buyers, but Volvo has taken care to equip the XC90 with crash compatibility hardware. By directing the point of impact to a front sub-frame below the bumper area of the XC90, smaller vehicles tangling with it will sustain less occupant compartment damage - resulting in a diminished likelihood of occupant injury.
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| Volvo has taken care to equip the XC90 with crash compatibility hardware. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
Increased ride-height also permits greater wheel travel in the suspension settings. In the XC90, a four-wheel independent coil spring setup transmits an exceptionally smooth, well-controlled ride that closely rivals the S80. The XC90's rigid body structure ensures that nothing rattles or reverberates unpleasantly when road disintegration is encountered, which may be quite often given the SUV status of the XC90.
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| Cruising through the rhythmic curves of a mountain highway in the XC90 is a pleasure, with the SUV feeling sure-footed and predictable. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
A compliant ride often comes at the cost of taut handling, especially when the vehicle in question has an elevated ride height and a not-so-svelte curb weight of 2,046 kg (4,501 lbs). That doesn't mean that the Volvo is particularly weighty for what it is - heck the VW Touareg weighs in at a hefty 2,404 kg (5,300 lbs). But even with its moderate-for-an-SUV curb weight, the XC90 is no sports car. Tight, hard turns will provoke tolerable front-end plow and body lean, however cruising through the rhythmic curves of a mountain highway is a pleasure. Here the XC90 feels sure-footed and predictable. It goes where pointed and emerges where intended, provided speeds are kept within reason. Some body-sway accompanies such maneuvers, but not unduly so.
