Volvo comes out of the box with its newest S90 sedan
By Russell Williamson
VOLVO will offer a serious contender in the large luxury car stakes when it launches the new S90 sedan next week.
The S90 will replace the aging 960 and give the local distributor and assembler, Indomobil, a more modern looking vehicle to compete against the stylish BMW 5-Series and Mercedes E-Class.
Although the new S90 features the same 3000cc straight six engine as the outgoing 960, given the Swedish marque's lower profile compared to the Germans, the S90 will probably be closer in price to the entry level mid-sized BMW and Mercedes.
While the exact pricing is yet to be confirmed, it will probably be between Rp220 million and Rp230 million pitching the car directly against BMW's six cylinder 2500cc 523i and Mercedes four cylinder E230.
Mechanically, the S90 uses largely the same base as the 960 with the major changes to car being a softening of the hard exterior edges and a desperately needed interior redesign.
While maintaining the recognizable corporate grille, the new S90 exterior represents the change in direction for the Swedish car-maker under the guidance of English design chief Peter Horbury.
At the recent international launch of the C70 Coupe, Peter was constantly heard uttering that with the new Volvo's "we threw away the box and kept the toy" - a reference to the departure from the old boxy shapes and the development of a new sporty image.
This evolution of Volvo is also evident in the interior of the new S90 where the center console features softer lines and more ergonomic placement of switchgear and the door trims actually feel pleasant to rest your arm on -- rather than being appropriate for keeping a brick in place.
In addition to the new design features, the S90 will be the first vehicle in Indonesia to reflect Volvo's new model nomenclature.
To help make each model in the range easier to identify, the company has gone the route of its German competitors by using a combination of numbers and letters.
The smallest cars in the range use the number 40, the current 850 - the number 70 -- and the largest vehicles the number 90.
The letters used comprise S for sedan, V for versatile representing the station wagon models and C for two-door coupe models.
Indonesian customers will also get the facelifted 850 model -- now dubbed S70 -- about the middle of next year.
The new S70 is a more substantial upgrade than the 960 to S90 transition and features more than just a new interior and softer edges.
According to Volvo, the new car features more than 1800 changes aimed at improving safety, comfort and driveability, in addition to the styling.
A stronger re-inforced B-pillar has been employed to increase side impact protection while the steering column is a three part unit which moves away from the driver in the event of a collision.
Further safety advances are found in the faster acting brake light and seatbelt tensioners.
On the driveability front, tuning changes made to the suspension have improved both ride comfort and handling while cleaner more efficient engines have resulted in slight increases in power and torque outputs.
When the new S70 arrives, Indonesian customers are also expected to have access to the wagon version, the V70.
Despite the load swallowing rear end, the V70 offers similar mechanics and equipment and a ride and performance uncompromised by the wagon body.