Driving the 2.0L Diesel
In India, the V90 Cross Country comes with Volvo's D5 engine. This 1,969cc diesel unit pumps out 232 BHP and 480 Nm of torque. The D4 that powers the S90 produces has the same displacement, but produces 187 BHP and 400 Nm of torque.
2.0L D5 diesel engine develops 232 BHP and 480 Nm of torque:
The D5 engine comes with a larger turbocharger compared to the D4. As you know, larger turbos suffer from greater turbo lag. To tackle this problem, some manufacturers like BMW use twin turbochargers, Audi (in the SQ7) uses a 48V electric supercharger to boost the charge. Volvo uses a simple method called the Twin-Charge. The engine uses compressed air, stored in a pressurised tank to provide boost to the turbocharger. The pressure tank is constantly topped up by an engine-driven pump so that boost is always available on demand.
Here is a video on how it works:
So how does it drive?
Like the S90 D4, the engine is a little clattery on start-up, but smoothens out on reaching its optimum operating temperature. The Twin-Charge does its job albeit in a very undramatic manner. There is no perceptible lag and you feel the power at your beck and call. Unlike the Mercedes diesels, where the maximum torque is available low down, the Volvo's torque surges in a little above 2,000 rpm. Power and torque delivery is not as linear as the BMW diesels. The engine is tuned more for a relaxed, yet rapid progress. While the D4 is more than capable enough, if one wants a more "press-on" style, it must be the D5! Refinement levels are excellent, although the engine gets a little thrummy when worked.
The V90 Cross Country comes with four driving modes - Eco, Comfort, Dynamic and Off-road.
Eco - The engine stop/start system is activated and the car's responses are lethargic. Stomp on the pedal, yawn and the car makes some progress - give this mode to your driver.
Comfort - A significant improvement over the Eco mode. I would use this mode around town and on bad roads. The suspension is more compliant and the steering is fairly light. However, show it a fast winding road and it gets roly-poly and pitches - even with the air-suspension!
Dynamic - The steering weighs up and the suspension stiffens. This makes the low speed ride a bit knobbly. However, on the fast sweeping bends between Coorg and Madikere, the car could corner hard in a very secure manner. The steering response is precise and well weighted. As with most electric power steering systems, the feedback is poor, but it was not as woolly as say an Audi. The Dynamic mode is my favourite among the four driving modes on offer.
Off-road - This mode only works at speeds up to 40 km/h. It couples comfort mode with permanent drive to the rear wheels, which is otherwise, merely on demand. I used this mode only on a muddy track.
The engine is mated to an 8-speed Aisin automatic transmission. Gear changes are smooth and imperceptible. However, when pushed hard or under acceleration, the gearbox dithers. It cannot decide when to downshift and acts a bit dim-witted. When you accelerate mid-corner, by the time it downshifts, you are already exiting the corner. The point of downshifting in the first place, is nullified. The paddle shifters are the saving grace here. Normally, in non-sporting cars, paddle shifters are used very occasionally. On the Volvo, I found them a necessity. If the paddle shifters were not there, I don't think I would have liked the V90 half as much. Even in dynamic mode, the gear changes are not violent.
One thing about the Volvo is that it is far from intimidating to drive. Yes, the rear windshield is in another town, but the car is easy to place. Normally, we share cars on press drives. So, if you have a doubt, your co-driver will help you figure things out. On this drive, I had the car all to myself. The first task was to pilot it out of Mangalore. The sat-nav was easy to set. My prior S90 experience helped me in setting up the seat. I twisted that starter knob and was off. It was quite easy guiding the car through the unfamiliar traffic, but Mangalore's rutted roads coupled with the low speed traffic meant that my posterior got a pounding, the 20" wheels were transmitting every variation on the road surface all the way up to my cranium. On the outskirts of Mangalore, I stopped and spent time setting up the seat and massage modes, as well as the music.
Fortunately, there was very little traffic and I could make good progress. Press the accelerator and the speed builds up before you know it. It is like releasing a genie from that Twin-Charge compressed air bottle. There's no drama or surge - the power merely appears like a genie. The combination of the paddle shifters and the dynamic mode makes the V90 extremely capable. The added rear-wheel drive means that the cornering is extremely secure and I never got anywhere near the limit of the car's handling, even on wet roads. Overtaking slower vehicles is a breeze. The available power in the mid-range makes it quite easy to dispatch slower traffic. If you read the road ahead well and progressively apply the right inputs, you will find that the V90 is an excellent mile-muncher. The only disconcerting issue is the pilot assist lane change warning system, which causes the steering to vibrate each time you cross a road marking.
One or two nanny systems keep popping up and the head-up display keeps flashing warnings if the necessary distance to other objects is not maintained. This happens a lot while approaching slow moving vehicles or awaiting an opportunity to overtake. This can be adjusted though. Another warning (which rarely pops up) is the collision warning. The system flashes red warning signs on the windscreen warning you of a crash situation. This happens when the car in front suddenly stops and you stop close behind it. This can be avoided by braking hard instead of gradually.
Compared to a BMW, the Volvo falls short on reactive driving. In keeping with its relaxed nature, it has some body roll and the steering response is a tad slow in relation to a 5-Series or even the E-Class. Again, remember, this is a cruiser and not a touring car championship winner. As mentioned earlier, while the steering is precise, it lacks an eager turn in response. However, it isn't reluctant to turn in either.
The brakes make this car unflappable. They are well weighted and strong. Approach a corner at high speed and brake late - the speed is wiped out rapidly and you get enough feedback. The pedal feel is spot on. On the drive, I did not experience any brake fade. But again, I was far from any race track!
What makes and sometimes breaks this car, are the 45 profile tyres. While these tyres are very effective during high speed handling and cornering, they wear out much faster and replacing them is expensive. Additionally, when you consider that that this is a four-wheel drive system, you need to ensure that the tread differences need to be less than 2 mm across all wheels, otherwise it can confuse the various sensors and increase mechanical wear and tear due to inaccurate inputs.
With the low profile tyres, the low speed ride is pretty knobbly and the tyres are vulnerable during off-roading. Although the Volvo PR folks claimed that the car was a capable off-roader, I did not dare to try any adventures (especially given my record in tyre busting). That said, we did drive on some muddy tracks in four-wheel drive mode and the car was unflappable.
This was the result. Needless to say, the PR team had its work cut out upon receiving the car. Some other hacks actually tried off-roading and got hopelessly stuck. The tyres were definitely not suitable for the terrain and lost traction. They spent time placing stones under the wheels to get going again:
As we approached the hotel in Madikere, we bore the brunt of the monsoon, wet roads and mud tracks. This is where the Volvo was really at home. It kept us nice and warm, insulated from the elements and kept going on - no matter what the obstacle. While the V90 Cross Country is not a pure off-roader, it can take on most rough roads. It's a great car for getting away from the beaten path, but not off the beaten path!