GALLERY: Volvo S90 T5 Momentum and T8 Inscription side-by-side, along with revised exterior colour palette

GALLERY: Volvo S90 T5 Momentum and T8 Inscription side-by-side, along with revised exterior colour palette

The Volvo S90 has been in the market for a while now, the flagship executive sedan having made its debut alongside its V90 wagon sibling first in CBU form in March 2017, then in locally-assembled form later that same year.

In CKD guise, the plug-in hybrid initially went on sale in T8 Twin Engine Inscription and Inscription Plus variant form, before the T5 Momentum arrived in November 2018 to make it a three model range for the vehicle. A minor update for the T8 versions was announced in August last year, but other than that the S90 has remained pretty much the same as it was when it first appeared.

The colour palette has also been revised. Recently, we took the car out for a video and photo shoot, and Volvo Car Malaysia (VCM) offered not one, but five S90s in order to offer a comparative look at the T5 and T8 as well as a comprehensive view of the new palette on a side-by-side basis, hence the quintet of units as seen above and in the photo gallery.

All the S90s are powered by a Drive-E 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which is mated to an Aisin-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission. On the baseline T5, the petrol unit delivers 254 hp and 350 Nm in the way of output, and performance figures for the front-wheel-drive sedan include a 0-100 km/h time of 6.8 seconds and a 230 km/h top speed.

Visually, the Momentum specification for the variant eschews much of the chrome exterior trim seen on the T8, and rounded exhaust tips and 19-inch ‘5-Triple Spoke’ wheels add further to a sportier presentation for the model. Inside, there’s a conventional leather-wrapped gear lever knob instead of the Orrefors crystal unit found on the T8s, and trim consists of “Iron Ore” aluminium inlays, with black leather seats.

The T8 Twin Engine, meanwhile, features a plug-in hybrid powertrain – the Drive-E 2.0 four-pot goes the supercharged and turbocharged route and has a higher state of output at 320 hp and 400 Nm. The mill is paired with an 87 hp and 240 Nm electric motor driving the rear wheels. It’s juiced by a 10.4 kWh lithium-ion battery, which at full charge provides up to 50 km of pure electric travel.

Combined system output is 407 hp and 640 Nm, which provides the S90 T8 with a 0-100 km/h time of 4.8 seconds, with top speed electronically-capped at 250 km/h.

Exterior-wise, there’s nothing to differentiate the two T8 variants from a visual viewpoint. Both ride on 19-inch 10-spoke diamond-cut wheels and are adorned with an Inscription front grille and rear badge as well as a charging port cutout at the front left fender.

Inside, save one item, the trim and spec levels on both Inscription and Inscription Plus are identical. The Orrefors illuminated crystal gear knob lever, open-pore walnut wood trim and black Nappa leather upholstery are the primary changes from the T5. The 2019 update introduced a Tailored Instrument Panel for both T8 variants, this consisting of a full leather dashboard with contrast stitching.

The one difference on the Inscription Plus’ interior is the Bowers & Wilkins premium sound system, which has 19 speakers and a 12-channel, 1,400 watt Class D amp. The Inscription, meanwhile, features a 10-speaker high performance audio system with six-channels of amplification, which is also found on the T5.

The Inscription Plus also has a mechanical difference compared to the Inscription, and this comes in the form of electronically-controlled adaptive dampers (Four-C), with the rear axle getting air suspension. The Inscription features a Dynamic Chassis with composite leaf springs and hydraulic shock absorbers, similar to the T5.

As highlighted in the announcement made in June, prices for the S90 have been revised as a result of the sales tax exemption in place until December 31. The S90 T5 Momentum is currently priced at RM319,630, while the T8 AWD Inscription goes for RM349,670 and the T8 AWD Inscription Plus is priced at RM368,920, all on-the-road without insurance.

GALLERY: Volvo S90 T8 Inscription Plus

GALLERY: Volvo S90 T8 Inscription

GALLERY: Volvo S90 T5 Momentum

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Anthony Lim

Anthony Lim believes that nothing is better than a good smoke and a car with character, with good handling aspects being top of the prize heap. Having spent more than a decade and a half with an English tabloid daily never being able to grasp the meaning of brevity or being succinct, he wags his tail furiously at the idea of waffling - in greater detail - about cars and all their intrinsic peculiarities here.

 

Comments

  • Shafiq on Jul 20, 2020 at 11:31 pm

    S90 T5 Momentum that 254bhp gudprice RM319k

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 2
  • Monana on Jul 21, 2020 at 12:41 am

    Come on Volvo. You only need to add a knob to control the head-unit. I dont like to use the touch screen while driving but do not disable it like Mazda. My co-driver can always use the touch screen.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 10
  • MeiLi on Jul 21, 2020 at 10:13 am

    I knew it, Volvo Malaysia cut something out from these cars. AC vent in the centre (Google around). Since from the Inscription Plus lagi tu. Even we got the vents at the pillar. What else Volvo Malaysia took out?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
    • Jace Galen on Jul 21, 2020 at 12:03 pm

      S90 T8 never had a center vent, even globally which is a disappointment.

      It’s to do with the batteries taking up the center console space.

      You do get a larger flat floor larger though.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1
      • Ada bro, other markets. But Volvo Malaysia is the most subtle. Bermaz take out terus MRCC, Mercedes tukar rear seat bg pendek. Smp skrg my friends kata lagi best duduk di blkg my W203 imported dr our other friend’s w205 from Merc Malaysia.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 2
        • peter on Jul 21, 2020 at 6:03 pm

          S90 t8 never had that
          The ones you see online is the longwheelbase model from usa and china
          Just go to any configurator for T8 and you will see in the pictures

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1
 

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