This is a Volvo -- a Volvo that costs almost $105,000. No, the Swedes (and the Chinese company that own them) haven't gone insane. Instead, Volvo's decided to turn its newest crossover into a rolling palace of opulence. The result is the XC90 Excellence, and it's very likely worth every penny.
To turn the XC90 into a properly plush vault par excellence, Volvo removed the third row to give rear-seat occupants much more space. The rear seats are now more fit for an executive, with recline and massage functionality. There are only two rear seats, with a large center console running between them. That center console includes both a refrigerator and a retractable touchscreen controller for activating the seats' various functions.
The luxury keeps on comin' with loads of Nappa leather, open-pore wood and even a set of handmade crystal glasses. Tunes come by way of a 20-speaker, 1,400-watt Bowers & Wilkins audio system. There's also a partition between the rear seats and the cargo area, because you just can't have the talent co-mingling with whatever's in the back (actually, it's to isolate noise for better sound-system enjoyment).
There's only one powertrain on offer here -- Volvo's T8 setup, which is a 400-horsepower, plug-in hybrid system that's also available on "lesser" XC90s. You won't be missing the supercharged-and-turbocharged T6 engine, nor should you, because when you're spending six figures on a Volvo, you'll want the best of what's on offer.
