The Volvo EX90 electric three-row crossover looks pretty nifty, but it’s not for everyone. Between a difficult launch and the fact that battery electric vehicles aren’t practical for people who can’t charge at home, there’s still plenty of demand for the XC90, so Volvo’s traditional three-row crossover will stick around. Tomorrow, the brand will officially unveil another facelift for the second-generation XC90 crossover, although it seems like Volvo Car Switzerland may have missed the memo because it seems to have leaked a few photos early on social media, according to r/Volvo.
Can you believe it’s been a decade since the second-generation XC90 was first unveiled to the public? That’s right, the first production car to sport Volvo’s modern design language debuted on Aug. 26, 2014, a little more than ten years ago. Credit where credit’s due, these early models still look sharp, and a facelift for the 2020 model year included only the mildest grille, fascia, and wheel revisions.
However, times are changing. Since Volvo has honed its styling with the electric EX90 and EX30 crossovers, some of those elements have made their way to the updated XC90, and even though the changes are largely tasteful, there’s no denying how extensive they are.
Up front, the false bumper corner grilles have been slimmed out into vertical forms, while the lower grille widens yet adopts a softer silhouette. As for the upper grille, it gets a funky new slat configuration split diagonally by the Volvo badge. This also marks the first time the XC90 gets radically new headlights, with updated interpretations of the ‘Thor’s Hammer’ daytime running lights that now run into the grille. These new headlights mandate a new hood and new fenders, which combined with the new bumper cover, means every body part ahead of the firewall is new for the facelift.
Moving around to view the side and part of the rear of the new XC90, changes are less drastic but still noteworthy. Unsurprisingly, Volvo’s once again gone with different wheels, and these split-seven-spoke alloys just look the business. Otherwise, new taillights feature slimmer, more sharply defined, more evenly diffused elements updating the split lines of the old taillights. However, that appears to be about the limits of dramatic exterior changes.
Moving inside the updated Volvo XC90, things get a little less elegant due to the implementation of a new, larger touchscreen. Volvo’s updated the entire dash fascia with new metallic trim and slimmer vertical air vents, but the screen itself looks like a glued-on tablet due to the way it floats on top of the dashboard. On the plus side, the new steering wheel looks good and seems like it may feature some physical controls, although we’ll need higher-resolution pictures to see what’s really going on here.
So long as powertrain selection doesn’t change dramatically — which we expect it won’t — the facelifted Volvo XC90 ought to be a comfortable, well-equipped, practical family hauler for the upper-middle class. In short, the archetypal three-row luxury crossover lives on, and since it was launched with available plug-in hybrid power, it could live on for ages. The Mk1 XC90’s production run lasted 14 years if we include continued production in China, so it’s entirely possible that the Mk2 XC90 sticks around until the end of the decade.
(Photo credits: Volvo Car Switzerland)
Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member.
-
The 2025 Volvo EX90 Is Surprisingly Cool But Still A Work In Progress
-
Here’s Why The Original Volvo XC90 Is Still The Best Crossover Of All Time
-
Volvo Has Royally Ticked Off EX90 Customers With Price Hikes And Missing Features
-
The Volvo EX90 Excellence Is The Latest In A Long Line Of Underappreciated Volvo Swagger-Mobiles
-
American Volvo EX30 Deliveries Have Been Delayed Until 2025 As EV Trade War With China Rages On
Got a hot tip? Send it to us here. Or check out the stories on our homepage.
It looks more like a Mazda now, which is fine. I wish Volvo, the brand of safety, wouldn’t lean so much into the touchscreen, though.
I actually rather like that grille. Reminds me of a vertically striped suit viewed from the front, neatly buttoned with the Volvo logo.
It’s elegant, especially compared to the over styled, over aggressive nonsense of other luxury, near luxury brands.
Interior is fine. Still miles better than whatever Lexus is doing these days.
While it looks nice still, I was really hoping for EX90’s front lights to be shared between the two, much how the C40 and XC40 (and EX40, technically) share the same ones. Speaking of the smallest cars in the lineup (until the EX30 is on sale) did their amber rear turn signals make the journey up the lineup? Red turn signals look so cheap and classless.
Not a fan of the frowny-mouth lower intake.
The main grille treatment is kinda neat, Though I’d have made them all parallel to each other, rather than the perpendicular treatment at the slash.
I wouldn’t call this a major update to the current design. It’s kinda incredible that the 2014 design has aged so well that a decade in, it still looks cleaner, more modern, and overall better than any of the competition. All they really did was tweak the headlights and put new grill lines on. Volvo stays winning in the styling department apparently.
I guess we will have to wait to see it without the beige camo to know what it really looks like. /s
That, looks, GOOD.
i really love the asymmetric grill pattern.
That grill looks awesome, and the “thors hammer” DRL’s peaking into it, is the icing on the cake.
Yes! It looks fantastic, and still fits with the overall design, which doesn’t really look dated at all.
Loving it here too!
It looks nice enough, but is it really a leak if it already kinda looks like everything else they make?
Huh, looks like a bigger version of the EX60. Never would have guessed that.
I wonder if the tablet angle can be adjusted, hence the weirdness.
A nice evolution but why the X3 Grille?
The asymmetrical grill slats are incredible, Volvo has a history of fantastic and unique grill designs, couple that with the
thors hammerT-Bone DRLs and it’s a home-run for a facelift.Agreed, that grille is sweet.
I really love that grille, so simple but so different.
Bro literally put a t-bone steak shopping link here lol.
I was getting real hungry when I saw this article, commented then ate lunch lol
“T-Bone DRLs”
George Costanza would enjoy this…