Volvo’s S90 Recharge is a long-wheelbase limousine-wannabe from a Swedish brand owned by Chinese company which, as-equipped in my test vehicle, lists for about $83,000. Now there is a mouthful.

Beautiful and understated cabin.

And there’s more.

The “Recharge” label means this is one of Volvo’s plug-in hybrids, which are bridging the brand’s long-term goal of completely phasing out its remaining combustion engines, hybrids and plug-in hybrids. By 2025, Volvo wants half its sales to be fully electric; by 2030, 100 per cent EV.

So, the plan is to deliver at least one new pure electric car a year, perhaps more. Volvo has already teased us with the upcoming new flagship, the EX90 SUV (sport-utility vehicle). You can’t order an EX90 yet, but it’s coming next year, we are told.

Today, you can buy the all-electric C40 SUV “coupe” and the XC40 Recharge compact crossover wagon. Yes, the EV phasing-in stage has begun. You might have noticed, then, that Volvo has shifted its corporate mantra from “safety for all” to batteries for everyonel.

Former Volvo Cars CEO Håkan Samuelsson told reporters in 2022 that “If you can charge, I think an absolute majority of our customers will really appreciate the benefits of electric cars.” EVs embody Volvo’s core values, he and other Volvo brass have been arguing, since about the time they acknowledged Tesla changed the automotive world.

Big, yet nimble. The exterior is a bit tame, reminding me of some very large Japanese sedans of the past.

“You have to admit that Tesla inspired us all, by showing that, wow, this can be done in a premium car,” Samuelsson told The Guardian in an exit interview last year. EVs, he argued, “really are better than a combustion car: silent, and with super acceleration.”

I mention all this because if you’re a budding customer, you should know that hybrids and plug-in hybrids are not here to stay with Volvo. That makes the S90 Recharge — lovely as it is — a big, five-passenger sedan that is on the verge of obsolescence.

You should also know, however, that the S90 Recharge is beautifully designed and very well executed. It’s fast – 0-100 km/hr in 4.8 seconds – and fuel consumption overall is rated at 8.1 litres/100 km. Which isn’t bad considering total output is 455 hp and all-wheel drive is standard.

Of course, if you stay in all-EV mode, well, you can go 61 km between charges, or thereabouts. The typical Canadian commute is about half that. This means that for many, the business of day-to-day running about might very well cost no more than a dollar or two for charging every night. Not bad. The record shows that official electric energy consumption comes in at 3.4 Le/100 KM. Remember, though, the gas engine is on board for longer trips, when charging is inconvenient or unavailable.

I was surprised by the car’s agility.

Indeed, all of this is not bad at all for one of the very largest pure sedans you can buy today. I mean, this limo is 5,050 mm long, with massive legroom in the rear. It feels as though there is almost too much room back there to stretch out.

Up front, the driver-focused layout sees the main infotainment screen turned ever so slightly towards the pilot. Google is built into that infotainment system.

The driver peers into the instrument binnacle through a thick steering wheel dressed in buttons for key functions like volume control. The instruments, digital, are sharp and big enough so that middle-agers will be able to see them without reading glasses.

While all the leather seat coverings and ESG-friendly trim bits are handsome, they are also understated. The one nod to luxury is a crystal gearshift knob.

Perhaps most startling of all is this car’s agility. The car looks like it might be a slightly ponderous beast, what with is rather blunt-looking, old-fashioned exterior design. At first glance, I was reminded of a Nissan Cedric, a Japanese sedan that was in production from 1960-2003.

But it’s not a lumpen retro-mobile.

In fact, the S90 Recharge is remarkably athletic. Acceleration, of course, comes on fast and with a rewarding “whoosh.”

The paint is grey, but the tech is colourful.

What’s unexpected is how poised the limo is as it dives into and leaps out of corners, carving apexes with more alacrity than a four-door of this size — one not from Germany — should ever be able to boast. I really quite liked everything about this car’s performance. Naturally, on the highway it feels steady as a rock, and very, very quiet.

The $83,000 price tag seems high, but you’d pay at least $20,000 more for a comparable sedan from Germany, in terms of size, performance and features. I mean, the amenities list ranges from Bowers & Wilkins audio, to a 360-degree camera, and high-tech goodies such as blind spot information and driver assistance technology all standard.

Volvo’s pure electric future is coming, but it’s not here, yet. In the meantime, the marketplace is bubbling with plug-in rides, with the S90 one of the few pure sedans available. If a traditional car holds appeal, well, act fast. We are not likely to see another generation of this sort of car. SUVs and crossovers are all over Volvo’s future.

I would, in fact, be surprised if Volvo ever again chooses to offer a pure EV sedan of this size and beauty, once the S90 Recharge has run its course in the marketplace.