In a crowded field that includes some pretty great Audis, Benzes and Bimmers, Volvo Car’s XC90 Recharge is a modern and eye-pleasing midsize SUV with plug-in hybrid abilities, incredible acceleration, good braking, three rows of seating and list of high-end features that is not defies easy summarization.

XC90 Recharge Interior

Still, Volvo has an option that you’d probably want to pay extra for: the Bowers & Wilkins Premium Sound System at an eye-watering $3,750. The standard Harmon Kardon sound is good; the Bowers & Wilkins is better.

And so, my test ride tipped past $100,000, once the accessories, freight and PDI were thrown in. And then taxes… Ugh.

The Volvo’s closest rivals include Audi’s Q7, BMW’s X5 and Mercedes-Benz’s GLE-Class. This Volvo plug-in offers up to 53 km of pure electric range AND a combined powertrain output of 455 hp – 312 hp from the 2.0-litre, direct-injected turbo four (needing premium fuel for optimal performance) AND a 143 hp electric motor with its 18.8 kWh lithium-ion battery. All-wheel drive is standard, of course.

For a big rig with seating for six, the combined fuel economy of 8.9 L/100 is good. If you want great, get a pure EV or a smaller ride. Volvo plans to shift its entire lineup to EVs, eventually. For now, the “electrification” thing includes plenty of Volvo hybrid like this one. Hybrid deliver okay energy efficiency, but here, in the XC90, we are not looking at save-the-planet stuff.

XC90 Recharge T8 AWD, Denim Blue

And don’t be fooled by the “6-passenger” tag, either. You need to be pretty tiny to sit way back there, in the last row. With the jump seats folded flat, you’ll find plenty of cargo space at the very rear.

XC90 Recharge T8 AWD, Denim Blue

I like the XC90 quite a bit, but it’s pricy and after eight years on the market with only modest upgrades along the way, this Volvo falls short of its best rivals in terms of dynamic ride and handling, not to mention a design that has become familiar after nearly a decade. The ride quality of this Volvo is comfortable and composed and the air suspension can lower the car as you approach or depart to make entry and exit easier. If you’re looking for more precise and entertaining responses, however, look elsewhere.

Volvo hasn’t done anything major for 2024, but that does not mean the XC90 plug-in is not worth a long, thorough look if you’re a well-heeled family in need of a safe, comfortable, flexible and quite user-friendly rig.

As with ALL Volvos, the seats are simply outstanding and the wool upholstery is a nice touch. The padding is firm, which means over a long drive you will find yourself wonderfully well supported. The seating helps reduce fatigue. The quiet ride does, too.

XC90 Recharge T8 AWD, Denim Blue

The cabin is spacious and outward visibility is very good. The Google infotainment system is operated through what is by today’s standards a smallish screen and you better like diving into and out of menus, or you will grow somewhat frustrated by all the tapping and sliding needed to activate or deactivate this and that.

XC90 Recharge Interior

Volvo Cars has become one of the great automotive success stories of the last decade-plus, at least in part because the China-based ownership had the good sense to do what the American previous owner, Ford Motor, could not manage: fund a robust remake of the products and stick to an over-arching brand strategy that will eventually pay off in a share of global electrification leadership.

Next up for Volvo: remake the XC90. What you see here was essentially launched in 2016.