Jeremy Clarkson has given a candid review of the highly-touted Volvo XC90 hybrid vehicle, saying that he couldn’t find anything boring about the car, but admitted that some facets of driving had impacted him.
The former Top Gear presenter is one of the UK’s most famous petrolheads, having dominated motoring TV for four decades with his polarising opinions on the latest vehicles to hit the market.
Volvo’s XC90 mild hybrid is the manufacturer’s “most luxurious SUV” to date, with 250 horsepower, acceleration of 7.7 seconds (0-62) and a stylish interior.
It also comes with a raft of features, including built-in Google, driver assistance technology, a blind spot information system and a 360-degree camera.
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The Volvo XC90 starts from £52,000
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He acknowledged that the new XC90 “looks pretty much the same as all the others”, but noted how the Swedish brand had made it look “handsome”.
There are three trim levels and three engines motorists can choose from when configuring their vehicles, with prices starting from £52,669.
Clarkson opted to test the B6 version, which came equipped with a turbocharger, supercharge and 48 volts in the 2.0-litre engine.
Writing in The Times, he said: “I spent a long time trying to find anything annoying or substandard and I just couldn’t.
“Apart from the relentless bonging, obviously, but that’s a Government requirement these days.
“It was a nice place to sit. It was comfortable, and while I did raise an eyebrow at how the top speed has been limited to just 112 mph, we rarely need to go faster than that on a school run.”
Clarkson concluded his review by saying: “I can’t find anything wrong with it.”
The Grand Tour host also claimed that the XC90 had “poisoned the next generation” into thinking that cars should be sensible.
The 64-year-old, who has recently starred in the hit Amazon Prime show Clarkson’s Farm, said the latest iteration from Volvo was “absolutely spot on”.
The base-level Core version starts at £52,669, with drivers also able to get their hands on the Plus (£58,723) model and Ultra model (£65,246).
It follows Volvo’s decision to stop making classic estate and saloon cars, with British drivers preferring to get behind the wheel of a larger SUV or an electric car.
This reaction from Jeremy Clarkson may come as a surprise to many car enthusiasts who have previously seen the TV presenter be critical of Volvo’s output of vehicles in recent years.
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The interior of the Volvo XC90
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In 2017, Clarkson reviewed the Volvo V90 Estate, handing it just two stars. He said it was too easy to set off the burglar alarm, had a small boot and slammed the “ridiculous” price tag at the time.