Sadly though that the world isn’t made completely of highways and high-speed winding roads.  Here, of all places, the phenomena called ‘bumper-to-bumper traffic’ exist, and this proves to be a problem for the XC90.  Though it can make short order of some cars by bullying them off the road, the horrendous front and rear visibility makes squeezing between a motorcycle and a bus on EDSA a bit of a challenge.

As a Volvo, this is perhaps the best yet to come out their err…stable, or whatever they call those things that house reindeer in Sweden.  It is the best lifestyle vehicle that money can buy.  It fits any sort of billing too, enabling it to have the same flexibility as Gary Oldman: it looks appropriately suited on the golf course as it does in front of a five-star hotel.  It does the highway cruising bit quite well too.  But is it the ‘all-in-one vehicle’; the car to finally end all other future car purchases?  That, largely depends on your opinion on birth control.

Driving the XC90 AWD is a relative ease compared to the gargantuan American SUVs. Still, the outward visibility needs to improve. Where are the back-up sensors when you need them?

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