Follow-Up Test: 2007 Volvo XC90 V8 Sport

The 2007 Volvo XC90 V8 Sport proves that there's more to Volvo than just shades of gray. This is a sport-utility that has the character for real driving, not just a family weekend.

We lived with the 2007 Volvo XC90 V8 Sport for a few days, took it for a round-trip drive of 250 miles, squealed its tires at the test track, and we were prepared to tell you that the V8 Sport is vastly superior to the standard-issue XC90 V8. Then we discovered that testing numbers from our evaluation of the 2005 XC90 V8 show us that the two are virtually identical.

Well, it goes to show you that there's more to the way something drives than the test numbers. The XC90 V8 Sport might look like a family-friendly sport-utility, but it drives like something else entirely.

Fine tuning
There's no magic to the Sport model's drivetrain, as the 311-horsepower rating of this DOHC 4.4-liter V8 designed by Yamaha is identical to that of the conventional XC90 V8, and the six-speed automatic and Haldex all-wheel-drive system will also be familiar. As a result, its performance in our acceleration testing will be familiar, too. And don't expect the V8 Sport's suspension package to produce a measurable improvement in cornering grip on the skid pad or in maneuverability as quantified by the slalom test. All the numbers are virtually identical.

So what can we be thinking to believe the V8 Sport is the superior driving machine here?

The ingredient the XC90 V8 once lacked but now possesses is cohesiveness. That's what makes one car feel better than another one, and in this case, it makes the XC90 V8 Sport feel like a vastly improved vehicle compared to its XC stablemates.

When engine, transmission, suspension, tires, steering and brakes complement one another, the vehicle's overall dynamics are enhanced, and that's the case with the XC90 Sport. This hard-to-describe quality comes from plenty of quality time in development, and the result is a driving experience that's rewarding in a way that outweighs the data that's displayed on the screen of our laptop at the test track.

How'd they do that?
In terms of hardware changes, the V8 Sport doesn't have many, but they add up.

The springs and dampers have been retuned to deliver a measure of dynamic stability instead of simply soft-riding, impact-jiggling comfort. The antiroll bars are fractionally (almost negligibly) stiffer. The speed-sensitive power steering is quicker and thus more responsive. Most of all, the wheel-and-tire package is substantially more aggressive, as the standard 235/65R17s grow to high-speed, Z-rated 255/50R19 Pirelli Scorpions. All this has been bolted to the XC's tanklike unibody, a rigid piece of engineering that you'd expect to be the basis for high-performance handling.

As a result, the XC90 has been transformed from a friendly utility vehicle with a vague, light-effort steering and a floaty ride that could turn flinty when the pavement turns rough. Instead the V8 Sport is now a confident highway cruiser with a secure, highly controlled character.

Sporty details
Inside the cabin, the V8 Sport's bucket front seats are much more supportive. Even the steering wheel itself has new, ergonomic sculpting that declares the Sport model's dedication to driving enthusiasm.

Outside, various trim pieces have been deleted or replaced with either body-color or subdued satin-metallic finishes. Finally, there are two new Sport-exclusive colors in the palate: Electric Silver and our test vehicle's amazing Passion Red, one of the finest paint jobs we've ever observed on a production car. From a distance, the liquid-crimson coating garners attention, and up close it looks like carefully applied enamel nail polish.

These changes to the V8 Sport's appearance are so effective that even our staff didn't realize it was a Volvo when they encountered it deep in our parking garage. Its identity only became clear when they got close enough to recognize the typical cues of the Volvo grille and taillights plus the broad-shouldered character line connecting the two. "It looks totally different," each of them would say. And we would reply, "And it doesn't drive like an XC90 either."

Fun to drive?
The 2007 Volvo XC90 V8 Sport behaves so differently, it feels like an all-new vehicle. We even found ourselves driving enthusiastically into the Santa Monica Mountains, a place where we might have expected a 4,900-pound SUV to blunder around like a bull in a china shop. Instead the V8 Sport confidently addresses every corner, turning in, tracking and exiting as if it already knew the way. There's a slight tendency for the steering wheel to kick back slightly when the tires register an impact in the middle of the corner, but the chassis is far from being unsettled.

In particular, the V8 Sport's steering has some life to it, and the increase in steering effort that comes along with it is still perfectly manageable. The brakes also proved to be up to the task of hard driving, as they subsequently demonstrated again at the test track. An initial 124-foot stop from 60 mph increased to only 128 feet by the fourth consecutive run, an indication of fade resistance as well as sheer braking power.

Freeway duty illustrated the benefits of Volvo's new BLIS (BLindspot Information System). Two miniature cameras integrated into the sideview mirrors keep vigil on cars beside and slightly behind your field of vision. During daylight hours, BLIS "looks" for the shape of a vehicle (it recognizes headlights at night) and warns you of their approach with small orange lights placed inside the cabin near the mirrors.

BLIS is a great thing — especially when you're carrying a full passenger load, which tends to compromise outward visibility — but it's not infallible. Even the Volvo owner's manual reminds you that the system won't recognize a car in the monitored zone at night without its headlights or perhaps a vehicle with a trailer. Also, bicycles, mopeds and pedestrians are not registered by the system.

High-speed blasts showed that the XC90 V8 Sport manages the wind well, producing little wind noise in spite of its roof racks. We didn't even notice much road noise, despite its athletic Pirelli footwear.

Safety fast
When you specify the XC90 V8 Sport, the Yamaha-built V8 engine, all-wheel drive, 19-inch rolling stock, third-row seats, aluminum roof rails and exceptional paint are all standard for $49,995. Our test vehicle carried options worth $4,860 and encompassed Volvo's Climate, Technology and Convenience packages, plus BLIS.

Over 850 miles of driving, we averaged 13.8 mpg with regular-grade fuel, and we once achieved a run of 16 mpg. Frugal the V8 Sport is not, but it will run to 60 mph in 7.4 seconds, and that's very competitive for this class of premium sport-utilities and rather remarkable considering its mass.

It's about time Volvo's best-selling vehicle has been bestowed with a little dexterity, enthusiasm and eye-catching style. The premium SUV category is intensely competitive now as sport-utes are morphing into high-speed, all-weather sport sedans. Safe-but-boring Volvo has needed something to keep its most popular vehicle in the game.

The V8 Sport makes it in the group of premium SUVs on driving merit, yet it's useful to remember that safety still gives the XC90 a unique position in its class. A non-defeat stability and traction control system remains (it is a Volvo, after all), and there are roll-sensing countermeasures, plus a bevy of airbags for all three rows of passengers.

One minute behind the wheel of the 2007 Volvo XC90 V8 Sport will convince you that it's now in the same league as the Acura MDX, BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz ML. For that we have to thank the quality of cohesiveness, which works a magic that test numbers don't always show, whether it's in a sport sedan or a sport-utility.

The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.