Infotainment Review: Volvo XC90

The first thing that strikes you about Volvo's all-new infotainment system in the XC90 is its elegant 9.0-inch touch tablet that's neatly crammed into the centre of the dash.

It is a nod to the influence that the tablet computer, and perhaps Tesla Motors, is having on the automotive world today. But while the impressive centre display is the obvious draw-card, Volvo has backed up the screen pizzazz with its own version of Audi’s Virtual Cockpit instrument display.

An understated but customisable driver display uses discreet graphical flare and large icons to present essential information and warnings prominently as required.  Key details from the sat-nav, phone and road-sign recognition systems – plus other vital driver alerts as well as playing media info -- are all readily available.

As with the Audi system, if limited information is requested to be displayed in the central part of the screen the flanking speedometer and tachometer enlarge subtly, which is a neat feature.

The tablet-sized main display is broadly divided into three horizontally swipe tabs. The middle tab is the default display, showing the currently selected feature such as the navigation map or entertainment media being played at the time.

Swipe to the left and the Applications screen gives access to car status reports, weather reports, Tune-in internet radio and so forth. Neither the advertised audio book application nor Facebook were installed in our test vehicle.

Swipe right to access more fundamental car settings such as head-up display configuration and reversing camera, as well as audio alert preferences.

The second thing you notice inside the XC90 is the prominent dash-mounted tweeter that makes up part of the excellent Bowers & Wilkins sound system.

The high-quality audio delivered by this system can fill the well-insulated cabin with aural textures from the delicate to thumping, while the on-screen 'recent sources' button is a very handy way of quickly getting to your favourite source of entertainment.

Audio sources include AM and FM radio along with media from a hard drive via a USB connection. Our XC90, however, was lacking some of the more noteworthy Volvo Sensus Connect options, so DAB digital radio and Apple’s CarPlay were unavailable to review.

The Sensus Connect system can run a car-wide mobile Wi-Fi network thanks to a data SIM card tucked away in a slot in the rear cargo space, or via a hotspot on a smartphone. This can be either on the saturated 2.4Ghz spectrum or on 5Ghz, enabling devices to all share the network.

With such a big piece of glass, the satellite-navigation display is easily visible despite being well below the driver's eye line than the dash-mounted screens in some of the XC90's rivals.

The biggest annoyance with this system overall, however, is the reliance on entering data via the touch writing system. The voice-control system was not active in our test vehicle and the XC90 does not include any kind of console-mounted controller. As such, the only method for inputting a new navigation destination was to painstakingly draw the letters one by one.

This needs to be done on the near-vertical touch-screen, which was awkward and frustrating the first few times. With practice it does get easier, but for a company with a reputation for good ergonomics, it seems a strange decision for Volvo to ignore the rotary dial trend and not come up with a more clever data entry system.

At night the XC90 has a small range of interior lighting colour options -- not as dramatic as, say, the Audi Q7, but enough to express a mood at the time. There is an intriguing option to link the interior ambient lighting shade to the outside temperature -- perhaps a reflection of the Nordic origins of this vehicle.

It is somewhat odd that Volvo, a brand so synonymous with safety, has opted to present such a large piece of touch-screen real-estate when many other manufactures are opting away from requiring drivers to poke their dashboard.

It is true, however, that the Volvo's driver and central displays do make clever use of layout to minimise the actual amount of poking required to get the job done.