Volvo S90 flagship debuts in Australia

At an opening price of $79,900, Volvo’s new S90 arrives with the clear intent of taking on Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW 5 Series in the premium upper-medium class.

Brimming with safety, driven by a choice of diesel or petrol power and available in all-wheel drive form, the big Volvo signals the company's determination not to make any concessions in terms of technology, luxury or pricing.

The first of the S90s to arrive in Australia will be flagship Inscription models: the 173kW/480Nm D5 at $96,900 and the 235kW/400Nm T6 at $98,900. The entry-level 140kW/400Nm Momentum D4 turbo-diesel at $82,400 and the 187kW/350Nm T5 turbo-petrol version at $79,900 will follow a month later.

By comparison the entry-level Mercedes-Benz E-Class opens at $89,900 and the 5 Series BMW at $82,255.

Even the base-grade Momentum S90 models, when introduced, will include a high level of safety tech.

Volvo's latest IntelliSafe driver assistance and safety packages, which are standard across the S90/V90 range, have been bolstered in the roll-out of the new vehicles.

The systems include an advanced version of Volvo's City Safe autonomous braking and lane keeping, but now also include adaptive cruise control as standard, plus Pilot Assist – a semi-autonomous driving system that Volvo says now provides hands-free driving up to 130km/h.

Other standard items in the S90 and V90 at Momentum level include leather upholstery and power front seats with driver memory, four-zone climate control (with Volvo's much vaunted air filtration system), keyless start, power boot and adaptive LED headlights.

Momentum-grade S90s are front-drive only, and roll on 18-inch wheels.

In contrast, the Inscription-grade S90s are all-wheel drive (a Haldex-style system) and get around on 19-inch hoops with 20s (and even 21s) as an option.

Other standard equipment items for this grade include keyless entry and start, walnut timber interior décor, LED interior ambient lighting and Fine Nappa leather upholstery.

Seat heating and cooling, sunroof and other 'luxury' items are all options, even on this grade. So too is air suspension. Power adjustment of the steering column is not offered on any model.

The S90 was unveiled at this year's Detroit motor show and is built on the same SPA (Scalable Product Architecture) that also underpins the big XC90 SUV. It will be partnered by a V90 wagon model in both standard and high-ride (Cross Country) variants.

The S90 range, like the rest of the 'modern' Volvo line-up, is powered exclusively by four-cylinder engines. All are matched to eight-speed automatic gearboxes.

Suspension is via double wishbones at the front and a multilink arrangement at the rear with an unusual Corvette-style transverse leaf spring (except on air-suspended variants).

The S90 brings probably more focus on future electrification than any of the German luxury brands: Volvo 90 series man-in-charge, Kent Falck, said at the car's international launch in Spain that the current engines are the last internal combustion powerplants it will make.