2017 Volvo S90 T6 Inscription performance a bit of a mind blower

Looking to the rather conservative bodyline of Volvo’s latest premium sedan offering, one isn’t necessarily inclined to think “high performance sedan,” in the drive performance sense anyway, Think again.

Arguably the most elegant BMW, Mercedes Benz premium sedan fighter in Volvo’s history, 2017 Volvo S90 T67 Inscription, is the Swedish makers answer to top shelf safety, near intuitive person to car connectivity, with second to none cabin accommodation and comfort.

That’s a given, but what I didn’t anticipate from Volvo’s 4200 lb 5-place luxury sedan was near blinding acceleration, serious sport sedan road handling, and fade-free braking through exceptional driver to road steering input.

Prior to discovering “dynamic drive mode, I drove S90 like my grandmother’s Lincoln

Afterall, when entering the posh confines of what Volvo refers to as a “swedish sanctuary,” one doesn’t necessarily think BMW M Series, Mercedes AMG or even Volvo Polestar for that matter. I first discovered the reinvented Volvo S class in Malaga Spain -- fantastic is an understatement.

Yet the dual staged supercharged, turbocharged, 2.0 Liter direct injected 4 cylinder gasoline engine, married to Volvo’s exceptionally smooth shifting 8-speed Geartronic ™ automatic transmission featured in the S90 T6 Inscription does hit the S-curves with 316 peak horsepower at 5700 rpm, enough to keep one in the Chiropractor's chair.

Presenting V8-like torque (295 lb-ft) that comes on seamlessly at 2200 RPM and stays there throughout the rev-range, what Volvo engineering has accomplished here as to ZERO turbo-lag performance is nothing short of astounding.