The Volvo can carry more stuff than most of its competitors. With all six passenger seats folded down, the XC90 offers 92.3 cubic feet of cargo space, more than what's found in competing SUVs: 2006 Mercedes M-Class (72.4 cubic feet), BMW X5 (54.5), Acura MDX (81.5), Lexus RX 330 (84.7), Cadillac SRX (69.5), Infiniti FX (64.5). Even with all three rows of seats in place there's room in the Volvo for two or three stacked duffel bags behind the third row.
The XC90 carries long objects well. Lowering a small center portion of the second-row seat reveals 9.5 feet of unobstructed space between the instrument panel and the rear liftgate. That can be done even with the third-row seats in place because they have a passage space between the seatbacks. As a result, four surfers and two long boards will easily fit into an XC90, an impressive feat. The XC90 is also good for trout fishing because you can set your rigged 9-foot fly rods in there without having to break them down, useful when moving from spot to spot.
Seating and cargo arrangements are enormously versatile, allowing 64 different configurations, including six of the seven seats folded flat. Equally impressive is the ease with which the seats slide, fold, change and vanish.
Second-row seats are split 40/20/40 and slide forward independently. Headrests don't have to be removed when the seats are folded flat. Up front, the console between the front seats can be easily removed, allowing the center second-row seat to slide way forward between and just behind the front buckets. With the optional integrated booster cushion for that seat, tending to a young child has never been easier.
There's only enough leg room in the third row for two kids or two very short adults. Getting into the third row is easier than it is in many SUVs, however, due to the ease of sliding and flipping the second-row seats. There are entry grab handles to aid getting inside, but the front-door grab handle is a bit narrow. The doors close with aluminum handles, but they too are narrow, with room for only two or three fingers.
The third row is a cozy and convenient little world of its own, however, with its center console, cup holders, deep window pockets, and separate climate controls and outlets. Kids might actually want to sit way back in the wayback. Headphone plugs are provided, meaning second- or third-row headphone users can listen to a CD while the front-seat occupants listen to the radio through the speakers.
The standard interior trim is a mix of brushed aluminum and faux aluminum plastic. Real wood inlay trim is an option on the V8 and a big improvement over the plastic.
There's little storage space for the front seats. The door pockets are narrow and the small center console compartment is slim and difficult to access; if you store a few CDs in the slots, there's no more room at all. The only open bin for tossing small items is on the dash panel, about big enough for a cell phone.
The gauges are simple and the instrument panel is canted upward toward the high seating position. The wood-and-leather steering wheel that comes with the Touring package was more comfortable than the standard steering wheel because it's round; the standard wheel has edges and angles that defy understanding.
The front bucket seats are good, especially with adjustable lumbar support, and Volvo leather is some of the best around. More side bolstering wouldn't hurt, though.
Headroom is exceptional, thanks to the roofline, and the big windows offer excellent visibility and a feeling of roominess. Unfortunately, the price for the safety of high ultra-safe headrests is restricted forward visibility for passengers in the second- and third-row seats, and more significantly, restricted rearview visibility for the driver. Also, there was a perpetual reflection in the windshield, from the busy dashboard shelf that includes a big audio speaker, defroster vent and a red light for the four-way flasher.
