Volvo V90 Ocean Race review: For people who like messing about offshore

It doesn’t float, this car (I didn’t try), but in every other way it lives up to its naming as a small automotive tribute to the ultra tough business of around the would yacht racing, which for the past two decades has enjoyed Volvo as a title sponsor. Like those full size racing yachts, the V90 is expensive, fast, extremely sturdy, feels like it can conquer anything, and has a loo you can use at a 90 degree angle.

Well, obviously not that bit, though the yachts really do have such kit on board, down below where the crews spend weeks at a time with no fresh food, minimal water for drinking or washing, and only one change of clothes. So yachting at that level doesn’t smell as glamorous as it looks, you know.

The Ocean Race is a special version of the V90 which Volvo has prepared for people who like messing about offshore. The idea, I think, is that the dedicated families of surfers and sailors it is aimed at will be charmed by the special features built into the design of what is, no disrespect, basically still a Volvo estate.

So the boot has a built-in torch, always handy, and a nice little spotlight in the lip of the boot that illuminates the territory beneath – more cars should have that simple and very useful feature. There are waterproof front seat covers, wet and dry storage bags and cargo zones in the boot, plus lots of rubber mats to protect the V90’s bright, classy interior from all the detritus you might bring ashore after your adventures – sand, mud, kelp, crabs, that sort of thing.

It is an amazing thing to consider that, even in this age, there are places in the southern oceans of Earth so remote that the nearest human being is up on a space station rather than on the coast of Asia, Australia or Antarctica. Hence the long delays in rescuing sailors when their craft malfunctions or is broken by the mighty wind and waves down there. Your Volvo makes do with satnav and a space-saving spare wheel that should make sure you complete your voyage, plus a Volvo On Call button to rescue you if you get into more serious trouble.

Of course no new heavy over-engineered car is “good” for the planet so you could say Volvo is being utterly cynical in “green washing” their luxury estate car. But the big clean diesel unit that powers this intercontinental tourer doesn’t generate as much CO2 as equivalent petrol engines did, even a few years ago.

It’s true. The diesel backlash among consumers is why CO2 emissions from cars are now starting to rise once more. It is a worrying trend.

The Volvo estate is a go anywhere, do anything model that is spacious enough to cater for most families, has four-wheel drive for those who need it but is also a little less bulky and weighty than its SUV sibling, the XC90, and is a fine alternative to it. The V90 is extremely refined, enjoys adequate performance and handling, and will even return quite impressive fuel economy and low CO2 emissions – about the same as an older VW Golf petrol, for example. It has a beautifully designed cabin, displays, heated seats and wheels, iPad-style touch screens, air suspension, comprehensive driver assistance and adaptive cruise controls, and nice design touches, like the little windscreen clip for parking permits and the like. Plus it has handsome, distinctive lines.

The spec

Price: £55,245 (as tested, starts at £42,520)
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder diesel; 8-speed auto
Power output (hp@rpm): 190@4,250
Top speed (mph): 130
0 to 60 (secs): 12.2
Fuel economy (mpg): 50.4
CO2 emissions (g/km): 147

It is, then, a refreshing alternative to the German brands and deserves the “premium” designation Volvo aspires to. Inexplicably it has orange seat belts and little strips of orange around its exterior cladding, but you may find these intriguing rather than annoying as I did. Think of the Ocean Race as an eccentric version of the V90 Cross Country estate, but which can be used by non-eccentric landlubbers too. Plus it’s cheaper than an Ocean Race yacht – £55,000 vs £20m or boat plus crew. I’d have a sticker in the back window that said “My other yacht is becalmed off Itajai”.

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