2020 Volvo V90 vs 2023 Ssangyong Rexton

What's the difference?

The V90 Cross Country is a carefully considered, hugely practical, and sleek full-size wagon. It has power to shift a family and all that goes with it, along with leading edge safety for maximum protection. The engine could be quieter, the ride smoother, and the warranty longer. But if you're thinking about a premium five-seat SUV, we suggest checking out the passenger car driveability this Volvo offers.

The SsangYong Rexton is a well-stocked 4WD wagon. It’s nice to drive once you’re out on the open road, it’s refined and comfortable and it signals definite progress for SsangYong in terms of all-round quality and functionality.

As an urban vehicle used for occasional forays onto well-maintained dirt tracks, the Rexton has definite appeal. But, while it does have low- and high-range 4WD and it does have a rear diff lock (albeit an automatic version), this vehicle is better suited to light 4WDing than any hard-core off-roading – and that’s absolutely fine for the people who will consider this. 

A seven-year warranty adds to the Rexton’s appeal and this current-generation wagon still seems a worthwhile value-for-money buy.

Three people have led Volvo's drive towards its current ultra-cool design look and feel. Thomas Ingenlath is Volvo's long-time chief design officer (and CEO of the brand's performance car subsidiary, Polestar), Robin Page is head of Volvo design, and Maximilian Missoni oversees exterior design.

In a rare case of healthy designer egos not getting in the way of a positive outcome, this trio has developed a classically simple, Scandinavian approach combining echoes of Volvos past, like the large grille, complete with 'Iron Mark' logo, and current signature elements including the dramatic 'Thor's Hammer' LED headlights and lengthy tail-light clusters.

The Cross Country off-roady bit comes courtesy of black wheelarch over-fenders, with the same shade applied to the window glass surrounds, front air vents, side skirts and lower section of the rear bumper.

Inside, the look is cool and sophisticated, with clean form working hand-in-hand with straight-forward function. The colour palette runs from brushed metal highlights, through grey, to black.

Our test vehicle featured three option packages, with two impacting interior presentation. All the details are listed in the price and value section below, but in terms of the cabin, the 'Premium Pack' adds a panoramic glass sunroof, and tinted rear glass, while the 'Luxury Pack' brings ventilated 'Perforated Comfort Seats' trimmed in (partial) nappa leather (the standard trim is nappa leather 'accented'... without the perforations).

The overall feel is composed and serene, with a layered approach to the dash including a mix of soft-touch materials and 'metal mesh' highlight elements.

A 9.0-inch centre touchscreen is portrait oriented with large vertical vents either side, and a 12.3-inch digital driver display sits inside a compact instrument binnacle.

The seats look inviting with raised stitching defining neatly sculpted panels, the curved head restraints another characteristic Volvo touch.

Overall, the V90's design is carefully considered and understated, but far from boring. It's great to look at on the outside, while the interior is as calming as it is efficient.

The Rexton is 4850mm long (with a 2865mm wheelbase), 1960mm wide and 1825mm high.

It has a kerb weight of 2130kg and an 11m turning circle.

My videographer reckons this Rexton generation looks a bit like a Ford Territory. Fair call. 

I reckon it looks low and its ground clearance – a listed 203mm – may prove to be a problem during this off-road test. (More about this in the Driving section, further down.)

At just over 4.9m long, more than 2.0m wide, and a touch taller than 1.5m the V90 CC is a substantial wagon providing seating for five, ample cargo space, and lots of thoughtful touches to help ease the daily grind.

Those in front enjoy heaps of space as well as a centre console incorporating two cupholders, an oddments tray, two USB ports (one to enable Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connection and one for charging only) and a 12-volt socket, all able to be hidden by an elegant, roll-top cover. A similar, smaller cover rolls over a coin tray near the gearshift.

There's also a decent (cooled) glovebox, generous door bins with room for large bottles, and a small lidded box on the lower dash to the right of the steering wheel.

Switch to the rear and the 'roomy' theme continues. Sitting behind the driver's seat set for my 183cm (6.0ft) position I had plenty of leg and headroom, and the width of the car means three average-sized adults can populate the back seat without resorting to uncomfortable contortion.

A centre flip-down armrest houses a pair of pop-put cupholders, an oddments tray and a lidded storage box. But the modest door bins are too narrow for normal size bottles. On the upside, though, parents of small children everywhere will welcome the standard perforated pull-up blinds for each rear door window.

There are also netted map pockets on the back of the front seats, plus adjustable air vents at the back of the centre console and supplementary vents in the B-pillars. Our car's Versatility Pack option added a three-pin 220-volt power outlet at the base of the tunnel console, too.

Then, there's the business end, with the V90 coughing up 560 litres of boot space with the rear seats upright. More than enough to swallow our three-piece hard suitcase set (35, 68 and 105 litres) or the jumbo-size CarsGuide pram, or various combinations of the two.

With the second row 60/40 split-folding rear seat (with through port) down that grows to a substantial 913 litres. And that's measured to top of seat height. If you're loading up to the headlining those numbers stretch out to 723L/1526L.

Plus, there's a 12-volt outlet, bright lighting, a stretchy retaining strap on the right-hand wall, strategically placed shopping bag hooks and tie-down anchors at each corner of the floor.

The Versatility Pack option also adds a 'grocery bag holder' which is a piece of pure Nordic genius. It's essentially a flip-up board that pops out from the cargo floor with two bag hooks at the top and pair of elasticised retaining straps across its width. For small shopping loads it keeps things secure without the need to bring in a full cargo retaining net.

And to make lowering the rear seat and opening up that extra volume easier, the Versatility Pack also brings a pair of power control buttons for rear seat folding located near the rear door.

The space-saver spare is located under the floor, and if you're hitching things to the back, maximum tow weight for a braked trailer is 2500kg and 750kg unbraked.

Icing on the practicality cake is a handsfree power operated tailgate, which combines foot-under-the-rear-bumper auto opening with buttons in the door's lower edge to close it and lock the car.

It’s a clean layout with a premium look and feel (there’s Nappa leather seats and interior trim on this Ultimate) and there are plenty of soft-touch surfaces.

Fit and finish are nice, solid and impressive at this price.

The multimedia system is okay to use, but the 8.0-inch touchscreen is too small. The MY24 Rexton ups that screen to 12.3-inches.

Otherwise, functionality, storage and charge points around the cabin are more than satisfactory, including a wireless phone charger with sliding cover, two USB ports (centre console) and 12V power outlet in the console box, plus two USB ports and a 12V power outlet in the second-row centre console. 

All seats are leather-accented, heated and on the right side of comfortable. The driver’s seat and front passenger seat are also ventilated.

The front seats are power-adjustable - eight-way for the driver and six-way for the passenger.

The second-row seats – a 60/40 configuration, which folds, reclines and tumbles – are supportive without being overly so.

With the 50/50 third-row seats in use, boot space is listed as 236L. There’s a 12V power outlet in the cargo area.

With that folding third row stowed away, there’s a claimed 641L of cargo space. With the second and third rows stowed, there’s a claimed 1806L.

The MY23 SsangYong Rexton is available in two variants: the ELX and the Ultimate.

Our test vehicle is the MY23 Ultimate. It’s a seven-seat body-on-frame 4WD wagon with a $55,990 price-tag (recommended drive-away).

Standard features include an 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system (with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and sat nav), a wireless phone charger, six-speaker sound system, sunroof, quilted Nappa leather, heated and ventilated front seats, driver's seat position memory, privacy glass, a powered tailgate, second-row air vents and ambient lighting. The Rexton has 18-inch ‘diamond-cut’ alloy wheels.

Exterior paint choices include 'Grand White', 'Fine Silver', 'Marble Grey', 'Pearl White', 'Space White' and 'Atlantic Blue' (on our test vehicle), which costs $595.

Our test vehicle also had a tow bar ($1710 fitted) and an electronic brake controller ($690 fitted).

As standard it has AEB, forward collision warning, lane-departure warning and collision warning, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, driver attention warning, front vehicle-start warning, front and rear parking sensors and a 360-degree camera system.

As mentioned, the MY24 Rexton is due to go on sale in Australia in October 2023. It will be available in three variants: ELX, Adventure (a new spec level) or Ultimate.

The MY24 Ultimate has a recommended drive-away price of $58,000 – that’s $2010 more than the MY23.

It will have a new dash layout and high-mounted 12.3-inch touchscreen multi-media system, and a dual-zone climate control hub, operated via the touchscreen.

The MY24 Rexton range will be available in six body colours: Grand White, Pearl White, Atlantic Blue, Marble Grey, 'Graphite', and 'Space Black'.

The powertrain remains the same: a 2.2L four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, producing 149kW and 441Nm and an eight-speed automatic transmission and steering-wheel paddle shifters.

A 'Sport Pack' ($2000), which is an option on the Ultimate, adds shadow chrome front grille, tailgate, and rear bumper garnish, LED front fog lights with shadow chrome surrounds, shadow chrome 20-inch alloy wheels and black roof rails. Metallic paint will still cost $595.

The V90 Cross Country is powered by Volvo's (D4204T23) 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, twin-turbo diesel engine.

It's an all-alloy, direct-injection unit producing 173kW at 4000rpm and 480Nm from 1750-2250rpm.

Drive goes to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission and Volvo's fifth-generation, electronically-controlled all-wheel drive system (including off-road mode).

Every SsangYong Rexton has a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine producing 149kW/441Nm. And that’s matched with an eight-speed automatic transmission. This is a relaxed, sluggish pairing.

The Rexton has part-time 4WD with selectable low- and high-range 4WD and an auto-locking rear differential.

Claimed fuel economy for the combined (ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban) cycle is 5.7L/100km, the V90 CC emitting 149g/km of CO2 in the process.

Despite an standard auto stop-start system, after close to 300km of city, suburban and freeway driving, the on-board read-out settled on an average of 8.8L/100km. Using that number, the 60-litre tank provides a theoretical range of 680km.

The Rexton has an official fuel consumption of 8.7L/100km (on a combined cycle).

I recorded 10.8L/100km on this test, after a lot of high- and low-range 4WDing.

The Rexton has a 70-litre fuel tank and going by our on-test fuel-consumption figure you could reasonably expect a full-tank driving range of about 648km.

Note: That 648km is a best-case scenario figure and has not had a 30-50km safe-distance buffer subtracted from it, and it also does not take into account the fact that, when being used for touring, the vehicle will be loaded with people, pets, camping gear and more.

From the minute you hit the starter button there's no doubt a diesel engine resides under the V90's bonnet. This iteration of the 2.0-litre twin-turbo hasn't been around all that long, so its rather noisy character comes as a surprise. But once you get past that first impression, selecting D and extending your right ankle results in spirited acceleration.

Volvo claims 0-100km/h in 7.5sec, which is especially quick for a 1.9-tonne wagon, and with a grunty 480Nm of peak torque on tap in the suburban sweet spot - just 1750-2250rpm (with much of it hanging around beyond that), plenty of urge is always available. Continue pressing on and peak power (173kW) arrives at 4000rpm.

Add in slick changes from the eight-speed auto and this Volvo is a sleeper for the traffic light grand prix.

But once you've calmed down and settled into the urban crawl, the V90 CC's relatively patchy ride quality starts to make its presence felt.

It's the smaller bumps, holes and joins that typify urban Aussie roads that upset the V90. Suspension is double wishbone front, with an integral link and transverse leaf spring set-up at the back, and even with the optional air suspension fitted to the rear of our example, the car doesn't lead the pack for ride comfort.

Part of that could be down to the standard 20-inch rims shod with 245/45 Pirelli P Zero rubber. There's plenty of grip available with the variable all-wheel drive system obviously doing its bit to put the power where it's most useful. The electrically-assisted steering points nicely and delivers excellent road feel, but that niggling jiggling is always there. Interesting to note 19-inch alloys are a no-cost option.

Other than the engine sticking its nose in, the cabin is calm and relaxed. The seats feel super firm on first contact, but provide brilliant comfort over lengthy stretches. The brakes are disc all around, ventilated at the front (345mm fr/320mm rr) and the pedal is progressive and confidence inspiring.

Ergonomics are excellent, with the V90's dash and console controls and dials striking a user-friendly balance between screens and conventional buttons. The configurable digital instrument cluster is a stand-out.

It’s quite reasonable on-road if you’re willing to forgive a few flaws.

The cabin is quiet and ride is plush, but the engine and transmission is a smooth but sluggish pairing, acceleration is doughy underfoot, the brakes are spongy and slow to bite and the shifter is annoying.

Once on the open road, though, the Rexton is very comfortable, refined and easy to spend long trips in. It simply cruises along quietly and that makes for a relaxed driving experience.

However, off-roading, especially low-range 4WDing, swiftly exposes some of the Rexton’s less-than-ideal characteristics, which impact any potential it may have as a 4WD tourer.

First up, ride and handling are generally adequately composed on sealed surfaces, with independent suspension all-around, but the Rexton quickly loses composure on dirt tracks, becoming jittery on light corrugations and then thumping through more severe corrugations, ruts and potholes.

The Rexton is too low, at a listed 203mm, and underbody components are vulnerable to rocks, tree stumps, and track debris.

It has the shallow off-road angles to match that low-slung stance: 20.5-degree approach, 20.5-degree departure and 20.0-degree rampover angle. All far from ideal, but about right for a vehicle that’s more in tune with urban than country life.

For the first time in a long time*, I chose not to drive a test vehicle on a few of my usual 4WD challenges, including a steep set of rock steps, because the risk of incidental damage was just too great. (* It’s possibly the first time ever. I can’t recall. Yep, I’m old.)

Wading depth is unlisted, but likely around the 500mm mark.

The automatic locking rear diff is a sound idea in theory, but doesn’t work so well in this application. It’s clunky, abrupt and allows too much wheelspin before the diff-lock engages.

It also disengages abruptly, sometimes when you’re not even up, over or through the particular terrain you’re tackling. I noted similar issues with the Mahindra Scorpio I recently tested.

The Rexton’s tyres – Kumho Crugen (255/60 R18 108H) – are marketed as “all season”, but while they’re fine for on-road driving, they fall well short of suitable for anything other than light off-roading.

Sounds like I’m ripping into the Rexton, eh? Well, it’s not all bad news.

In terms of mechanicals and off-road driver-assist tech, the Rexton has adequate torque across a decent spread of revs, engine braking is good, and hill descent control is okay.

Steering has an adequate balance at low speeds, throttle response is reasonable, and there’s plenty of visibility, which is crucial for difficult 4WDing.

But, ultimately this is a city-friendly 4WD that is best suited to light off-roading, as in driving on well-maintained tracks in dry weather.

At a stretch, a driver with experience could take the Rexton onto hard-packed sand, or on slight to medium hills with minor obstacles in all weather, but this 4WD is so low that ground clearance will always be an issue off-road.

If you are considering the Rexton as your touring vehicle, it’s worth noting the payload is 830kg, gross vehicle mass is 2960kg and gross combined mass is 6460kg.

Towing capacity is 750kg (unbraked) and 3500kg (braked).

The Rexton has no ANCAP safety rating because it is untested. 

As standard it has a comprehensive suite of driver-assist tech, including AEB, forward collision warning, lane-departure warning and collision warning, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, driver attention warning, front vehicle-start warning, front and rear parking sensors and a 360-degree camera system.

Volvo offers a three year/unlimited km warranty across its new car model range, including roadside assistance for the duration. Not outstanding when you consider the majority of mainstream brands are now at five years/unlimited km.

But, on the upside, once the warranty runs out, if you have your car serviced at an authorised Volvo dealer each year you receive a 12-month extension to the roadside assist coverage.

Service is recommended every 12 months/15,000km (whichever comes first) with a Volvo Service Plan covering scheduled servicing for the V90 over the first three years or 45,000km for $1895 (inc GST).

The Rexton has a seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, and this includes seven years of roadside assistance and seven years of capped-price servicing.

Service intervals are scheduled for every 12 months or 15,000km, at a listed $375 a service.