Volvo XC40 vs LDV D90

What's the difference?

The Volvo XC40 Recharge Twin Motor is a cute small electric SUV that offers a decent specs list and a sweet urban driving experience. It’s not the nicest ride on a longer journey but it does have a decent range to be able to tackle one, if needed. I didn’t love the interior design but there’s lots the XC40 gets right.

Looking for a cheap, powerful diesel SUV with huge cabin space and a humane third row for adults? The D90 is a really sound offering, especially considering the price of entry for this top-spec diesel which should resonate with Aussies a bit better than the petrol version.

It has plenty of issues that could be ironed out, but they’re all so small and not sale-breaking it’s almost annoying how much better the D90 could be with just a little work. Rivals should be looking over their shoulder for what comes next.

The XC40 Recharge sees some design changes from its fuel-based counterparts and that’s mainly seen in the front because you get a body-coloured panel instead of a standard grille. The 20-inch alloys feature a chunkier-looking design but the front still boasts the cool ‘Hammer of Thor’ headlights (which I'm rather fond of).

The interior is where the electric powertrain loses me because the fuel-based equivalent is so much nicer inside with its leather-accented upholstery and trims.

It's lovely that there has been a conscious effort to use recycled materials and non-leather upholstery throughout but I'm left with the strange-feeling that synthetic seats don’t reflect the grade or price level of this car. 

Other than the cool-looking topography inserts on the dash and front doors and the 9.0-inch vertical multimedia system, it’s pleasant but a little basic in the cabin. Which is shame because the exterior is cute as hell.

Some colleagues I’ve spoken to like the way the D90 looks. To me, it looks like someone gene-spliced a Hyundai Tucson with a SsangYong Rexton in a lab, then grew it in a stew of peptides and this was the result.

What can’t really be communicated in images is how truly massive the D90 is. At over five metres long, two metres wide and almost two metres tall, the D90 is certifiably huge. Given that’s the case then, it’s admittedly almost admirable that only the side profile makes this thing look a little goofy.

I think LDV has done a pretty good job on the front, and the rear is simple but well resolved for a vehicle that rides on a ladder chassis (just take a look at the Pajero Sport for how ladder-chassis rear designs can get… controversial…).

The wheels, garnishes, and LED headlights are all tastefully applied. It’s not ugly… just confronting… size-wise.

Inside shares some familiar characteristics with sister-brand MG. Look from a distance and it’s all quite nice, get in too close and you’ll see where the corners have been cut.

The first thing I don’t like about the interior is the materials. Apart from the wheel they are all pretty cheap and nasty. It’s a sea of hollow plastics and mixed trims. The faux-wood pattern, which is clearly just a print on a plastic resin is particularly gnarly. Reminds me of some Japanese cars from 20 years ago. It might work for the Chinese audience, but that’s not where the market is in Australia.

On the other hand, you could say “well, what do you expect at this price?” and that is true. Everything is here and works, just don’t expect the D90 to be playing alongside the established players when it comes to fit, finish, or material quality.

The huge screen works to finish the dash, but that darned software is so ugly you’ll wish it didn’t. At least all the major touch-points are ergonomically accessible.

Front passengers enjoy the most space and I have plenty of head- and legroom up front. It’s a really easy car to get in and out of and the individual storage is very good for the class. 

Front passengers enjoy a glove box, middle console with a removeable bin, two cupholders, utility tray and skinny drink bottle holders in the storage bins in the doors.

In the rear, passengers get map pockets on the backs of the front seats, two cupholders in the fold-down armrest and small storage bins in each door.

The synthetic leather-trimmed seats look neat and tidy but are very hard in the cushion, which makes them a tad uncomfortable on longer trips. The rear seats are much the same.

Charging options throughout the car are good with the front enjoying a 12-volt port, two USB-C sockets and a wireless charging pad to choose from. The rear also gets two USB-C ports and there's another 12-volt outlet in the boot.

The rest of the technology is easy to use once you spend some time with it. The 9.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system features built-in Google Maps, Assistant and Play Store apps, as well as, YouTube.

The 12.0-inch digital instrument panel isn’t customisable but I like the way it pulls through the satellite navigation screen and directions.  

Because of the dual-motor powertrain, your boot capacity drops to 419L from 452L for the single-motor variant. It is large enough for my grocery shop and random errands and you can fold the floor up to create a deep storage well for additional space. Fold the 60/40 split-folding rear seat and available space expands to 1295 litres.

I don’t like the hardened cargo liner, it feels and looks a little cheap, but I do like the powered tailgate. There’s also handy frunk storage of 31L, which is perfectly sized for any charging cables you will have.

The D90 is as massive on the inside as it is on the outside. I’m talking better space than a minivan, and nothing says that more than the humane third row. At 182cm tall, I not only fit in the rearmost two seats, but I can do so in as much comfort as any other row. It’s staggering. There’s actual airspace for my knees and head back there.

The second row is massive and on rails too, so you can extend the amount of room available to third-rowers – and there’s so much room in the second row, you’ll have space even with the seats moved forward.

My only criticism here is that the giant rear door is far enough forward to make clambering into the third row a little tricky. Once you’re there though there are really no complaints.

The boot is even usable with the third row deployed, with a claimed 343L of space. That should be hatchback-sized, but the measurement is a little deceptive as the space is tall but shallow, meaning it will only allow you to place smaller bags (a few, if you can stack them) with the remaining space.

The boot is otherwise cavernous with a wild 1350L available with the third row stowed flat, or 2382L with the second row stowed. In this configuration, with the front passenger seat slid forward to its furthest position, I was even able to get a 2.4-metre-long benchtop in the back. Truly impressive.

Without buying an actual commercial van then, this could be the cheapest way into such room, especially in a 4x4 bi-turbo diesel SUV. No arguing with that.

Second-row occupants get their own climate control module, USB ports and even a full-sized household power outlet, with more legroom than you could possibly need. My only complaint was that the seat trim seemed a little flat and cheap.

Front occupants get large cupholders in the centre console, a deep armrest box (with no connectivity in it, just a randomly placed DPF cycle switch), pockets in the doors, and an awkward binnacle under the climate controls that houses the single available USB port. My phone didn’t fit in there.

No complaints about leg and headroom in the front either, though, with plenty of adjustability to boot. The driver’s seat offers a commanding view of the road, although it can be a little unsettling to be so far off the ground in corners… more on that in the driving section.

On paper, the seven-seat D90 is immediately quite appealing. At $47,990, it is literally a lot of car for the money. This latest iteration, the bi-turbo diesel, is only available in Executive trim at this price, but you can pinch pennies further by choosing one of the lesser petrol turbo variants.

Regardless, and much like its MG sister brand, LDV is good at making sure that essential spec boxes are ticked.

This includes screens galore as is popular in the Chinese market, including a massive 12-inch multimedia screen and 8.0-inch digital dash.

A screen is only as good as the software that runs on it though, and let me tell you, the D90’s software is not good. A quick flick through the weirdly small menu reveals barebones functionality, terrible resolution and response time, as well as possibly the worst execution of Apple CarPlay I’ve ever seen.

I mean, it doesn’t even use all of that screen real estate! Not only that, but in a recent overhaul to CarPlay, Apple released software to utilise wider displays – so the car’s own software must simply be incapable of supporting it. Inputs also proved laggy, and I had to repeat myself on multiple occasions to get any use out of Siri. Unlike every other car I’ve used, the software in the D90 wouldn’t return to the radio after you hang up or stop talking to Siri. Frustrating.

I’d rather have a far smaller display that actually worked well. The semi-digital dash was functional, although barely did anything that a small dot-matrix display isn’t capable of and had one screen which for my entire week said ‘loading’. I’m still not sure what it was meant to do…

At least it supports Apple CarPlay at all, which is more than could have been said for segment hero, the Toyota LandCruiser.

The D90 does tick some necessary items that are quite good. LED headlights are standard, as are leather seats with eight-way power adjust for the driver, a heated multi-function steering wheel, 19-inch alloy wheels (which still somehow look small on this huge thing), three-zone climate control, eight-speaker audio system, electric tailgate, keyless entry with push-start ignition, a reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, tyre-pressure monitoring, as well as a fairly substantial safety suite which we’ll explore later in this review.

Great on paper then, the bi-turbo diesel engine is a boon, as is the fact that the D90 rides on a ladder chassis with an electronically-controlled low-range terrain mode for the transmission, too.

You’d expect to pay more – even from Korean and Japanese rivals for this much specification. No matter which way you cut it, the D90 is good value.

The XC40 Recharge Twin Motor features two electric motors which are powered by a large 82kWh lithium-ion battery and produce a combined power output of 300kW and 670Nm of torque.

Which is downright fun because it can do a 0-100km/h sprint in just 4.8-seconds!

The D90 was initially offered in Australia with a 2.0-litre turbo petrol four-cylinder, but this 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel makes much more sense, both for towing and long-distance touring.

It’s a four-cylinder offering a healthy 160kW/480Nm. You’ll note that’s pretty close to Ford’s similar 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel, which is currently offered in the Everest…

The diesel also gets its own transmission, an eight-speed torque converter automatic with computer-controlled ‘Terrain Selection 4WD’.

This gives the D90 diesel a max towing capacity of 3100kg braked (or 750kg unbraked) with a max payload of 730kg.

The official energy consumption figure is 19kWh/100km and I averaged 19.2kWh over a fair mix of urban and open-road driving. The energy consumption isn't bad but some rivals do sit closer to that 16.5kWh mark.

The official driving range is up to 485km for this model but I only ever saw a top range of 410km. That's not terribly surprising given I wasn't shy with the power use but there was a little bit of range anxiety on longer trips.

The XC40 Recharge Twin Motor has a Type 2 CCS charging port which means you can benefit from faster charging speeds. On an 11kW AC charger you can go from 0-100 per cent in eight hours but on a standard three-pin house plug socket expect that wait time to go up significantly.

On a DC fast charger expect to go from 10-80 per cent in as little as 33-minutes.

The D90 diesel is said to consume 9.1L/100km of diesel on the combined cycle, but ours didn’t score near that with a figure of 12.9L/100km after a week of what I’d consider “combined” testing.

The D90 a big unit, so that number doesn’t seem outrageous, it’s just nowhere near the claim… All D90s have 75-litre fuel tanks.

Like the Polestar 2 there’s no ignition button on the XC40. You shift into drive to ‘turn on’ and after you park, you simply get out to turn it off. It takes a little while to get used to but it’s a cool feature. 

The twin motors deliver a hefty kick and you never worry about not having ‘enough power’. In the city it’s zippy but on the open-road you also feel comfortable getting up to speed or overtaking because the power distribution is so well-balanced because it’s an AWD.

I customised my steering wheel ‘feel’ to firm and it makes the handling crisp and direct. You feel like you’re in total control whenever you have to tackle be it tight streets or small car parks.

The blind-spot visibility is compromised by how wide the B and C-pillars are and I find that I'm relying a lot more on the blind-spot monitoring system to compensate.

The XC40 loses a few points for me in terms of ride comfort. As mentioned, the seats aren't terribly comfortable but the suspension is hard enough that you notice every bump, as well.

Road noise is also quite pronounced and it doesn’t sound refined when you drive at higher speeds, which is a shame. The flip-side, though, is that you don’t notice those things as much on short, urban trips.

The standard regen braking isn’t customisable and you don’t notice it until you switch over to a 'one-pedal' function. I found this function uncomfortable to use as it’s very aggressive and creates a jerky driving experience. 

Because of its 4440mm length and tiny 11m turning circle, you won’t struggle in a car park! The 360-degree view camera system and front and rear parking sensors make it easy to navigate a tight spot.

This is a joy to park. It’s so easy.

The D90 is easier to drive than it looks… to a degree…

It lacks some polish of its more established rivals, which results in a drive experience that isn’t bad, but occasionally frustrating.

The ride somehow manages to be soft and harsh at the same time. It undulates over larger bumps, while transmitting the worst parts of smaller, sharper ones to the cabin. It speaks to a lack of calibration between the suspension and dampers.

That having been said, the D90 masks its ladder chassis underpinnings well, with little of that typical body-on-frame jiggle that some rivals still struggle with.

The drivetrain is good, but a little unruly. As you’d imagine from the figures, there’s more than enough power on tap, but the transmission tends to have a mind of its own.

It will occasionally lurch between gears, pick the wrong gear, and off-the-line will sometimes be delayed before shunting the D90’s bulk forward with a sudden mountain of torque. It doesn’t sound particularly good either, with the diesel surging through the rev range with industrial crudeness.

By the time the D90 has reached cruising speed though, there’s really not much to complain about, with the D90 milling along with plenty of power in reserve for overtaking. The view of the road is commanding, but you really feel the D90’s high centre of gravity in the corners and under heavy braking. The physics of such a large object are undeniable.

I have to say, LDV has done a fantastic job of the D90’s steering, with a quick, light feel that betrays the SUV’s size. It manages to stray on the right side of lightness though, not being so disconnected that you lose a feeling of where the wheels are pointing. No mean feat in something this shape.

Overall then, the D90 isn’t bad to drive and has some genuinely great characteristics, it just also has a litany of small issues that get in the way of it being truly competitive with segment leaders.

The LDV D90 carries a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating as of 2017, and has a fairly comprehensive active safety suite.

Included on the diesel is auto emergency braking (AEB) with front collision warning, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, driver-attention alert, traffic-sign recognition, and adaptive cruise control.

Not bad for the price, and nice that there’s nothing optional. Expected items include electronic traction, stability, and brake controls, as well as six airbags.

The curtain airbags do extend to the third row, and there’s the bonus of a reversing camera and a tyre-pressure-monitoring system.

There is a full-size steel spare under the boot floor, and the D90 also gets dual ISOFIX and three top-tether child-seat mounting points.

The ongoing costs are pretty solid with the XC40 coming with a usual five-year/ unlimited warranty term but the drive battery is covered for eight years/160,000km.

You can pre-purchase a five-year/150,000km servicing program for a flat $3000 or an average of $600 per service, which is a bit expensive for the class. Servicing intervals are great at every two-years or 30,000km, whichever occurs first.

You get complimentary roadside assistance for five-years through Assist Australia and if you meet certain criteria, you can extend that by a further three years, which is handy.

LDV covers the D90 with a five-year/130,000km warranty, which is not bad… but falls behind sister brand MG, which offers seven years/unlimited kilometres. At the very least it would be nice to have the unlimited kilometre promise.

Roadside assist is included for the duration of that warranty, but there’s no capped price servicing offered through LDV. The brand gave us indicative pricing of $513.74, $667.15, and $652.64 for the first three annual services. An initial six-monthly 5000km checkup is free.

All D90s need to be serviced once every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.