S90 Lease - First impressions

[Wibbaboo]

S90 R Design with Winter Pack
£408 per month (23 +1) 20K miles p.a.

So… I’ve only covered a few hundred miles in the S90 and thought I’d replay my experience



Background:
I had never seen a R Design in the flesh – or driven any S90 – so my choice of car was solely what deals were on offer with lease companies. My only criteria was that I needed a good motorway cruiser – my previous lease was a Bluemotion Passat 2.0D which was a good choice at the time – standard spec which included adaptive cruise – which I liked.
My ideal car would have been a BMW 520d (I have had one before and couldn’t fault it) but the cost was prohibitive (by far) and no-one had any offers on them. In the end the choice was:

1. Skoda Superb
2. Another Passat
3. Volvo S90
4. VW Tiguan – some good deals at the moment.

I didn’t like the Superb (unless it was the top spec which pushed the budget too high), the Tiguan was spacious but not the saloon I was looking for – Passat would have been the safe choice - so I gambled on the YouTube reviews and went for the S90 R Design with winter pack.

Styling:
The R Design is an excellent trim level and its exterior looks do raise it to executive car status (Audi A6 / BMW 5 Series) The “bright silver” was not my choice and I would recommend a darker colour as this car shows up every squashed summer bug and mud splatter! The wheels look good but immediately collect a layer of brake dust… I know I am going to kerb those alloys - very little rubber of the tyres to protect them.

Inside – beautiful, those seats have got to be THE most comfortable on the market

I tried out the heated steering wheel – gonna be useful in a few months I’m sure.

The Sensus has the illusion of being intuitive, I have had to reference the manual on a couple of occasions,which, by the way, I found easier to download to my tablet – and not using the in-built Sensus manual.



The Drive:
Nice and quiet – so much so …I was concentrating on the tyre noise more than engine noise.
Not great feedback through the steering wheel – but acceptable for this type of car.
More power than my previous Passat and closer in speed and torque levels to a 520d, however, at higher speeds I found the feedback through the steering wheel not as re-assuring as its German opposition.
I use Pilot Assist with my hands on the wheel and every now and again testing the resistance slightly – this avoids the warning messages. I’m not sure of its true advantage over the active cruise control but I’ll have a better view after a few more miles
Gearbox silky smooth – but a bit slow off the mark at junctions (maybe because I’m using Eco mode?)

Great Sensus things:
Spotify App is good- (I wasn’t expecting to use this)
Great sound from the standard Amp & Speakers
Connection (WiFi & Bluetooth) works well

Annoying Sensus things:
You cannot specify a starting driving mode – It will always start in comfort and you have to change it every time (to Eco in my case). Unless anyone else has found a way of doing this?
Turning of FM TA announcements (hidden in menu items)
Difficult to keep clean (finger print marks)

Maintenance Costs:
This is the only thing that concerns me at the moment – I will use Halfords Autocentre as my go to garage to keep the costs down – not sure how many visits I’ll need.

Options I would add:
Front Parking sensors – let’s face it I need a captain’s licence for this barge!
Volvo On Call (disappointed this wasn’t on this 2018 model) really would like this !
Built-in Modem (I bought a PAYG MiFi Router that I have plugged into the USB port for Internet access) works well but a little untidy
Options I wouldn't miss:
Paddles on Steering Wheel


Overall:
This car is amazing value (if you can get one of the lease deals) I doubt I will be able to get anything as good for the same money when this ends in 2 years.
It’s a rare car – I’ve seen a handful of V90s but only one S90 in the last 3 weeks – compare that to the fleet of A6/BMW/Mercs on the road and this does seem exclusive.
It’s a really handsome car – I find myself looking back over my shoulder after I’ve locked it just to admire its looks. I’m pretty sure I’ve made a good choice with this one.