2021 Volvo S90 facelift teased, Malaysian launch soon

Volvo Car Malaysia (VCM) has officially teased the facelifted S90 on its social media pages, confirming that the refreshed executive sedan will be launched soon. It’s taken quite a while for the car to arrive, having been revealed to the world back in February 2020 – it’s already been on sale in Thailand since December, and in Malaysian-assembled form too.

Still, better late than never, and while no details have been revealed just yet, the S90 should at least retain its current attractive pricing. The outgoing model retailed at RM319,630 for the T5 Momentum, RM349,670 for the T8 Twin Engine AWD Inscription and RM368,920 for the Inscription Plus.

Changes to the S90 are fairly minor and include a redesigned lower front bumper with reshaped air intakes and a full-width chrome strip for Inscription models. The facelifted model was also the first Volvo to ditch its visible exhaust tips – a change that has now filtered down to other cars. Lastly, there are three-dimensional full-LED taillights with C-shaped graphics, replacing the previous E-shaped ones.

Thai-market Volvo S90 Recharge T8 Inscription pictured

Inside, the revisions are limited to a reshaped Orrefors crystal gearknob for the Inscription trim, an Advanced Air Cleaner with a PM 2.5 particular filter and an upgraded Bowers & Wilkins sound system with a new amplifier, active noise cancellation and a new jazz club setting. For the 2022 model year, the S90 also receives the latest Sensus infotainment system based on the Android Automotive OS, although it remains to be seen if we’ll get the new software or the 2021 spec with the old system.

Expect the specs of the Inscription Plus model to closely mirror those of the Malaysian-built, Thai-market Inscription. The latter comes with adaptive LED headlights, 19-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry, power-adjustable front seats with heating, ventilation, memory and lumbar adjustment, a 12.3-inch instrument display, a nine-inch centre touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, a head-up display, rear sunshades, a sunroof, a 360-degree camera and a hands-free powered bootlid.

The Inscription Plus model is differentiated by the 19-speaker, 1,400-watt Bowers & Wilkins system and Four-C adaptive dampers with rear air suspension, both of which are fitted to the Thai Inscription. Safety-wise, all models come with the Pilot Assist semi-autonomous driving system with autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane centring assist, lane keeping assist, blind spot monitoring with steering assist, rear cross traffic alert with auto brake and active high beam.

The mechanicals on the T8 model – which will receive the new Recharge branding, replacing the previous Twin Engine moniker – will likely remain identical and include of a 2.0 litre turbocharged and supercharged four-cylinder producing 320 PS and 400 Nm of torque. This is paired with a 87 PS/240 Nm rear electric motor to produce a total system output of 407 PS and 640 Nm, plus an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

While we don’t get the full 420 PS output found in other markets, we do receive a new brake-by-wire battery charging system, plus a larger 11.6 kWh lithium-ion battery. Despite this, the all-electric range of this car is practically unchanged at 49 km. Zero to 100 km/h takes 4.9 seconds, while the top speed is limited to 180 km/h. Fuel consumption is rated at 1.7 litres per 100 km.

No specs for the T5 model, but expect the car to soldier on with the same 254 PS/350 Nm single-turbo version of the 2.0 litre mill, without the mild hybrid system available in other markets. It’s also paired to an eight-speed auto and gets from zero to 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds, with an official fuel consumption figure of 7.0 litres per 100 km.

GALLERY: 2021 Volvo S90 facelift official photos