Currently reading: More changes for Volvo XC90
Volvo's popular 4x4 gets more tweaks – this time aesthetic spruce-ups and new tech

Nearly a decade after its launch, Volvo’s XC90 seven-seat SUV is taking on another round of changes. Earlier this year minor exterior and interior tweaks were accompanied by a 15bhp power hike for the 2.4-litre five-pot diesel, but this time around the changes are limited to aesthetic spruce-ups and new tech.

Silver roof rails will become standard across the range, as will the newly redesigned bumper bar, also in silver, and sharpened, colour-coded lower door mouldings.

See pics of the revamped Volvo XC90

Front running lights and the rear light clusters have also been slightly reprofiled, and new matt-finish 18-inch alloys join the range.

Inside, aluminium trim becomes standard fayre, as does a colour-coded leather grab handle in the boot, and the instruments get a shake-up to include white back lighting.

The sporty R-Design model gets a more thorough interior shake-up to include new upholstery and door panels, and its 19-inch alloys have been redesigned.

Tech-wise, Bluetooth functionality will include the ability to stream music wirelessly from your mobile device – a feature you’ll now find in all of the company’s new cars. Volvo claims to be the first manufacturer to offer this feature across the board.

A new smart phone app will also enable all 2012-model buyers to communicate with their car remotely, receiving data such as fuel level, economy, service alerts and trip reading as well as location tracking.

Senior vice president of research and development Peter Mertens said the new functionality is a sign of things to come: ‘The mobile application is much more than a gadget – it is the first step in our connectivity strategy and will be extended with a range of possibilities.’

Customers placing orders from late October will benefit from the changes to the XC90 range, but prices are yet to be confirmed.

Richard Webber

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