S90 Inscription Vs R-design 2018
 

Hi Guys,

I may be thinking of getting a used S90. Cannot make my mind up between these 2 trims. for the 2018 version is there much difference. I cannot find the info that says what each trim has.

Ideally the must have include: Front and rear sensor. Ideally rear camera as well. Is the Inscription notably more "luxurious"..?

I know the ones with Xenium have everything want but too expensive and i see the R-Design are usually a few thousand cheaper and more readily available than the Inscription trim.

Also how reliable..? those of you who know me know i spent a small fortune recently on repairing the 2012 XC60... so a little wary of the Volvo brand at the moment, but bang for buck it seems to have what i want.

Are there any obvious things to look

Yes, i'll update all about the XC60 saga, and hopefully save other people a thousand or so later!

Thanks.

If you get an R-Design with 20’ phat rims on your Volvo everyone (including me) will look at you and think ‘yawn another middle life crises’.

If you get the inscription it has the same power and speed without looking a cretin.

Hi Shah

Using your favourite search engine, enter: volvo-s90-my18-edition-2a

That Volvo price list should be top of the list.

It's not as simple as Inscription v R Design. There were Pro versions of both which come with winter pack and bendy lights BUT do have 20" wheels. R Design trim is supposed to be sporty and has lowered suspension and heavily bolstered seats. Inscription has wood trim rather than aluminium etc etc.

You pays your money and takes your choice.

Hope this helps.

Like most things, its all relative.

I have a V90 R Design, which I'm happy with. I prefer the style over the Inscription chrome and I don't feel I'm ready for the wood trim yet.

The 20's look good and not over the top IMO, but the 21's are a step too far for most perhaps.

Few little niggly issues with mine, Indicators sometime complain about malfunction. Hasn't reached the point where I have looked into it further, but there is a little play in the indicator stalk.

I had a rear door lock fail on me too a week after I bought mine. Volvo chipped in a little for the repair (out of warranty)

Other than that, things to look out for..

It was later 2018 (MY19) cars that had front parking sensors as standard, MY17/18 cars have what appears to be sensors up front, but are actually dummy blanks.

Bolster wear on R Designs seem to be an issue too. I looked at some 2018 cars with 18-25k miles that had a fair amount of wear on them.

Rear brake pads last less than 20k miles on average. Not a massive issue, but worth bearing in mind.

Here are the UK price lists for 2018 and 2019. I found them handy for researching the nuanced model differences when choosing a car. Then I discovered that I had sort of wasted my time as the Irish specs are slightly different (lower) than UK specs.

Watch out for those fake front parking sensors on the MY18 cars. And be aware that some cars with a 2019 reg could be of 2018 model year. Inside the rear driver's side door you will find the VIN plate and on the VIN number you want to 10th character to be a K for MY2019. J is MY2018.

I looked at R-Design and standard V90s before buying my Cross Country. The R-Design is quite a bit lower than the standard cars and at the ripe old age of 35 I found it a killer to get in and out of. Conversely, the CC is 65mm higher than the standard car and is a doddle to hop in and out of. The extra ground clearance is also handy if you have a missus who likes to park with the nose of the car over the footpath.

For whats its worth; I have the rear parking camera and I hardly ever look at it. The parking sensors with the graphical display are excellent. I find myself using the mirrors and listening to the beeps when parking. I have parking sensors on the sides of the car too and they are a nuisance. You can see both sides of the car in your wing mirrors and the beeping of the side sensors only distracts from the front and rear sensors which are protecting parts of the car you can't see.


My car has the following that I consider a waste of time:

- Pilot Assist - Utterly useless but standard on all 90s I think. I had high
hopes for this but have been majorly disappointed.
- Cornering fog lights - A gimmick and a fad.
- Park Assist Pilot - Utterly pointless. Tried to use it once and got sick of
waiting for it to finish parking after 90 seconds.

Things I never knew I needed and now love:

- All Wheel Drive!! The confidence this gives is incredible. It blew my mind
in recent frosts and on just normal wet roads the grip is incredible. And
the take offs are amazing.
- 235 BHP - That D5 motor pulls like stink, especially since having the Power
Pulse hose replaced yesterday!
- Heated steering wheel and windscreen - Opulent but wonderful
- Remote start - remarkably useful, especially on cold mornings.
- Volvo on call phone app - really useful with lots of car info including a log
of journeys for the last 100 days. I use this regularly.
- Adaptive cruise contol - standard on all 90s and really nice to drive with.
- Electric tailgate that can be opened and closed with the remote key - Just
super handy!
- Harman Kardon upgraded sound system. Very very nice! Maybe the B+W
system is better but the HK system is more than great.

Also ensure you get the 12.3" driver's display. It is beautiful and way better than the 8". I think it is standard on 2019 models anyway. The 8" is an ugly POS and you'll be reminded every time you get into the car how cheap you are!

Thank you very much guys.

Main wants are basically front and rear sensors. I like both inscription and R-Design look, perhaps inscription a little more!

Thanks for the the fact that some R-Design Sensors are duds, so have to make sure its real before i buy.

Also given i want ground clearance i suspect Inscription may be the way to go.

hahaha what a throbber

What a really helpful post, thank you.

I am in the same position as the OP and it's so hard to know where to draw the line with so many extras and the cost implication and budget of finding a car with spec you want.

I was quite set on wanting park pilot due to the huge size of the car in comparison to my V40, but seems it's all not that great.

In regards to the remote start, am I right in thinking that this is basically cars equipped with Volvo On Call?

For me, at the moment, must haves are the front and rear park assist and winter pack. Secondary to that remote start, BLIS and bending lights would be ideal.

My concern with a lot of these cars listed on Autotrader is whether they've had a cambelt change as from my understanding this is to be done at the 5th service and costs £1035 :eek: don't want to buy a car and then have to add that cost immediately on top.

Sorry if I've hijacked the thread.

I would take the 360 degree camera and park myself rather than use the park assist pilot every day of the week. By the time you have used park assist to parallel park next to the pavement on a busy road, there is a 3 mile traffic jam built up behind you. If the 360 is an affordable option, I would recommend taking it.

Completely agree. Park Assist Pilot is a clever (if a little unnerving) party trick but it's just a bit too much pf a faff to be used is many circumstances. I have had it on my last three cars and have used it precisely twice.

For me the 360 degree camera is a 'must have' and all I need to park, or manoeuvre in a tight space.