Long term report: How will a Volvo XC90 fit into family life?

Family transportation requires three things – space, safety and more space. Thankfully, my latest steed has an abundance of points one and three.

I’ve just taken delivery of a new Volvo XC90 seven-seat SUV to slot into family life and first impressions are really rather good.

With two children under three and one very tall teenage daughter, a combination of luggage and mandatory car seats makes anything other than a seven-seater feel rather cramped.

With the two smallest children in their ISOFIX car seats on the outer edges of the middle row, my eldest is left with a sliver of a seat in most cars. While this is fine for a trip to the shops, anything more than an hour can lead to more complaints from her than a lack of WiFi.

In the Volvo we can easily pop up the third row of seats for longer trips to give her an ample phone-scrolling area. When the sixth and seventh seats are not required, though, the XC90 has a cave-like boot that can easily lose a fold-up pushchair and everything else little ones need for even a simple trip to the park.

Unlike my previous seven-seater, an Audi Q7, this Volvo is a T8 so it features a plug-in hybrid set-up. That means you can top up an onboard battery from a home charger every night and drive around for 30-odd miles on pure electric.

I’m not a fan of full electric cars, so a plug-in hybrid is a nice bridge. Most of my journeys are around town and take place on silent electric propulsion. But on the odd occasion I do need to travel further, the 2.0-litre engine kicks in and, importantly, a decent range thanks to a tank of unleaded.

Critics say plug-in hybrids are the worst of both worlds and make cars needlessly heavy (batteries weigh a lot), but I think for most people they are the perfect solution. Electric charging on long distances is a faff and this negates the need to ever do that. It’s little surprise to me that many car makers are modifying their electric car plans to include more plug-ins.

That’s not to say it’s been completely smooth sailing. I plug the Volvo in every night and sometimes get in the morning to find it hasn’t charged, or stopped halfway. Now, I don’t get that problem with my kettle or my phone, so why on earth should it happen with my car? I can’t lay the blame solely at the XC90’s door as the PodPoint charger I have installed could equally be to blame.

Whatever it is, it’s an example of how frustrating electric cars and their plug-in counterparts can be. It’s hard to fathom why something as simple as a plug fails to deliver on its primary role – delivering electricity.

And while I’m moaning – which I promise won’t last – the XC90’s unlocking procedure is a little annoying too. The key is one of those which you don’t have to get out of your pocket as, when you touch the doors, the car senses its presence, and unlocks. Sounds wonderfully simple. That is until you try to take the charging cable out. Then you have to dig into your pockets to find the key to unlock the car all over again to release the cable. I must say I grumble about this most mornings.

Away from grumpy old man territory, on the positive side the Volvo is comfortable and enjoyable to drive. It does feel big on the road and, well, it is – and that can make parking and squeezing through gaps a little hard. But I also like the higher driving position and airy cabin you get as a result. I am also a fan of the Google-powered infotainment system which is easy to use and the huge touchscreen displays everything very clearly.

Another plus point is the power the engine and electric motor combination provide. Respectively they add 310bhp and 145bhp to the mix, which combined makes for 455bhp. It certainly feels rapid on the road when you want it to be – in fact it will hit 60mph in just over five seconds, but most of the time I find myself driving it gently to preserve the battery life and electric range. On the latter, the most I’ve seen so far is 31 miles while Volvo claims 44 miles, but it has been very cold and that’s something that can upset batteries. I’ll certainly be keeping an eye on that.

Talking of cold weather, next up I’ll be heading to the Alps so we’ll see how it performs on a 1,500-mile round trip. As shake downs do for new cars, I always find this works rather well. I’ll report back soon.