IF the Volvo XC90 is a bit too bling for your tastes then the new S90 could be right up your gata*.

Available to order now, with on-the-road prices starting at £32,995 for the saloon and £34,555 for the estate, the S90 is a modern interpretation of the traditional Volvo; the kind of big old bus that was once the default choice of antiques dealers across Europe.

Built on Volvo’s Scalable Product Architecture platform – which underpins the terrific XC90 – the S90, and its V90 estate sibling, feature the new face of Volvo, including the T-shaped headlights that make them immediately recognisable.

Both models will initially be available with a choice of two 2.0-litre, four-cylinder diesel engines – the tax-efficient D4 and the powerful and refined D5 PowerPulse – and in two trim levels, Momentum and Inscription.

The front-wheel-drive 190hp D4 comes with an eight-speed automatic gearbox, and offers combined fuel consumption of 64.2 mpg and CO2 emissions of just 116 g/km in the S90. In the V90, these figures are 62.8 mpg and 119 g/km.

The 235hp D5 utilises an innovative technology called PowerPulse to boost responsiveness. This uses compressed air, which is stored in a tank in the engine bay and refilled automatically, to spool up the turbo at low revs.

This helps to overcome turbo lag, which is the short delay in the power delivery you experience in traditional turbocharged engines. To harness the engine’s power, the D5 PowerPulse comes with all-wheel drive. An eight-speed automatic gearbox is also standard.

With entry level models costing North of £30k buyers will rightly expect plenty of kit as standard.

Leather upholstery and Volvo’s Sensus infotainment system – 9-inch touch screen, sat nav with lifetime map updates, internet access and a range of apps such as TuneIn, Stitcher and Yelp – plus a voice-control system should give the new models plenty of showroom appeal.

Other useful standard equipment includes LED headlights with active high beam, two-zone climate control with ‘CleanZone’ air-filtration system, keyless engine starting and heated front seats.

The S90 gets a powered bootlid, too, while the V90 benefits from a powered tailgate.

Pilot Assist, Volvo’s innovative semi-autonomous drive feature, automatically keeps you at a set speed or distance from the vehicle in front, braking and accelerating with the flow of traffic, and gives gentle steering inputs to keep the car within lane markings at motorway speeds up to 80 mph. Unlike previous versions of the system, it no longer needs to follow another car.

The latest version of City Safety is also fitted to every S90 and V90. This includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, and the world-first application of large-animal detection. Why large animals? Because dozy Elk are responsible for more than 4,000 road accidents in Sweden every year. This feature helps to avoid or limit the severity of collisions both day and night.

Moving up to Inscription trim level adds Nappa soft leather upholstery, powered front seats, a 12.3” active TFT driver’s information display (Momentum cars get an 8-inch version), 18-inch diamond-cut/silver alloy wheels, keyless entry and handsfree boot/tailgate opening and closing. Additional premium touches include walnut interior inlays, rear footwell and side step illumination, and chrome exterior details.

The optional Xenium package is available across the range and adds a powered tilt and slide glass sunroof (panoramic in the V90), a parking camera system with 360-degree surround view, and Park Assist Pilot, which includes automatic parallel and 90-degree parking.

Apple CarPlay is another option and allows you to access certain functions of your Apple device and CarPlay-optimised apps directly via the car’s touch screen, voice control system or the buttons on the steering wheel. Also available is the exceptional Bowers and Wilkins premium sound system, which offers no less than 18 speakers and an output of 1,400W.

Both models are available to order now, with the first S90 customer deliveries expected in September and the first V90s in October.

• That’s the Swedish word for street.