Americans are not really station wagon people and prefer SUVs, but Volvo reckons their latest sports tourer stands a good chance of altering the long established habits of the Yanks. The new Volvo V90 R-Design is the tourer in question, a sexy and practical – hard trick to pull – family car now available form $49,950.

Now, there is no doubt that that is a hefty price, especially taking into account that it can buy you some fins SUVs and sports pickup trucks. But what Volvo V90 R-Design has, besides everything that makes it a good car, is a heavy dose of coolness and a unique appearance and flair you just cannot find in the above-mentioned classes of vehicle. The fact that it is offered only in Inscription or R-Design trims shows that Volvo is aiming for a small and very exclusive market here.

As for specs and details and all that, the 2017 Volvo V90 comes with classy features such as 12” Sensus Connect Touchscreen, open-pore wood trim and Nappa leather, Panoramic moonroof, Blind Spot Information System (BLIS), Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard along with City Safety, which includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian, cyclist and large animal detection. Your choice of engines include T5 FWD, turbo-charged Drive-E engine or T6 AWD, turbo and super-charged powertrain.