Volvo Ocean Race Limited Edition XC90 Review

And more importantly, it's been one of the Swedish company's top sellers and it helped to guide Volvo's image out, from being a "boxy old boring car", to a stylish and contemporary automobile.

Now, Volvo has just made it even cooler.

It's called the Volvo Ocean Race Limited Edition XC90, and before you think the car has silly sails and a big oak helm in the driver's seat, it doesn't. What it does feature, however, are some racing-boat inspired details.

The seats are specially stitched with a zig-zag pattern normally found on the sails of boats and the aluminium decor on the dash and corners of the floor mats would excite the mind of sailing enthusiasts. Even the rims have been inspired by the movement of the ocean's waves.

Maria Thunberg, who is the Colour and Trim Designer at Volvo Cars Special Vehicles, said that she had spent "weeks looking at sails and at yachting materials" after she received the assignment.

To put things into perspective, this would be like a car's motorsport edition - only without the performance upgrades. You do get a lot of influence from the world of racing (yachts in this case), and it shows up everywhere around the XC90. But it still is a pity that Volvo didn't make this any faster. They could have at least stuck in more Kevlar or carbon fibre bits.

Cosy Cruiser

The limited edition SUV carries the same 2.5-litre turbocharged unit which produces 210 bhp and 320 Nm of torque. It's no slouch for its size and is able to hit 100 km/h from standstill in 9.9 seconds, despite its heavy body.

Thanks to its front McPherson struts and rear multi-link suspension, it turns a lot better than its ocean bourn distant cousin. Even with a kerb weight of 2,091 kg, Volvo's anti-drive and anti-lift systems in its suspension helps keep things on an even keel; your kids won't be complaining about feeling like they're sea-sick.

When the first Volvo Ocean Race was organised in 2001, a total of 4,500 special edition V70 and XC70s were sold. This time round, the Swedish company expects to sell 9,000 units of these race-special cars.

More importantly, if mom and dad are the sort who are interested in sea sports, and the children have been following them around the waters excitedly, this version of the XC90 is going to get them smiling every time they see it.

There's just something special about it, even though its appeal is limited mostly to keen sailing fanatics, soccer moms, or those who are just looking for something that's unique. No loud and flamboyant flares or arches, or even a silly mast sticking out of a sun-roof. Only when you look closer will you get a hint of what all this fuss is about. The sail-style stitching, the subtle badging and the aluminium clew-like corners on the mats all invoke a sub-conscious level of excitement.

It is a little difficult to describe the feeling one would get when driving around in this. Perhaps it's the high-riding position naturally exuding confidence when driving on the road. But there's a real comforting sensation this car gave that I couldn't find in any other. I guess it could be called a smooth sailing experience.

Rally on the Seas

The Volvo Ocean Race is probably one of the world's most challenging races. And it happens on sea, which makes it all the more difficult. Consisting of 10 legs, the race this year flagged off in Spain in October and will head to Cape Town (South Africa), Kochi (India), Singapore, Qingdao (China), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Boston (USA), Galyway (Ireland), Goteburg (Sweden) and finally ending in Stockholm (Sweden). The entire distance covers more than 37,000 nautical miles (68,500 km) and is slated to finish only in late June 2009.

Singapore will play host to the Volvo Ocean Race in late December till mid-January, when the yachts are expected to arrive. What's more, there'll be an in-port race on the 10th January 2009 where spectators will get to see the teams battle hard to gain as much possible advantage in points.