IS the all-new Volvo XC90 the best car the famous Swedish company has ever produced?

I think it is.

Despite the rather conservative changes to its outward styling the new SUV is a completely new motor from the ground up.

With a new platform, a new interior, new engines and a host of innovative high-tech driving aids Volvo is confident it will appeal to existing XC90 owners and will also take sales from the likes of BMW, Audi and even Land Rover in the premium SUV market.

The new Swedish luxury 4x4 comes with a completely new, stronger but lightweight platform (which cost an incredible £6.5 billion to design and develop), which can be reconfigured to be the basis of a whole new raft of upcoming Volvos being planned.

And it goes without saying that Volvo has incorporated even more safety features in this classy new motor including cameras which can detect pedestrians and cyclists in the road ahead and apply the brakes automatically, city braking which stops you running into the car in front, lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition, and a new system which can protect occupants if you leave the road, automatically tightening seat belts and activating energy absorbing technology in the seats.

I said the exterior hasn't had a dramatic styling change, but it has undergone some, with more rounded edges, a more attractive bonnet shape and a bold new chrome surround grille plus "Thors Hammer" LED headlights adding up to an attractive looking motor.

The spacious interior is superb, up to the standards of its closest rivals in the luxury sector. Full leather seating, chrome and leather detailing and Volvo has managed to unclutter the dash with the introduction of a 9-in touchscreen which houses most of the controls a driver requires.

I liked the new touchscreen system. It incorporates sat nav, telephone, air conditioning, music centre, i-Pad connectivity and many other features. It may look complicated at first but buyers will be given a comprehensive demonstration by dealers.

There's also a superb Bowers & Wilkins audio system installed in the XC90 with now fewer than 19 speakers.

Seating up front is firm and supportive for exhilarating driving and there is plenty of head and legroom. The two third row seats are the same size as the second row, although if you are over 5ft 7in tall it could be a squeeze and the centre seat in the second row has slightly restricted leg space due to the centre tunnel.

The biggest seller will be the D5 twin turbo 4-cylinder diesel which I tried out in and around Tarragona in Spain on a mixture of town centres, motorways and twisty hilly routes.

The car had air suspension, which is an option, and it handled beautifully, absorbing all but the harshest road surfaces and the electric power steering was light but positive when taking some pretty tight bends and there was very little body roll for a car its size and weight.

On the move it was also very quiet, with very little engine noise or road noise. There was a bit of wind noise from the big wing mirrors but there was a pretty severe gale blowing down from the mountains at the time.

The power from the 220bhp twin-turbo unit should be more than adequate for most. It's mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox which is slick and smooth with effortless changes. It can be used manually if you like to be in charge. Volvo claims that you could get around 49mpg with this power unit.

Volvo UK says around 75 per cent of people will go for the D5 but there is also a 4-cylinder petrol version available, the 316bhp T6 which is claimed can return up to 35mpg on a combined run.

It seems hybrids are all the rage at the moment and Volvo hasn't been left behind. They are offering the T8 with a 2.0-litre petrol engine plus electric motor which combined gives it a healthy 390bhp of power with a claimed 59 g/km of CO2.

The new XC90 comes in three trim levels: Momentum, R-Design and Inscription with prices starting at £45,550 for the D5, the T6 at £48,800 and the T8 hybrid comes in at £59,900.

It is one of the best motors I've driven for a long time and if future new Volvo's are up to this high standard the Swedes will be taking a bigger bite of the quality car market.