Volvo gives 2.5 million cars a digital makeover

Volvo is teaching its older cars some brand-new tricks. Usually, when a car turns four or five years old, its technology starts to feel like an ancient relic, but the Swedish automaker is changing that story. Volvo announced a massive software update for more than 2.5 million cars built since 2020. This update will make the screens in older models look and act just like the ones in the company's newest flagship vehicles.

The brand released the new software, known as version 5.0.5, this week. Most drivers will receive this update "over-the-air," which means the car downloads it using a cellular connection while parked in the driveway. The rollout will take about three weeks to reach everyone. If you own one of these cars and lack the patience to wait for the download, you can visit a local dealership. Mechanics there can plug the car in and install the new system immediately.

The update focuses on electric cars and other models that use a Google-based infotainment system. Volvo calls the new look the "Volvo Car UX." It mimics the interface found in the brand-new EX30 and EX90. Even though older cars have smaller screens than those brand-new models, the software adjusts the layout to fit.

The biggest change sits right on the home screen. Volvo designers decided to put the map front and center. This makes sense because navigation is the tool people use the most. They also added a "persistent" button bar at the bottom of the display. This bar stays in place no matter what menu you are using. It holds shortcuts for the most common tasks, such as adjusting the climate or changing settings. This setup keeps drivers from digging through deep menus while they are trying to focus on the road.

Drivers of plug-in hybrid cars will likely appreciate one specific change. In the previous software version, which was numbered 4.2.13, changing the driving mode was a bit of a hassle. You had to tap the screen three times just to switch from gasoline power to all-electric mode. With the 5.0.5 update, Volvo cut that down to just two taps. It sounds like a small victory, but any reduction in screen-staring time is a win for safety.

The digital instrument cluster also looks different now. Volvo redesigned the map view on this screen to make it slightly larger, matching the style of the latest EVs in the Volvo lineup. It gives the driver a clearer view of the route without needing to look over at the main dashboard. It is a clean, minimalist look that fits the Swedish design theme perfectly.

Connectivity also gets a boost with the new release. The smartphone app plays a bigger role in the ownership experience and you can now link your official Volvo ID to your vehicle by simply scanning a QR code on the center display. If you share your car with someone, the app now allows you to invite other users to link their own accounts to the same vehicle. This makes it easier for multiple people to manage the car's digital features from their own phones.

The new features sound great, but there is a potential fly in the soup. The update uses Android Automotive OS 13 as its foundation. The newest Volvo models have very fast processors that can handle heavy software with ease, but older models use "digital brains" that are not quite as powerful. Many Volvo owners have already complained about screens that lag or systems that crash. Installing a heavy, modern interface on an older computer can lead to slow performance.

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