Weight distribution affects handling

At the specified curb weight your vehicle has a tendency to understeer, which means that the steering wheel has to be turned more than might seem appropriate for the curvature of a bend. This ensures good stability and reduces the risk of rear wheel skid. Remember that these properties can alter with the vehicle load.
The heavier the load in the cargo area, the less the tendency to understeer.
See also:
Exterior
Chief Designer Peter Horbury calls the XC90’s appearance “masculine, but not
macho; muscular, but not aggressive.” At 188.9 inches long overall, the XC90 is
3.4 inches longer than Volvo’s V70 wago ...
Disabling the passenger's side front airbag
Occupant Weight Sensor (OWS) indicator light
Volvo recommends that ALL occupants (adults and children) shorter than 4 feet
7 inches (140 cm) be seated in the back seat of any vehicle with a front ...
Immobilizer (start inhibitor)
Each of the keys supplied with your vehicle contains a coded transponder. The
code in the key is transmitted to an antenna in the ignition slot where it is compared
to the code stored in the start ...
