There is a reason that the 2003 Volvo XC90 was selected by Motor Trend and hands down by automotive journalists from all over the nation as the Northwest Automotive Press Association’s (NWAPA) SUV of the Year. Volvo’s first-ever sport-utility vehicle is worthy of the title, surprisingly beating out the highly capable Hummer H2 among the other 24 vehicles in the nationally recognized event.

The XC90 is roomy, comfortable, quiet, fast and fun to drive. Typical of the Swedish automaker, it’s also loaded with safety features, which its “Volvo For Life” philosophy heavily emphasizes. And lets face it, it’s still safety that sells many Volvos.

On the safety front, the mid-size XC90 features a stability enhancing system it claims is a world first. It’s designed to prevent what many SUV owners fear — and SUV critics — cite most often: a rollover accident provoked by unusually rapid or severe body lean.

The system, developed by Volvo and its parent company, Ford, utilizes gyroscopic sensors to instantly calculate roll speed and angle, and activate the vehicle’s Dynamic Stability and Traction Control anti-skid system. It reduces engine power, and brakes one or more wheels until stability is regained. You have to be a serious moron driver to get into trouble in the XC90.

Volvo has also kept the safety of occupants of cars involved in accidents with the XC90 in mind. SUVs are taller than cars and routinely cause plenty of damage to them in collisions. Volvo has developed a lower front beam that allows a car’s protective structure to be hit at the correct height in an accident.

Other standard safety features include side curtain airbags that cover all three rows of seats. Volvo is the only automaker offering it for third-row occupants.

Making the XC90 look distinctive was no easy task because an SUV is little more than a box on wheels. However, the XC90 uses the same basic sculpted bodylines and V-shaped hood as Volvo’s beautiful S60.

Since the XC90 is aimed at upscale competitors, including the Mercedes-Benz M-Class, BMW X5, Acura MDX, Lexus RX330, and Jeep Grand Cherokee, pricing was a major issue. The well-equipped XC90 stickers at slightly over $35,000 with all-wheel drive and a turbocharged 208-horse, inline 5-cylinder powerplant. The upscale T6 version bottom lines at just under $40,000. For that, you get a twin-turbocharged, 268-horse, inline 6-cylinder with all-wheel drive — besides more equipment. The lower-horsepower version is offered with front wheel-drive for a little over $33,000.

A variety of option packages that contain options like leather seats, heated front seats, a third-row seat, and a power glass moonroof can run the sticker up anywhere from $595 to $2,575. Stand-alone extras include the $1,895 navigation system and a $400 reverse warning system. Our test vehicle, a T6, which featured premium sound, navigation system and more, stickered at just under $46,000.

Like several of its competitors, under the hood sit modified car engines. The lively 5-cylinder is mated to a responsive 5-speed automatic. The smoother, 6-cylinder is almost in the hot rod SUV class and coupled to a 4-speed automatic. No manual gearbox is offered on either version, but there is a pretty responsive J-gate setup that allows for manual up and downshifting of the automatic with a push or pull on the stick.

I’ve driven the XC90 several times in all of its configurations and came away more impressed each time. On a drive up to Mount Rainier, with four adults, our T6 test vehicle handled the steep, winding mountain roads with ease. Through the wine country in California, it was a dream to drive and slogging through the mud in the rain at NWAPA’s SUV competition it proved its meddle. On a drive back and forth to Coeur D’Alene, I-90 was a breeze with Snoqualmie Pass not even an inconvenience. Cruising at 85+ mph, the T6 XC90 didn’t break a sweat while delivering a solid 24-mpg.

Based on the platform of Volvo’s newest sedans and wagons, the XC90 drives very car-like. It has a wide stance and low center of gravity to enhance handling, along with a 112.6-inch wheelbase. Its all-independent suspension delivers a quiet, comfortable ride. Although mainly on on-road vehicle, you’ll know you’re in an SUV on some bumpy roads. I also found the steering to be fast, and stopping distances short.

The electronically controlled all-wheel-drive system delivers 95 percent of its power to the front wheels under regular driving conditions on dry roads. If road surfaces cause the front wheels to slip, power is diverted proportionately to the rear wheels, with the system engaged after only one-seventh of a wheel turn. The traction control system also manages side-to-side wheel slip.

Behind the wheel, instrumentation is easily read, with large, analog gauges, climate control system controls, and good-sized sound system controls. However, there are digital readouts for the time, outside temperature, main and trip odometers, message center and sound system status. The cruise control and secondary sound system controls are steering wheel mounted.

Occupants sit high with excellent visibility. Large outside mirrors give the driver a good view of what’s going on behind. Ford’s rear object sensing system is also an option as is a power front passenger seat.

The middle of the second-row seat offers an integrated child booster seat that flips out. If the XC90 is equipped with the third-row seat, the child seat can slide forward so it’s positioned just behind the two front seats, improving contract between a child and front-seat occupants — a very thoughtful extra.

There’s plenty of room to haul lots of stuff in the XC90. The second- and third-row seatbacks fold flat to enlarge the cargo area, which is pretty decent with the second row seatbacks in their normal position. Also, the front passenger seatback flips forward for especially long cargo when the other seatbacks are folded forward.

The easy to use split tailgate is a nice feature but you need to open the short lower section to facilitate some loading and a convenient reach deeper into the cargo area. The hatch doesn’t open so high that short people can’t reach it.

Whines: The digital dashboard readouts are very hard to read with polarized sunglasses on. The third row seat is hard to reach and not really suited for adults. The power windows seem to have a mind of their own, annoyingly zooming all the way down or up once activated without stopping. Also, the accelerator has an unusually long throw.

Bottom Line: Entering the increasingly crowded SUV market this late gave Volvo the opportunity to really do its homework. This is much more than a car masquerading as an SUV — it’s the real deal. Volvo obviously sweated the small stuff — and it shows. The XC90 is exactly what you would expect Volvo’s first SUV to be — a very distinctive, comfortable, quiet safe, roomy vehicle that offers excellent performance both on and off road. I liked the XC90 so much I’m going to buy one.