VOLVO XC90 T8
Rating
★★★★☆
Price
From €95,995 to €111,645 as tested
Engine
A 2ltr PHEV with 455bhp
The Spec
Truly outstanding — it almost has to be seen to be believed
Verdict
May be about to be outshone by Volvo’s new electric but shows the company at the top of its game
IN A week during which Volvo unveiled the new EX60 — a new, all-electric mid-size SUV that changes the game in the largest electric market segment in terms of range, charging speed, performance, and price — we’re actually looking back in time at an older, more traditional car from the Swedish firm.
The XC90 T8 hybrid is actually a car that might never have seen the light of day had it not been for initial market resistance to the blossoming new world of EVs... but it is with us and is a fine example of a car maker being extremely sensible with regard to its bottom line.
While now focused on EV production — as it promised it would be several years ago when hysterically pronouncing that ‘diesel is dead’ (which it’s not) — Volvo, like anyone else in this business, likes to turn a profit. And so do its Chinese owners.
Volvo admitted a while back that the XC90 was a “crucial driver” of revenue and would be in the short-to-medium term but the new five-seater, family-friendly EX60 — due here next July — is promised to “end range anxiety” while delivering what is pledged to be “a groundbreaking user experience” while it “represents the next frontier in safety”.
It is also expected to undercut its biggest rivals, BMW and Mercedes, on price.
Volvo Cars’ first entry in the largest electric segment globally is expected to “substantially increase its addressable market and electric market share”. That means it will be going head-to-head with BMW’s
first “Neue Klasse” model, the iX3, which leads the pack in terms of EV potential.
Volvo boss Hakan Samuelsson is seemingly not afraid of the challenge posed by the Beemer, saying: “The new all-electric EX60 changes the game in terms of range, charging, and price, and represents a new beginning for Volvo Cars and our customers.
“With this car, we remove all remaining obstacles for going electric.
“This fantastic new car is also a testament to what we are capable of at Volvo Cars, with an all-new product architecture introducing new key technologies — mega casting, cell-to-body, and core computing.”
Volvo is promising that the EX60 can go up to a best-in-class 810km on a single charge in an all-wheel-drive configuration. This doesn’t just make it go further than any electric car that Volvo has ever created, it also appears to beat its recently revealed competitors, setting a new standard for its segment. We will judge that one in due course.
The company is equally cocky about its charging prowess, maintaining that a quick coffee stop is enough to recharge and hit the road again. The EX60 can add up to 340km of range in just 10 minutes when using a 400kW fast charger.
In other words, the EX60 turns range anxiety into range comfort and demonstrates that going electric is no longer a compromise. Design, engineering, hardware, and software all work together to create a car that optimises driving range and matches many petrol cars.
The EX60, which we will first see here in July, will be available with three powertrain variants. The P12 AWD Electric model offers the class-leading range of up to 810km, while the P10 all-wheel-drive version clocks in at a range of up to 660km. A rear-wheel-powered P6 Electric variant delivers up to 620km of range.
All in all, there will be seven variants, covering all needs and lifestyles, and it will come with 10 years of battery warranty. On top of that, it will, according to the Volvo Ireland website, come in at a baseline cost of €56,860, which will undercut the BMW iX3 substantially.
But all that’s for the future. What we’re talking about this week is firmly entrenched in the past. The XC90 has been with us in one form or another for 23 years now and, while it has found massive favour among people who eschew either Land Rover/Range Rover or German premium options, it racks up solid, if unspectacular, sales figures.
Last year, Volvo sold 407 of them in Ireland, making it the 89th best-selling car, with the company’s total sales of 1,966 units placing it 20th on the overall list. It has a decent constituency of fans and so too the XC90.
But what of the hybrid T8 Ultra model we test here? Well, the seven-seater is certainly not cheap at well over €100,000 but it does exude an air of sophistication and refinement that many other manufacturers would find hard to match to appease the welly-wearing country set or even their non-booted city slicker compadres.
This latest iteration of the car has not seen many changes on the visual front; the grille has been changed — a series of intersecting lines replacing the more conventional parallel vanes — and adds an element of erudition to the overall look.
The “Thor’s hammer” LED running lights have been upgraded too and the 22in alloys indicate a sense of purpose and intent.
On the road, the standard air suspension, matched with adaptive dampers, make a very large, potentially unwieldy beast a much more controlled and composed proposition than might have been. When you add in the standard 4x4 system, you truly do have a go-anywhere car, even if most of them will never be further off-road than an upmarket driveway.
Its on-road composure is more than matched by the performance figures — 455bhp, a 5.4-second 0-100km/h time, and a top speed limited to 180km/h.
But its size determines that consumption levels are not notable for economy. You will be lucky to see a figure of just shy of 10 litres/100km (30mpg) and not even that if you’re heavy-handed.
Comfort levels are exceptional too. The interior is clad with a mix of leather, wood, and brushed aluminium elements, redolent of some type of Nordic salon, and the seating is exceptionally comfortable. It’s roomy, even in the rearmost seats, but when they are collapsed, the boot space is massive.
There is also a new 11.2in infotainment screen, which is portrait-shaped and, thus, easier to access when you’re on the move. In fact, the interior is spectacularly good and filled with neat touches such as the parking-ticket holder on the A-pillar.
Essentially, the XC90 is a top-drawer SUV with seven seats, something which is quite rare. It is also exceptionally well-appointed and enjoys an outstanding mix of power, silent running, and handsome looks, while not being anything like as flashy as some of its main rivals.
For now, it is close to the top of the PHEV pile but, as we’ve alluded, Volvo is set to broaden its appeal some time around mid-year when the EX60 hits the scene and, to be honest, we cannot wait to see what the Swedes (along with their Chinese bosses) have come up with that will be so challenging for its main premium rivals.
