Volvo has confirmed engine details on the new 2015 XC90 – and it’ll be crowned by the XC90 T8 plug-in hybrid, a 4×4 with 395bhp and around 60g/km of CO2.
The Swedish seven-seat crossover hasn’t been unveiled yet (expect full pictures in August 2014) and Volvo is busy building up the publicity machine with snapshots inside the new XC90 and now teasing us with engine details.
The first photograph here is the Volvo XC Coupe concept car from the Detroit motor show 2014.
Volvo XC90 will be available as a T8 plug-in hybrid
The big news today is that Volvo has confirmed a plug-in hybrid range-topper boasting 395bhp, 472lb ft of torque and amazingly low CO2 emissions of ‘around 60g/km’.
The Swedes call it Twin Engine technology: mating a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with supercharger and turbo, plus a hybrid electric drivetrain. In normal driving, the XC90 will be front-wheel drive.
At the rear, a 60kW electric motor powers the back wheels on demand. Drivers can select EV silent electric driving mode in town for the cleanest running and, being a plug-in hybrid, can top up the batteries at home. It’s worth bearing in mind those eye-popping emissions figures will only be possible if the batteries are fully charged.
Volvo says the supercharger is tuned to deliver a large-engine feel and lightning throttle response at low speeds, while the turbo kicks in at higher revs to swell the mid-range for overtaking. It’s very similar in principle to VW’s twin-charging set-up.
Volvo’s engine future
All Volvo XC90s will in future be powered by four-pot engines, developed inhouse to fit in the new Scaleable Product Architecture, which will stretch up and down to underpin all models.
The XC90 will also feature diesel engines:
Volvo XC90 D4 187bhp, 295lb ft and 56mpg combined
Volvo XC90 D5 222bhp, 347lb ft and 47mpg combined
‘There are no compromises when you drive an all-new XC90,’ said Peter Mertens, senior vice president research and development of Volvo. ‘In the past you could either have power or low CO2 emissions. But with the all-new XC90 you can have both.’
Volvo claims the XC90 is one of the cleanest seven-seaters around and that its range CO2 emissions dropped by 8% between 2012-13.
Stay tuned to the CAR Online to see the first pictures of the new Volvo XC90. It’s long-overdue; the first-generation XC90 was launched in 2002 and has secured a niche as one of the most popular seven-seat family crossovers.