By: Jesse Adams
Johannesburg - We like Volvo’s new XC90. So much so, that we handed two crystal trophies over to Volvo South Africa at our annual Best of the Best awards banquet late in 2015, one for the best adventure vehicle, and another for the overall win.
Yes, our team of print and online motoring journalists was more impressed with the XC90 than any other car launched in 2015.
And now the SUV that wowed us with its sense of style, perceived quality, and general ascendance to a higher league of premium-ness is also available in a flagship T8 version.
But forget the alpha-numerical badge. There are only four internal-combustion cylinders at work here, but their two-litre capacity is pumped full of oxygen by a turbocharger and a supercharger, working together. This petrol-powered over-achiever sends 235kW and 400Nm to the front wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.
But wait, there’s more. An electric motor at the back axle plays tag team with the conventional engine up front to either provide propulsion on its own, or work together adding another 65kW and 240Nm.
Volvo calls this a Twin Engine design, but there’s a third power source between the engine and gearbox, in the form of an electric generator which can be called upon when an extra kick in the pants is needed. Total output with all the systems fully operational is quoted at 300kW and 640Nm.
That’s good for a claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of 5.6 seconds – not at all shabby for a behemoth weighing almost 2.3 tons. But flattening the throttle, and simultaneously draining the T8 of petrol and battery juice, is missing the point a bit. This is a plug-in hybrid vehicle, designed ultimately for efficiency.
How efficient?
Seriously efficient. Volvo quotes an average petrol consumption of 2.1 litres per 100km, but that’s a useless statistic unless your daily drive exactly replicates standardised homologation test cycles. Ideally, this XC90 will perform daily commutes in full EV mode using no petrol at all. Zero. Zip. Zilch. On paper it’s good for 43km of purely electric driving, but count on around 25 in the real world. That’s the most I could muster from our test unit on a full charge.
A full recharge takes around three hours from a normal household wall socket, and depending on area-specific billing rates equates to around R20 per top-up. But what if I forget to charge it, or can’t find a suitable wall socket on my journey? No problem, the petrol engine takes over, and via starter/generator continuously feeds power back to the batteries. I purposely depleted the batteries to check average consumption in a worst case scenario, and was quite surprised at its 10 litres per 100km petrol usage. Complete and utter misuse of the T8 is still reasonably efficient.
So what’s the catch? There isn’t one really. Except for the fact that at almost R1.1 million this is the most expensive of all XC90 offerings. I haven’t met many millionaires who worry much about paying at the pumps, and it’ll take ages to recoup the extra cost in saved fuel bills. That said, it’ll feel pretty darned good driving past petrol stations for weeks on end – if used properly.
No compromises
You might expect some compromise over a normal XC90 in terms of space, but designers have packaged all the hybrid bits very cleverly. Maximum boot space of 1057 litres (seats folded) is identical to what you get in any other model, and the folding third seating row also remains.
In fact, besides a knurled thumbwheel in the console for drive mode selection, a second filler flap in the left front fender, and the classiest Orrefors crystal (Swarovski is so last year) gear lever you’ve ever seen, this is the same award-winning luxury SUV we fell in love with in 2015.
At the time we said that this brand could finally stand shoulder to shoulder with German marques in perceived quality, but actually, in some areas it surpasses its Teutonic rivals. I’m picturing a group of the most obsessive compulsive Swedes in all the land charged with interior assembly. It’s that good.
At the interior’s front and centre is a tablet-sized touchscreen displaying info in vivid colour, but some might find its use a little too complex. I had its pinch, swipe and prod functions waxed in just a couple of days, but a good friend (rival journo) absolutely loathed its functionality. I do admit it can be distracting at times, such as when tweaking the stereo’s sound (hint, there are no bass and treble adjustments to be found), but it’s far more intuitive than other hi-tech infotainment systems I’ve experienced.
My only real complaint about the T8 is that the petrol engine is a little too vocal. The purely electric driving experience is so unbelievably serene, that the highly-strung two-litre engine’s grumbly sound is quite out of place. Imagine a ballet performance interrupted by a chainsaw... a slight exaggeration, but you get the point.
Also, I wish that air suspension was included as standard, especially in this expensive derivative. Please, tick the R26 500 option regardless of which model you get. The standard steel suspension in our test car (with 21-inch rims) bordered on being choppy on rough surfaces.
Pneumatic springs would make this extremely fine SUV even better. A R55 000 Premium Pack that includes Bowers & Wilkins sound, heated seats, heads-up display, keyless entry and 360-degree parking cameras is also a no brainer. - Star Motoring
FACTS
Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine
Engine: 2-litre, 4-cylinder turbo/supercharged petrol plus two electric motors
Gearbox: 8-speed automatic
Power: 300kW @ 6000rpm
Torque: 640Nm @ 2200-5400rpm
0-100km/h (claimed): 5.6 seconds
Top speed (claimed): 230km/h
Price: R1 074 000
Warranty: 5-year/100 000km
Maintenance plan: 5-year/100 000km
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