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You have to wonder if the Volvo folks who sat down to design the all-new XC90 first asked themselves “who says a Hybrid can only include two elements, a gas engine and an electric one?” It’s true; the definition of hybrid technically does involve two elements, but there’s more to the XC90 than that.
(Los Angeles, CA) Yes, there is a plug-in electric and fuel motor in the top-range T8 Twin Engine trim, but more than just a petrol engine, Volvo has added both a supercharger and turbocharger. So not only do we have a hybrid engine, but a hybrid forced induction system, too! The power? About 400 hp, and 442 lb.-ft. in hybrid mode, making for a claimed 6.4 second 0-100 km/h time.
There will also be a non-hybrid version of this motor released, good for 320 hp. Yes, that one still comes with a supercharger and turbocharger.
While the powerplant is an exercise in some new ad exciting tech, the body which contains it all isn’t quite as advanced. There’s noting wrong with it, per se—it’s handsome and all—it’s just that with such an advanced powertrain, you want to see more than a set of derivative headlamp lenses (that look almost identical to what’s found on the current BMW X5) and a profile that could be shared with any number of SUVs on the market today.
That being said, ask any designer ant they’ll likely tell you that adding some excitement to the two-box profile that is an SUV is tough to do without compromising practicality. In that line, it’s good to see that Volvo has kept its patented taillight design that climbs the height of the D-pillar, some cool two-tone rims and plastic cladding around the wheelwells and rocker panels to add some toughness to the proceedings.
It’s also good to see that the interior should be just as coddling as Volvos have been for years, with some nice new tech thrown in for good measure.
The biggest addition (literally) is that of a tablet display akin to the computer monitor version seen on the Tesla Model S. It helps provide for a button-free interface for all your climate control, audio and phone needs. Which is good, because the infotainment controls on recent Volvos have been a cluttered mishmash of small buttons.
We’re not sure how Volvo can make their already fantastic seats better, but Volvo insists the XC90’s items, are. Thanks to a more compact seat design that better follows the contours of the human spine, there’s more room in the cabin as a whole, making the third-row seating usable for adults, as opposed to the kids and pets it’s normally reserved for.
Volvo’s calling the next XC90 a 2016 model; expect to see it in dealers by the end of summer ’15.
