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NEWS
SPY PICS: Volvo's next XC90 revealed
Under all that cladding there's evidence of Volvo's new design language, as seen in DetroitLook carefully at Automedia's spy photos here. Beneath all the padding is Volvo's replacement for the current XC90, which has been on sale in Australia for over a decade.
The size and proportions clearly betray the new model's market position and role in the Volvo product portfolio, but check out the slightly rising belt line – a sign that the new XC90 will embrace the latest styling cues introduced last month by the Concept XC Coupé design study, in Detroit.
Gone are Peter Horbury's prominent swage lines along the waist. The new XC90 will be smoother all round, and note also the longer front overhang for the new model. In light of Volvo's claims the XC90 will be powered exclusively by four-cylinder engines, the longer nose ahead of the front wheel arches is presumably aimed at further improving pedestrian safety – one safety aspect in need of improvement, according to Euro NCAP.
The crash test safety body indicated the XC90's pedestrian protection was 'unforgiving' when the Volvo was tested back in 2003. Nevertheless, the current model continues to be a Top Safety Pick, according to America's IIHS.
So, starting from the high base that is the current car, the new XC90 is very likely to be a game-changer in the field of safety, when it arrives.
With weight reduction key to improving fuel economy and lowering emissions, there are reasonable limits to how much Volvo can improve crash safety in the new XC90, but the sky's the limit where active safety (crash avoidance) is concerned.
According to Automedia, the new SUV will be able to spot pedestrians in the dark, and brake automatically to avoid them. Information to hand suggests that the XC90 will be able to detect the edge of the road, even without line markings, and that will be the starting point for a new active-steer system to apply torque through the steering column and guide the car back to its lane. Complementing that will be an adaptive cruise control system that will follow the vehicle ahead, presumably like the 'Stop&Go Pilot' in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
Despite the new technology on board, the kerb mass of the new XC90 is anticipated to shrink by 150kg, so the new model is likely to sip fuel at a rate very unlike other SUVs. And lowering the average fuel consumption figure for the range even further, there will be a plug-in hybrid variant of the new model when it is revealed (likely at the Paris motor show in September).
– with Automedia
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