Volvo confirms 298kW hybrid SUV

Volvo will reveal the "world's most powerful and cleanest SUV" in the next month or two, having now confirmed the all-new second-generation XC90 will be powered by a V8-rivalling 298kW 2.0-litre twin-charged hybrid engine.

The hard-charging seven-seat Volvo XC90 flagship model will wear a T8 badge, and is destined for Australia in late 2015, after the regular XC90 models launch here in the second quarter, promising to deliver high performance and low fuel consumption.

The Volvo XC90 T8 'Twin Engine' will join a growing number of plug-in hybrid vehicles in Australia that can be charged at regular power outlets and run purely on electricity for 50km or so, such as the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Holden Volt.

Making use of a supercharged and turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine that powers the front wheels and a 60kW electric motor that drives the rear wheels, performance is expected to be brisk, with total power generation reaching almost 300kW and 640Nm.

Performance and fuel economy figures have not been divulged, but with a 40km all-electric range the XC90 T8 hybrid is likely live up to its claim of "world's most powerful and cleanest SUV".

"There are no compromises when you drive an all-new XC90," said Peter Mertens, the R&D boss at Volvo, after confirming the new engine.
"In the past, you could either have power or low CO2 emissions. But with the all-new XC90 you can have both," he said, noting that: “The twin-engine installation does not compromise luggage or passenger space".

Technology doesn't come cheap, and the flagship XC90 has a very real chance of becoming Volvo Australia's most expensive car, eclipsing the almost $100,000 Volvo S60 Polestar. The current 10-year-old XC90 retails for between $70K and $76K and Volvo Australia boss Matt Braid has already said the new large SUV will be pricier.

"The new car will be priced higher than the outgoing model without doubt. It will be higher specced than the outgoing model so it does place us very much back into the luxury SUV segment," said Braid last month.

Expected to be revealed in August ahead of its public debut at the Paris motor show in October, the exterior design is still a secret but is likely to draw inspiration from recent concept cars, including its latest, the Volvo Concept Estate (pictured).

We have seen the interior however, which a high-class Scandinavian affair. Based on Volvo's scalable product architecture (SPA), the new XC90 brings with it a high-tech 'button-less' cockpit concept featuring a massive touch-screen tablet instead of the usual buttons and dials.

Several conventional petrol and diesel engines have been confirmed for Volvo's new seven-seat family hauler, including a number of four-cylinder Drive-E turbo-diesel units. These include the D4 which pumps out 142kW/400Nm and consumes fuel at a rate of around 5.0L/100km, and the D5 twin-turbo diesel which is worth worth 168kW/470Nm and 6.0L/100km.

Customers who want a petrol engine can check out the T6 and T5 mills that pump out 239kW/400Nm and 189/350Nm respectively, and Volvo reckons even the non-hybrid motors will be class-leading in terms of efficiency.

"With our new Drive-E powertrains, we have created a family of intelligent petrol and diesel engines with power curves that give exciting driveability at the same time as delivering world-beating fuel economy," said Mertens.

"With seven people in the new XC90, carbon dioxide emissions per person and kilometre are outstandingly low," he declared.