My Ride
Volvo Rolls Into Power With XC90 SUV
by Jean-Philippe Blanchard
The announcement of the all-new XC90 Volvo SUV has been the
talk of the auto industry. It’s said to be the most powerful
SUV yet and will be fully revealed in August and launched
later this year.
If you’re soon to be in the market for an SUV with “room to
grow,” the XC90 has an impressive and incredible amount of
space with three rows of seating, perfect for a big family
or a road trip with friends. But before we get to the
interior, let’s look at the power.
The all-wheel drive seven-seater offers drivers up to 400
horsepower, but with carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of
around 60 g/km (NEDC driving cycle). It has up to 400 hp and
640 torque with a new Volvo-developed Twin Engine
technology. Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President of Research
and Development of the Volvo Car Group said, “In the past
you could either have power or low CO2 emissions. But with
the all-new XC90 you can have both.”
It offers a range of Drive-E engine options, all of which
provide an outstanding combination of performance and
fuel-efficiency. The main distinguishing feature of the
Drive-E engine range is that they are all four-cylinder
engines.
Its ‘Twin Engine’ will carry the badge ‘T8’ and be a plug-in
electric car, hybrid car and high-performance car rolled
into one. Normal driving is conducted in the default hybrid
mode. This utilizes a two-litre, four-cylinder supercharged
and turbocharged Drive-E petrol engine that powers the front
wheels and an 80 hp (60 kW) electric motor that drives the
rear wheels.
It uses the supercharger to fill in the bottom end of the
power range to give the engine a big, naturally-aspirated
feel, while the turbocharger kicks in when the airflow
builds up. The electric motor on the rear wheels provides
immediate torque.
But at the push of a button, the driver can switch to quiet
and emission-free city driving on pure electric power where
the range will be around 40 kilometers, and then, when
needed, immediately revert back to the combined capacity of
the petrol engine and electric motor, with its combined
output of around 400 hp and 640 Nm of torque.
Inside, the normal array of buttons are replaced with a
large tablet-like touch screen, a head-up display and thumb
controls on the steering wheel. The new tech system within
the next XC90 generation has an interface, part of ‘Sensus’,
which incorporates the latest touch screen hardware and
software to allow drivers to build an instinctive
understanding of how the system works, where the controls
are located and how to operate them.
Sensus includes a broad selection of cloud-based
applications with a branded look and feel. The selection of
cloud-based services, which may vary depending on the
market, includes Internet radio, connected navigation,
finding and paying for parking, discovering new restaurants
at the destination, seamless streaming of your favorite
music and much more.
“The XC90 will not only tell you when it’s time to visit the
garage, but also suggest an appointment for you at your
Volvo dealership. The Connected Service Booking application
is the first step in making the dealer workshop fully
integrated into the connected eco-system,” said Dr. Thomas
M. Müller, Vice President Electrics/Electronics &
E-propulsion engineering of Volvo Car Group.
As another ‘first’ for Volvo, The XC90 also becomes the
first Volvo car to offer Apple CarPlay, which brings
selected features and services familiar to iPad, iPhone and
iPod users directly into the car via the large center
console touch screen display. Users will immediately
recognize the well-known icons for their basic Apple
applications, such as phone, messages, music and
navigation.
The standard Comfort seats are available with intuitive,
smooth power operation, including adjustable side bolsters,
seat cushion extension, multi-directional lumbar support and
vertical adjustment of the headrests.
Three settings can be stored in the memory. Ventilation and
massage functions are optional.
The second row features three individual seats with recline
adjustment. The sliding function can be used to create more
legroom for the passengers in the third row, or to increase
loading space if the third row seats are folded flat.
The XC90 has come a long way since it first launched back in
2002. It has revolutionized space and the SUV engine.
Be on the lookout for the unveiling later this summer.
More info at www.volvocars.com