Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
To appreciate the new XC90’s impact alone, the mid-size luxury SUV’s sales jumped from 390 units over the first 10 months of 2014 (there were no XC90 sales during the first five months of 2015) to 2,432 as of October 31, 2016. That latter number also tells another story, that the XC90 has comprised nearly 47 percent of the entire brand’s year-to-date sales. Factor in that Volvo sells 11 models altogether and the weight of responsibility borne by the XC90 is beyond significant.
This
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Not to be mixed up with calendar year interests, the new 2017 model year XC90 has just been introduced and as you might expect Volvo won’t be messing with its popular success recipe anytime soon. All trims continue unchanged, including the competitively priced $55,650 base T5 Drive-E AWD and that model’s $1,550 seven-seat Momentum package, to the more powerful $61,300 T6 Drive-E AWD and that version’s sporty
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
That is, excepting the new XC90 Excellence, which snubs its nose at its usual rivals such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, et al, and daringly takes on Range Rover’s top-line Autobiography and even the Bentley Bentayga for ultimate over-the-top SUV opulence. A unique 2+2 seating arrangement combines private jet style pop-out tables, Swedish-made Orrefors crystal glasses set within heatable/cooled cupholders (to appreciate, you’ll need to spend upwards of $175 on Ebay to get your hands on a set of these), a fridge housed between the seatbacks, multi-adjustable heated and cooled bucket-style seats, footrests, illuminated
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
The XC90 Excellence gets motivated by the same impressive T8 Twin Engine eAWD plug-in hybrid power unit as my most recent tester, albeit my ride for the week
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Believe me when I say the hybridized XC90 T8 is quick. It moves this sizeable SUV along with an instantaneous swiftness, the result just 5.6 seconds to 100km/h when “Power” mode is selected. The electrified portion adds gobs of immediate torque to both front and rear wheels as part of its eAWD drivetrain design
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Like a regular hybrid, when in “Hybrid” mode the battery continues to contribute power to the XC90’s drive system even when unable to offer full EV mode, but a relatively quick two and a half hour recharge via one of the many free 220-volt charging stations available throughout Canada’s major metropolitan areas will top it
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
The benefit to the XC90’s PHEV design compared to a full EV is its ability to act just like a regular hybrid, or for that matter a regular non-electrified SUV, when no power supply is available. After enjoying four weekdays behind the wheel, which included numerous stops to recharge at shopping malls, government buildings, and even actively green corporations like Ikea, my partner and I headed out of Vancouver, through the lush Fraser Valley, up the steep albeit fast-paced Coquihalla Highway, and then over the connector to Kelowna, BC, otherwise known as wine country, and found the XC90 T8 ideal company. SUVs don’t
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Really, you need to step up to a Mercedes-AMG GLE or BMW X5 M to get an interior anywhere near as finely crafted, the Inscription’s optional stitched leather dash top and door uppers, standard genuine metal detailing and gorgeous open-pore hardwood second to none. All XC90s are special, even the base model boasting soft-touch surfaces almost everywhere, plus impressive leathers, metals, and beautifully lacquered surfaces, not to mention some ultra-rich looking diamond-cut metalwork on the ignition switch and drive mode selector, superb electronic interfaces for the primary gauges and infotainment system, and the list goes on, but the Inscription takes things to a higher level of highbrow elevation.
For
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
In the case of my loaner it was a nice Amber tan, which along with the rest of its Charcoal
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
As impressively finished as the XC90 T8 Inscription is, by no means is it fully equipped off the rack. Standard T8 Insignia features include 20-inch alloys on 274/45 all-seasons, full LED headlamps, proximity access, a configurable TFT LCD primary gauge cluster, rain-sensing wipers, four-zone auto climate control, a 9.3-inch
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Additionally, my tester included a $2,200 Convenience package with adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, front and rear parking sensors, assisted self parking, a HomeLink universal garage door opener, and more; an $1,800 Vision package with power retractable auto-dimming side mirrors, visual park assist with a surround parking camera (that’s truly amazing) and Front “Fisheye” View, plus blindspot monitoring with cross traffic alert; and a $1,350 Climate Package with a heatable
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Alternatively you can get the same Climate Package with a head-up display unit for $2,300; the Vision package without the surround camera for $1,000; the head-up display separately for $1,150; a full leather package covering the dash and doors for $1,500, which also includes rear side window sunshades; sensational sounding 19-speaker 1,400-watt Bowers & Wilkins audio for $3,250; a child booster seat for $325; black headliner for $250; an adaptive air suspension for $2,350 (which also lowers the suspension when parked via a button on the cargo sidewall to make loading easier), and 21-inch alloys on 275/45 rubber for $975. A completely loaded XC90 T8 Inscription will set you back almost $95k before freight and dealer fees, which while a fairly weighty price is still great value for what you get.
With
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
To that end the XC90 is one of the best in the industry. Its ride is very good around town, absorbing the nastiest pothole strewn back lanes with ease, while its highway composure is both comfortable and surefooted, even when at slightly (ahem) higher than posted speeds. Snake it down a twisting serpentine backcountry road and its certainly heavier feeling than the regular XC90, the hybrid’s battery and other components adding a considerable 204 kilos (450 lbs) of mass to the conventionally powered SUV’s already substantive girth, but it’s still nimble enough. Again, it won’t provide the level of grip found with an AMG- or M-badged competitor,
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Incidentally, additional driving modes include Off-Road (which I didn’t attempt other than slowly walking it down a gravel road with said mode engaged), locked All-Wheel-Drive, and Individual, the latter allowing up to 400 possible combinations of powertrain (throttle and shift pattern), air suspension (firmness and steering weight), instrument display, brake response, and climate control settings.
Of note to my more environmentally conscious readers, Volvo claims their Drive-E engine design is the world’s cleanest combustion powertrain relative to power, with
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Normally when considering the type of buyer who spends upwards of $90k for a luxury utility I’d say fuel economy probably doesn’t matter, and the significant investments
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Volvo is certainly on the right track to once again becoming a serious force to be reckoned with in the luxury sector, and the XC90 is the right vehicle to lead them there. No matter the powertrain or trim level chosen I recommend it highly.
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