Volvo XC90 to be the most powerful, greenest SUV
Volvo has announced that its highly anticipated new XC90 in the range topping trim will deliver 400PS of power but with a CO2 emission close to 60g/km. The new Volvo XC90 will be revealed later this year at the Paris Motor Show.
Powering the XC90 will be Volvo's new Drive-E four-cylinder engine which will be available in petrol, hybrid and diesel variants. On top of it, Volvo will also have on offer a 'Twin Engine' plug-in hybrid variant with a 2.0-litre petrol at the core. It's turbo as well as supercharged, along with being assisted by an electric motor. The engine is claimed to make more than 400PS and deliver 640Nm. Dubbed as T8, the engine works in hybrid mode in normal driving conditions. The 80PS electric motor drives the rear wheels while the supercharger and turbo power the front wheels. Volvo claims that the XC90 T8 can go 40km on electric power alone. This, with seven people on board and their luggage. The new SPA chassis helps immensely with the flexibility, says Volvo, citing that having a battery pack with most other configurations can be quite a handful.
Other engines in the XC90 range will include a 225PS/470Nm twin turbo D5 diesel and a D4 turbo which makes 190PS/400Nm. The former delivers around 16kmpl while the latter is claimed to give up to 20kmpl. The petrol engines will be a T6 turbo with a supercharger which makes 320PS/400Nm while the 254PS T5 generates 350Nm of torque. Volvo is yet to comment on the fuel efficiency of the petrol engines.
Peter Mertens, senior vice-president, research and development,Volvo Car Group said,"There are no compromises when you drive an all-new XC90. . . In the past, you could either have power or low CO2 emissions. But with the all-new XC90 you can have both. 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. With seven people in the new XC90, carbon dioxide emissions per person and kilometre are outstandingly low."
| Volvo Cars' all-new XC90 will offer an unrivalled combination of power and clean operation when it is launched later this year. 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). There has never been an SUV offering this level of power this cleanly. "There are no compromises when you drive an all-new XC90," said Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President Research and Development of Volvo Car Group. "In the past you could either have power or low CO2 emissions. But with the all-new XC90 you can have both." The new XC90 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. "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," added Dr. Mertens. "With seven people in the new XC90, carbon dioxide emissions per person and kilometre are outstandingly low." The CO2 performance of the all-new XC90 will reinforce Volvo Cars' leadership when it comes to bringing more environmentally-sound technologies to market. According to figures monitored by European car industry association ACEA, Volvo Car Group delivered an industry-leading reduction of average fleet emissions by 8.4 per cent from 2012 to 2013. Twin Engine technology Volvo Cars has made it possible for a four-cylinder engine to provide all the driving pleasure associated with a much larger engine and do so far more efficiently and cleanly. Drive-E engines will over time be introduced across Volvo's entire range. For the all-new XC90, the top of the range '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 utilises 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 kilometres, 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. Full range of other engine options The Volvo XC90 range also includes the D5 twin turbo diesel engine with 225 hp, 470 Nm, best in class fuel consumption of around 6l/100 km and the D4 turbo diesel engine with 190 hp, 400 Nm and a fuel consumption of around 5l/100 km. The range also offers two petrol engine options. The first is a T6 turbo engine with supercharger and turbo with 320 hp and a maximum torque of 400 Nm. The second is a T5 with 254 hp and 350 Nm. Not only is there no compromise in terms of performance or efficiency, but Volvo Cars' new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) chassis technology also allows for far more flexibility inside the car. Other carmakers have struggled to combine the bulk of a battery pack with a luxurious and spacious interior, something that Volvo has managed to overcome. "Since our new SPA technology is designed from the start to accommodate electrification technologies, the Twin Engine installation does not compromise luggage or passenger space," said Dr. Mertens. | |