Gothenburg, Sweden - Volvo's all-new seven-seater all-wheel drive XC90 SUV will offer an unrivalled combination of power and efficiency when it is revealed later this year. That's the claim, anyway, with the maker quoting up to 290kW with C02 emissions of about 60g/km in the NEDC driving cycle.
That's because all the engines in the new line-up - petrol and diesel - will be force-fed Drive-E fours, and the top-of-the-range T8 will carry the new 'Twin Engine' badge, which from now on will denote a Volvo with a 'combination' powertrain, whether it be a hybrid, a plug-in, or an extended-range battery car.
DOING IT ALL IN ONE
The new XC90 T8, says the maker, will be a plug-in battery car, a hybrid and a performance car all in one. Default mode will be as a hybrid, with a two-litre supercharged and turbocharged, four-cylinder Drive-E petrol engine driving the front wheels and a 60kW electric motor drives the rear wheels.
The supercharger fills 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 - and the electric motor on the rear wheels provides instant torque, for a total of about 290kW and 630Nm.
CLEAN COMMUTING
But it will also have a range of about 40km as a pure electric car - so, if you have a charging point available at work, you can commute all week without switching on the petrol engine and use your fuel budget for having fun at weekends.
The T8 will be available in South Africa and more details will follow closer to the local launch of the XC90 in 2015.
In addition there will be two straight petrol derivatives - the T5 two-litre turbopetrol four, quoted at 187kW and 350Nm, and the T6 with supercharger and turbo delivering about 235kW and 400Nm - as well as two diesels.
The two-litre D4 turbo is rated at 140kW and 400Nm, on fuel consumption of about five litres per 100km, while the twin-turbo D5 is good for about 165kW and 470Nm at a cost of about six litres per 100km.