Volvo's XC90 showcases cutting edge technology in Recharge T8 plug-in hybrid guise. Jonathan Crouch drives it out in improved form.

Ten Second Review

Volvo must adapt to survive as an independent car maker. Proof of that has been delivered by this model, now usefully improved, the XC90 Recharge T8 Plug-in hybrid. It's a family-sized luxury seven-seat SUV for a very different world.

Background

The second generation XC90 was a car that fans of the brand anticipated impatiently and what we got when it arrived was worth the wait. Absolutely everything about this MK2 model was fundamentally new and engineered to set fresh class standards. Nowhere is this more evident than with the Recharge T8 Plug-in hybrid petrol/electric variant we're going to look at here.

Here, you get the potential of supermini-style running costs. On top of that, there's the sort of proper full-sized seven-seat versatility that few rivals can credibly offer and the kind of cool, authentic Scandinavian charm we haven't really seen from a new Volvo in a very long time. It all sounds promising doesn't it? Time to put this car to the test.

Driving Experience

The 'Recharge T8' badging applied to this car denotes its petrol/electric powertrain and plug-in hybrid usability. In fact there are three engines if you're going to be pedantic about it and count the 25bhp starter motor/generator that pitches in from time to time to smooth any gaps in torque delivery between the two main power sources. One of these is the 303hp turbocharged/supercharged petrol unit borrowed from the old conventional T6 model that drives the front wheels. In an XC90 T8 though, it's assisted by a separate engine at the back, an 87bhp electric motor powered by a battery pack neatly packaged away in the transmission tunnel.

It's all enough to deliver a set of stats that it's rather hard to get your head around. That's assuming you select the most performance-orientated of the five driving settings that T8 owners are offered - the 'Power' mode that sees both petrol and electric units permanently working together. Alternatively, there are four other drive choices: a 'Hybrid' setting that sees the two engines cutting in and out as necessary: an 'AWD' mode that gives you permanent 4x4 traction off road: plus a 'Pure electric' setting that only uses the battery power and can take you up to 30.4 miles (more than most people's daily commuting distance) on a single charge. There's even a 'Save' option so that on a longer trip, you can hold that charge until you get to the city driving you might have to do at the end of the journey.

Design and Build

The look of this second generation XC90, according to its exterior design manager Anders Gunnarson, needed to be 'timeless'. So many large luxury SUVs appear bulky and intimidating: this isn't one of them. On the outside, this refreshed XC90 offers subtle upgrades to the original award-winning exterior design, such as new wheels, exterior colours and a revised front grille, among other details. Otherwise, things are much as before, with a sculpted bonnet flowing into LED front headlights with a distinctive so-called 'Hammer of Thor' design.

Up-front, the cabin is simple, elegant, very uncluttered and dominated by a huge infotainment colour touchscreen on the centre console. We like the technical niceties too: the CleanZone interior air quality system for example. Middle row passengers get individual seats that slide and recline for greater comfort on longer journeys. And even third row folk get decent standards of space. Out back, there's 397-litres of luggage space with all the seats in place, or 775-litres up to the windowline with the third row folded.

Market and Model

The on the road price of this Recharge T8 Plug-in hybrid model lists from around £67,000. That means you can expect to pay a premium of around £9,000 over the comparable B5 diesel version. The range starts with 'Inscription Expression' trim, after which there are two main spec levels, 'R-Design' and 'Inscription', with iterim 'Pro' variants of each also available. Standard equipment levels are comprehensive. All models get smart alloy wheels of at least 19-inches in size, plus LED headlights that at night can bend with the road and dip themselves automatically. You also get roof rails, rear parking sensors, auto headlamps and wipers and a power-operated tailgate.

Inside, there's full leather trim and a powered driver's seat, 2-Zone Electronic Climate Control and a clever 'Sensus Connect' infotainment system you activate via a large 9-inch centre console touchscreen. From here (or via voice control), you can access a 10-speaker 330-watt High Performance Sound system with DAB digital radio. Plus there's a 'Sensus Navigation' system with Traffic Information and European mapping, plus, as you'd expect, Bluetooth 'phone compatibility and USB and aux-in ports.

Cost of Ownership

As part of the changes made to this updated MK2 XC90 line-up, Volvo introduced a higher-capacity battery to this T8 variant, which enhanced its all-electric driving range by around 15%, so it's up from 22 to 30.4 miles - a useful increase. Theoretically then, you could use an XC90 T8 every day without ever visiting a fuel station unless you needed to undertake a longer trip. That's assuming of course that you keep the lithium-ion battery fully charged. That'll take a little longer than before thanks to the bigger battery. Owners can buy a wallbox from Volvo that will charge their cars on 16-amp power in about three hours.

In everyday use though, most T8 owners will be driving in the 'Hybrid' mode that the car's powertrain automatically defaults to, a setting in which the vehicle will automatically alternate between petrol and electric power - and the basis for a faintly incredible-sounding set of WLTP-rated running cost figures: up to 104.5mpg on the WLTP combined cycle and up to 61g/km of CO2. A 'Driver Performance' option on the centre-dash screen graphically shows how frugally you've been driving your XC90 and on this T8 model, also includes an interactive graphic showing what's currently being powered by what.

Summary

Volvo seems to be flourishing under foreign ownership and this Recharge T8 Plug-in hybrid XC90 model is a good example of why. You might have expected Chinese company control to stifle the company's Scandinavian character. Instead, what we've been given here is a return to Swedish charisma and an emphasis on all the things that the Gothenburg brand does best - cool restrained style, real-world practicality and class-leading safety.

FACTS AT A GLANCE

CAR: Volvo XC90 T8 TwinEngine

PRICES: £67,125-£76,775 - on the road

INSURANCE GROUP: 42-45

CO2 EMISSIONS: [NEDC] 28-29g/km

PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 143mph / 0-62mph 5.8s

FUEL CONSUMPTION: (WLTP combined) 42.9

STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Front, side, curtain and knee airbags / ABS / run off-road protection / City Safety auto brake

WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height 4953/2008/1776mm