Volvo have revealed their luxury 2+2 seater version of the XC90 in top-of-the-line ‘Excellence’ trim at the Shanghai Motor Show.
Deliveries of the new XC90 have already begun last month, and the launch in India is scheduled for this September. We’ve already driven the D5 AWD diesel and T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid versions of the XC90. During the drive, Volvo mentioned that the primary model for India would be the XC90 D5 AWD seven-seater, powered by the 2.0-litre Drive-E twin-turbo diesel with 225 PS and 470 Nm. However, they were also keen on bringing in the T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid AWD model as a 2+2 luxury model as their new flagship some time next year. That flagship has now been revealed.
The Excellence features luxury-saloon style 2+2 seating with a flowing centre console, similar to what we’ve seen in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the Jaguar XJ L. Of course, this is also what you will see if you look inside a Range Rover. That is the level that Volvo are targeting with their new XC90.
The twin rear seats feature individual head-rest mounted high-resolution tablet screens, and even have aircraft-style tray-tables with champagne glass holders. Clean Zone and automatic climate keep the cabin air quality fresh at all times. Of course, it won’t come cheap. The XC90 T8 Twin Engine model should make it to India some time in 2016, and the price then should be just above the Rs 1 crore mark.
The T8 Twin Engine model uses a turbo-supercharged 2.0-litre petrol motor with 318 PS and 400 Nm, together with an electric motor with 60 kW (82 PS) electric motor. The combined output is 400 PS and 640 Nm – a lot more than what a decent V8 delivers even today. Furthermore, it’s drive modes allow it to be three cars in one. ‘Power’ lends a 0-100 km/h acceleration of 5.9 seconds; ‘Hybrid’ let’s you enjoy fuel consumption as low as 50 km/litre; ‘Pure’ allows zero-emission and fuel consumption driving, solely on electricity for up to 40 km at up to 120 km/h. There’s also a ‘Save’ battery conserving mode and ‘AWD’ mode for petrol-electric 4×4 mode.
Read all about the new XC90 in our first drive review. (Click the link, or copy and paste this link in your browser: http://bit.ly/1zcJ9cI
