Volvo XC90 T8 AWD

[RDoc]

Apparently Volvo is going to equip this car with a very sophisticated collision avoidance/ACC system. It will be interesting to see if the X has an equivalent system when it comes out.

For a lot of people, the amount of gasoline used will be pretty small if it actually has a 30 mile all electric range.

 

[Matias]

Electric mode has only 80hp. So most people will use hybrid mode even on short trips.

 

[timf]

Electric mode has only 80hp. So most people will use hybrid mode even on short trips.

This demonstrates perfectly the difference between PHEVs and EREVs. Even though PHEVs plug in, they are really little more than an improved version of conventional hybrid. They are designed with the intent that you will be switching between gas and electric mode frequently based on your power requirements (i.e. gas to accelerate, electric to cruise), whereas EREVs are built as fully capable electric vehicles with a gas engine solely to boost the battery charge for longer trips. Volvo's split design where the gas engine powers the front wheels and the electric motor powers the rear wheels is a clear indication that they expect the two to work in conjunction with one another, as one cannot fully replace the other and still maintain the same drive characteristics. It's a smart design for greatly increasing the efficiency of gas guzzling AWD SUVs while also boosting performance, but is the wrong approach for someone looking to drive primarily on electric power. Thankfully there's the Model X for that.

 

[mnx]

You're right. I could live with something like this if it were an EREV, but 80hp kinda sucks for something this size. ~120hp would make it a lot more fun to drive in EV mode. (I find the Model S has decent acceleration @ the 80kW power level...)

 

[SteveG3]

I wish it had more hp in EV mode. Will definitely be interesting to compare it to Model X as more details come out on both of them. It seems they'll be available at about the same time as well.

PHEV's make some sense. I was interested when I saw a Volvo S60 plug-in hybrid was shown at the Beijing Auto Show, but I think mnx is hitting on one of the limitations they have, performance while relying solely on the small battery.

Volvo's own press release describes hybrid (not pure EV) as the default mode and this may be because of the performance limitation in EV mode.

from the release:

"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."

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/07/08/2015-volvo-xc90-twin-charged-phev-official/

 

[Seattle]

This does look compelling to me, if it has 20 mile range that would be good enough for quite a bit of electric driving to work. I do wish I could buy the euro Diesel + electric drive train, but the US looks like it will only have gas + electric. It is a little underpowered at 80 hp. The porsche hybrid has a ridiculously low mpg.

Another interesting car is the Peugeot 3008 hybrid (diesel + electric drive train, awd capable, all electric capable). Since it's a Peugeot, it's not imported into the US.

The MX may just be too large of a car for me. I guess an ideal car would be a smaller SUV style Model X or 3 with long range and towing capability.

 

[Electric700]

Volvo Introduces its new XC90 Plug-in Hybrid SUV

The new Volvo XC90 Plug-in SUV will have an all-electric range of up to 25 miles.

More here: 2016 Volvo XC90 Plug-In Hybrid Revealed In LA - Video - HybridCars.com.

 

[Rifleman]

Its good to finally have a plug in SUV option that will be available nation wide, but for what the XC90 is going to cost, I would simply buy a Model X.

 

[timf]

Although they haven't announced U.S. pricing yet, one can extrapolate from Canadian pricing that the XC90 T8 will start at about $59,000 and go for around $70,000 fully loaded. This may not be far off a base Model X, but by the time you load up an X85 I'd expect there to be at least a 30% price difference. It continues to be very tempting for me, if for no reason other than we still don't have specifics on what the Model X will look like, be equipped with, or cost, and it checks all the boxes for must-have features.

The one place it starts to lose me is at the estimate of 25 MPG in hybrid mode. This is hardly any better than other SUVs already on the market. While I could probably make 25 miles of electric range work, I have a feeling performance will be very crippled in this mode and I'll be stuck burning more gas than I'd like. Nothing in this class will be able to touch the Model X when it comes to performance out vs. energy consumed. It will be worth every penny.

 

[JST]

Although they haven't announced U.S. pricing yet, one can extrapolate from Canadian pricing that the XC90 T8 will start at about $59,000 and go for around $70,000 fully loaded. This may not be far off a base Model X, but by the time you load up an X85 I'd expect there to be at least a 30% price difference. It continues to be very tempting for me, if for no reason other than we still don't have specifics on what the Model X will look like, be equipped with, or cost, and it checks all the boxes for must-have features.

The one place it starts to lose me is at the estimate of 25 MPG in hybrid mode. This is hardly any better than other SUVs already on the market. While I could probably make 25 miles of electric range work, I have a feeling performance will be very crippled in this mode and I'll be stuck burning more gas than I'd like. Nothing in this class will be able to touch the Model X when it comes to performance out vs. energy consumed. It will be worth every penny.

It will be interesting to see what the actual, real-world battery only range of the XC90 is. The reviews I've read of the new 2.0L super and turbocharged engine that I've read so far have been underwhelming; it sounds like an awful lot of tech and complexity for pretty middling results. Perhaps layering a PHEV system on top of that will dramatically improve it, but my guess is that the driving experience of the XC90 will be pretty compromised by all of the extra gear that you have to haul around all the time.

 

[Electric700]

Its good to finally have a plug in SUV option that will be available nation wide, but for what the XC90 is going to cost, I would simply buy a Model X.

True, the Model X will be a better choice for many and especially those who want to get completely off of gasoline.

 

[bint2k]

I have a quote for a Fully Loaded R-Design in my inbox, it's coming out to $89,000 CDN. All things considered with the cold doing bad things on TESLA's batteries in the winter, it might be worth considering this SUV. I could easily see a P85X fully loaded coming in around 150k CND based on the P85D pricing right now. 60K in savings is a pretty penny…. Obviously won’t be as crazy fun to drive but there is a lot of tech built into this thing, including a self driving “autopilot” mode as the Volvo CEO described at the LA Autoshow. The interior is super slick as well - do some reading on the sound system, they designed the car around the subwoofer LOL.

 

[RDoc]

I have a quote for a Fully Loaded R-Design in my inbox, it's coming out to $89,000 CDN. All things considered with the cold doing bad things on TESLA's batteries in the winter, it might be worth considering this SUV. I could easily see a P85X fully loaded coming in around 150k CND based on the P85D pricing right now. 60K in savings is a pretty penny…. Obviously won’t be as crazy fun to drive but there is a lot of tech built into this thing, including a self driving “autopilot” mode as the Volvo CEO described at the LA Autoshow. The interior is super slick as well - do some reading on the sound system, they designed the car around the subwoofer LOL.

Is that with the hybrid drivetrain? I didn't think that was going to be released until sometime after March 2015.
I'm also curious about the relative reliability of the XC90 and the X for 2015-2016. They're both new designs so I expect there will be teething problems with both.

 

[bint2k]

Is that with the hybrid drivetrain? I didn't think that was going to be released until sometime after March 2015.
I'm also curious about the relative reliability of the XC90 and the X for 2015-2016. They're both new designs so I expect there will be teething problems with both.

Correct, with the hybrid drivetrain.... Their taking pre-orders now. At least with the X most of the drivetrain issues will be sorted as their "testing" it out now with the Dual Motor setup with the S

 

[mnx]

Correct, with the hybrid drivetrain.... Their taking pre-orders now. At least with the X most of the drivetrain issues will be sorted as their "testing" it out now with the Dual Motor setup with the S

When will they be at dealerships to check out?

 

[scottf200]

Volvo Unveils XC90 Plug-In Hybrid At 2014 LA Auto Show

InsideEVs link with several videos: Volvo Unveils XC90 Plug-In Hybrid At 2014 LA Auto Show

At the 2014 LA Auto Show, Volvo unveiled for the very first time in the US a 7-seat AWD premium SUV – XC90 Plug-In Hybrid, which is scheduled for sales nationwide starting in the first half of 2015. Price still remains unknown.With roughly up to 40 km (25 miles) of all-electric range, 400 hp and 640 Nm of torque this SUV could be an interesting proposition (0 to 60 MPH times below 6 seconds). From almost 300 kW of power in total, 60 kW comes from the rear electric motor.
...

 

[scottf200]

Volvo Prices XC90 T8 Twin Engine In US From $68,100
– Deliveries This Fall [2015]

Volvo Prices XC90 T8 Twin Engine In US From $68,100 - Deliveries This Fall

 

[Xpress]

- No battery ‘re-charge’ mode while driving on ICE?
– what size charger is onboard 3.6, 7.2kW?
– any chance it will be CA HOV eligible?
– $68K plus options = $78K ?
– $9K less than the Cayenne SEH (10.8kW battery) which can charge the battery fully but is not a 7 passenger
Been waiting for this car but it looks like another FAIL in the SUV plug-in segment. Three years later still waiting for an SUV with the same set up as my Volt.

Volvo Prices XC90 T8 Twin Engine In US From $68,100
– Deliveries This Fall [2015]

Volvo Prices XC90 T8 Twin Engine In US From $68,100 - Deliveries This Fall

 

[MorrisonHiker]

Volvo Prices XC90 T8 Twin Engine In US From $68,100
– Deliveries This Fall [2015]

Volvo Prices XC90 T8 Twin Engine In US From $68,100 - Deliveries This Fall

I've been watching/waiting for the XC90 T8 for years. Actually, I've been waiting for the V60 PHEV that was released in Europe but never made is to the United States. For me, that would've been the perfect form factor. When I found that neither it nor the XC60 PHEV concept would make it here any time soon, I started following the XC90. I was active on the Swede Speed forums for a year or so and often mentioned how I was cross-shopping the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, the XC90 T8 and the Tesla 85D. Of course many immediately put down the Outlander PHEV, saying Mitsubishi wasn't going to make it in the States. While Mitsubishi isn't that big here, they have managed to sell the most popular PHEV in Europe for the past couple of years. I didn't like the body styling but the refreshed styling coming out soon was much more palatable. Also, nobody could believe that I would cross-shop a 7 person SUV with a "sedan". I had to point out that the Tesla S isn't really a sedan, but a liftback/hatchback. In multiple posts, I stated that I was looking for two things in a vehicle: AWD and the ability to plug it in and power it via electricity (at least part of the time).

A few weeks back, they finally posted official MPG numbers for the XC90 T6. I was really disappointed to see their "class leading" numbers as my current SUV still averages nearly 26 mpg and can get over 30 mpg on some roadtrips, which is way better than the XC90 T6. While my current vehicle is in a smaller class, it meets my needs and the XC90 is really more car than I really need. I had hoped that the T8 would be able to offer much better figures but I decided to give up on it earlier this month since I figured it would be priced higher than a Tesla. Days later, the 70D was announced. :biggrin:

The available tax credits can help lower the prices of both cars to within a few thousand dollars of each other but if you compare 17 miles on electric vs. 240 miles on electric, there really is no comparison. I got to see the XC90 T6 last week in person and it's a nice vehicle. Afterwards, I drove down to the Tesla store to get some more information on the 70D. While I haven't placed an order yet, I have begun researching the possibility of adding a couple 14-50 outlets to my garage. :wink: Looks like that free OSD trip to Sweden isn't going to happen any time soon.

 

[Xpress]

Where did you see the Volvo in person?

I'm very disappointed in the XC90 as well and have also been waiting. Ideally I wish the model S was little smaller so it would fit in my garage easier. It's actually 7" wider than the Cayenne and 5 inches longer. I'm cross shopping the Cayenne SEH, Outlander (if it ever makes it here) and the 70D. I have a Volt and my commute means I drive on electric 90% of the time. Would love a plug-in SUV with 30 miles of range and one where I could put on a roof box (sorry Model X) with no Falcon doors!

The X5 plug-in is a FAIL, and the MB SUV is possibly the same. I do like the fact that the Cayenne SEH can recharge the battery fully while only losing 20% MPG - 24MPG on ICE, 20 MPG while recharging and 15 mile average on battery = 35MPG average?

I've been watching/waiting for the XC90 T8 for years. Actually, I've been waiting for the V60 PHEV that was released in Europe but never made is to the United States. For me, that would've been the perfect form factor. When I found that neither it nor the XC60 PHEV concept but make it here any time soon, I started following the XC90. I was active on the Swede Speed forums for a year or so and often mentioned how I was cross-shopping the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, the XC90 T8 and the Tesla 85D. Of course many immediately put down the Outlander PHEV, saying Mitsubishi wasn't going to make it in the States. While Mitsubishi isn't that big here, they have managed to sell the most popular PHEV in Europe for the past couple of years. I didn't like the body styling but the refreshed styling coming out soon was much more palatable. Also, nobody could believe that I would cross-shop a 7 person SUV with a "sedan". I had to point out that the Tesla S isn't really a sedan, but a liftback/hatchback. In multiple posts, I stated that I was looking for two things in a vehicle: AWD and the ability to plug it in and power it via electricity (at least part of the time).

A few weeks back, they finally posted official MPG numbers for the XC90 T6. I was really disappointed to see their "class leading" numbers as my current SUV still averages nearly 26 mpg and can get over 30 mpg on some roadtrips, which is way better than the XC90 T6. While my current vehicle is in a smaller class, it meets my needs and the XC90 is really more car than I really need. I had hoped that the T8 would be able to offer much better figures but I decided to give up on it earlier this month since I figured it would be priced higher than a Tesla. Days later, the 70D was announced. :biggrin:

The available tax credits can help lower the prices of both cars to within a few thousand dollars of each other but if you compare 17 miles on electric vs. 240 miles on electric, there really is no comparison. I got to see the XC90 T6 last week in person and it's a nice vehicle. Afterwards, I drove down to the Tesla store to get some more information on the 70D. While I haven't placed an order yet, I have begun researching the possibility of adding a couple 14-50 outlets to my garage. :wink: Looks like that free OSD trip to Sweden isn't going to happen any time soon.