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Power and economy, the Holy Grail for car manufacturers nowadays, will be offered in equal measure by the all-new, range-topping Volvo XC90 - the big SUV will have a halo hybrid model that emits just 60g/km of CO2 with peak power output of 400hp.
Under the bonnet
There will be other engines offered for the seven-seat, all-wheel drive Volvo XC90, but we'll come to those in a minute. Let's start with the big boy. Featuring 'Twin Engine' technology, the ultimate XC90 will be badged 'T8'. Up front is a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder super- and turbocharged Drive-E petrol engine that powers the front wheels, while an 80hp (60kW) electric motor turns the rears.
Volvo says the car's default mode is 'hybrid', in which the drivetrain works in unison and you get the full 400hp with 640Nm of torque (or thereabouts, as the final figures are yet to be ratified). But the XC90 T8 can run on electric power alone, with a range of around 40 kilometres' emission-free driving possible.
Furthermore, Volvo claims the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA), which underpins its range, was designed to accommodate hybrid running from the outset, so there are no packaging issues with the battery pack required for the T8. "There are no compromises when you drive an all-new XC90," said Peter Mertens, senior vice-president for research and development at the 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."
Final details
The XC90 will be one of the vanguard of Volvo models to go all four-cylinder, as per the Drive-E programme to have just two 2.0-litre diesel and petrol units powering the entirety of the Swedish manufacturer's range by 2017. Alongside the T8 will be a D5 twin-turbo diesel with 225hp, 470Nm and 47mpg (6.0 litres/100km), while a D4 single-turbo diesel will offer 190hp, 400Nm and 56mpg (5.0 litres/100km).
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