Volvo XC90 T8 launched at Rs 1.25 crore

Volvo India today launched a hybrid variant of its flagship SUV, the XC90 T8 with a price tag of Rs 1.25 crore (ex-showroom Delhi). Brought on to our shores as a CBU, its the second car after the BMW i8 to get a plug-in hybrid system.

The XC90 T8 is also the first car in India to have been equipped with radar based driving-aids, finally having been approved by the Government of India. The systems include adaptive cruise control, collision warning, large object and animal detection, lane departure warning, cross traffic alert, parking assist and rear collision warning. Also, the rear bench gets two pilot seats instead of one big seat, making the big SUV a four-seater, officially.

Powered by a 2-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine, the XC90 T8 makes 316bhp of power along with 86bhp coming-in from the electric motor, equating to a total output of 402bhp, mated to an 8-speed Aisin transmission. The torque figure stands at 640Nm, thanks to the turbocharged petrol unit. To add to the pros, the standalone battery gives the SUV a range of 40km. Volvo has reduced the fuel capacity from 70 litres to 50 litres, to shed some weight. All this gives the XC90 T8 a 0-100kmph time of less than 6 seconds, without harming the environment much.

It also gets five driving modes – Hybrid, Pure ELectric, Power, AWD and Save. Hybrid is the default setting that uses the petrol engine and electric motor together to keep your fuel consumption low. Power mode also uses the two system simultaneously, but instead of saving fuel, gives you all the torque the two engines can muster.

About the features, the rear passengers get an individual touchscreen, specific to each. Other than that, there is an inclusion of folding table, refrigerator with bottles and glass holders, along with heated/cooled cupholders. The detailing doesn’t end there and as the glasses inside the refrigerator are handmade by Orrefors, the same company that has also designed the gearshift. Also on offer is a 20 speaker B&W sound system To distinguish the hybrid T8 from the diesel variants, 21-imch alloys with chrome bits have been incorporated into the design.

Volvo is planning to open new outlets in Pune, Jaipur and Lucknow soon. With Volvo India having received 50 orders already, the prospects for the hybrid SUV look bright, as we see it.