Top 10 Reasons The Volvo XC90 Is Unlike Any Other SUV

[Volvo XC90 News]

In case you've been living under a rock for the past 12 months I want to make one thing very clear: the Volvo car company has returned with a vengeance. Back in 2010, as the world's economic outlook migrated from bad to really bad, Ford sold Volvo to Geely Automobile of China for just under $2 billion. Any automotive analyst claiming he expected a triumphant Volvo return 5 years later is lying. Most industry experts thought a best-case scenario might see Volvo hanging on to its reputation for safety as it transformed into a Chinese-centric brand with minimal global cachet. Worst-case scenarios had Volvo completely losing itself under radically-altered business priorities dictated by non-western managers. What actually happened was a massive cash infusion from a largely hands-off parent company. Volvo was quickly transformed from a financially-challenged automaker to a financially-flush automaker, with the carmaker's leaders in Sweden free to invest the funds wisely.

The first all-new result of this arrangement is Volvo's XC90 SUV (the 2017 S90 sedan will hit showrooms soon). How has the company's first all-new model under Geely's ownership been received? Let's just say it's won more awards than any other SUV in the past 12 months. This list of accolades includes many of the industry's most prestigious titles, such as North American Truck/SUV of the Year, Motor Trend SUV of the Year and Kelley Blue Book's inaugural Best Auto Tech Award because of the XC90's intuitive and feature-laden Sensus driver interface. Beyond the XC90's superb Sensus system is a long list of premium technologies, making it arguably the most advanced SUV you can buy. We've listed 10 of these features on our top-of-the-line XC90 T8, priced at $82,405. And while some of these items can be found on other 2016 models, no single vehicle currently sold in the U.S. possesses all 10 of these features - other than the 2016 XC90.

1. Turbo and Supercharger: The concept of leveraging a supercharger's strong low-speed torque with a turbocharger's excellent high-rpm horsepower has been every hot-rodder's dream for decades, though few automakers have ever even attempted it in a production car, and none have executed it as well as Volvo with its 2.0-liter, direct-injected four-cylinder engine. Our test car was a T8 model, and in that trim the 2.0-liter engine cranks out 400 horsepower and 472 pound-feet of torque. This engine delivers power and performance on par with engines three times its size, and it can deliver that power to all four wheels through a crisp-shifting 8-speed transmission. Very, very impressive.

2. Plug-in Hybrid: Developing the only supercharged and turbocharged engine on the market apparently wasn't enough for Volvo's engineers. Rather than basking in their unique accomplishment and calling it a day, they pushed on, integrating a plug-in hybrid system to further improve the XC90's fuel efficiency and green-car credentials when ordered in T8 trim. The 87 horsepower electric motor is connected to the rear axle, aiding traction and stability on slippery surfaces. It also gives the XC90 a 14-mile all-electric range and combined MPGe rating of 59 (this figure drops to 25 mpg on gasoline only). The electric motor also helps the Xc90 T8 accelerate from zero-to-60 mph in 5.9 seconds, and the 9.2-kWh battery pack takes 2.5 hours to fully charge with a 240-volt outlet (7 hours with 110 volts).

3. Advanced Parking Technology: Several luxury models now offer "birds-eye" or "360-degree" views while parking, and many other models offer automatic parking, with the vehicle steering itself into a parking space. The XC90 offers both. It can detect available parallel or perpendicular (standard) parking spaces, and then direct the driver to use either drive or reverse while it steers the vehicle into position. It can do this while also giving the driver full visibility of exactly where the XC90 is in relation to other cars, curbs, parking blocks, etc. These systems are fast improving, yet some of them are still more trouble and time consuming than just parking the old-fashioned way. The XC90 isn't one of them, as it quickly, consistently placed the SUV dead-center in parking spaces.

4. Large Central Display: Central display screens are pretty much a standard feature in every new car, and most of them are at least 7 inches wide with a high-resolution screen. At 9 inches wide with a vertical orientation the XC90's central display screen looks like an iPad mounted between the dash vents. It also acts like an iPad, offering rapid response to swipes and pinches instead of the annoying lag time we see with so many other driver interfaces. The Sensus control system features climate control, navigation and applications like Apple AAPL +1.92% CarPlay and Android Auto on one of its three main "pages" of the display screen (you can swipe left or right to access these pages). The monitor also switches to the 360-degree parking view or reverse view when backing up.

5. Semi-Autonomous Driving: Everyone is anxiously awaiting the fully-autonomous self-driving car, but it won't be available for at least 3-5 years. However, the baby steps we're making toward autonomous driving lets cars like the XC90 reduce driver stress through its lane-keeping aid, radar cruise control and automatic braking. Volvo groups these features together into something it calls "City Safety" - a combination of driver aids that also adds pedestrian and bicyclist detection, plus intersection braking technology that can sense when you're turning toward a car in an intersection and apply the brakes if a collision becomes imminent. Like the XC90's parking system, its advanced driver aids are on the cutting edge of this technology race in terms of design and execution.

6. Multiple Driver Modes: With so much technology packed in the XC90 T8 it makes sense to offer multiple driving modes. The Volvo can be placed in one of six modes, ranging from Pure (for pure electric mode) to Off Road, which raises the SUV's ground clearance to over 10 inches for off-pavement travel. Power mode leverages the drivetrain's capabilities for maximum performance while the AWD setting is meant for confident travel on slippery surfaces. There's also a Save setting that can recharge the drivetrain's battery pack, and the default Hybrid mode that combines all of these features for a smooth, efficient and slip-free ride over a variety of driving conditions. These modes can make substantial changes in the XC90's driving demeanor and fuel efficiency.

7. Digital Instrument Display: The gauge cluster in the latest XC90 starts with a 12.3-inch digital display capable of producing bright, colorful graphics in and around the primary gauges. This means many of the vehicle's advanced features, offered through the large touchscreen, can also be placed in front of the driver to reduce distraction. Digital instrument displays are not really new, but the crisp and vibrant quality of the XC90's gauge cluster makes it easy to glance down from the road and quickly see navigation or audio information. It also allows a wide range of information to be displayed and personalized according to driver preference.

8. Head-Up Display: This formally exotic technology, initially seen in fighter jets, is slowing migrating to the automobile. We saw the first hints of it 20 years ago in high-end performance cars, but the quality of the displays and the information they offered was more novel than functional. The XC90's head-up display is among the best currently offered, providing crisp graphics and multiple colors projected onto the windshield. Having this information just above the hoodline means the driver's eyes never leave the road while monitoring speed or receiving safety warnings.

9. Premium Audio System: Today's serious luxury cars demand serious, high-quality audio systems. The Volvo XC90 T8 R-Design can be equipped with a 19-speaker, 1,400-watt Bowers & Wilkins premium sound system to appease audiophiles. It includes a 12-channel amplifier, a passenger facing, dashboard-mounted tweeter and a "Gothenburg Concert Hall" setting to recreate the experience of Sweden's top musical venue inside the XC90's cabin. Other settings include "Studio" and "Individual Stage" offering a user-specified acoustic treatment through the XC90's central touchscreen.

10. Personalized Climate Control: Heated and cooled front seats are expected in modern luxury cars, while heated windshield washer nozzles and even a heated windshield aren't completely unique to the XC90. But this SUV also offers four-zone climate control and heated rear seats with individual, second-row control for the outboard seats' air temperature and up to three levels of seat heating. These features can also be controlled from the main touchscreen if rear passengers are too young (or too lazy) to take command of their heating and cooling needs.

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