Volvo XC90 Twin Engine Claimed to Be the Cleanest SUV in the World

Every now and then, a manufacturer comes up with a new car. That’s all nice and jolly, but we take the marketing side of the biz with a grain of salt because a lot of gratuitous stuff is said by non-car people. That made us wonder - is the second-gen Volvo XC90 in T8 Twin Engine flavor the cleanest SUV ever?

Let’s go through some info and try to answer that question. First and foremost, engineers designed the 2015 Volvo XC90 from the ground up for plug-in compatibility. The Swedish manufactures claims that this was perfomed to ensure there will be no compromises with luggage and passenger space.

Neatly integrated in the modular Scalable Product Architecture platform, the range-topping T8 Twin Engine is a plug-in hybrid sport utility vehicle that makes use of internal combustion and electricity. For the suck, squeeze, bang, blow end of the deal, there’s a turbocharged and supercharged 2.0-liter Drive-E petrol powerplant, producing 318 ponies and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque. Not exactly eco...

...but here comes the polar bear-saving element of the PHEV mix

An 82 horsepower 240 Nm (117 lb-ft) electric motor sits on the rear axle, driving the rear wheels. Volvo says that the rear placement allows for a big motor, which is useful for stop-and-go traffic, but it also makes all-wheel drive possible because each axle has its own power source.

The combined 400 horsepower and 640 Nm (472 lb-ft) can thrust the mid-size SUV to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 5.9 seconds, which is at least impressive for a car that can accommodate seven people and their luggage as well. So is the 2015 Volvo XC90 in T8 Twin Engine guise as clean as they say it is?

Although unconfirmed, in-house testing showed this powertrain boasts with 59 grams of CO2 per kilometer. Considering a 2015 Volkswagen Polo 1.4 TDI BlueMotion emits 82 grams of CO2 / km, the answer is yes, this is an eco-friendly family car which can go 25 miles (40 km) in Pure Electric drive mode.

If you want to learn more about the 2015 Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine, check out the release below.

Show Press Release

Volvo XC90 Twin Engine - photo gallery