Engineers should have their sense of humor surgically removed; engineering jokes have the potential to turn into engineering disasters.
Volvo’s engineering team might well have had a humor bypass before they designed the new XC90 V8. Just driving it brings the conviction that serious minded gentlemen in white coats and round wire framed spectacles have checked all the nuts and bolts and they are, for sure, all torqued up correctly.
Designed for the “over 55 year old earning around $160,000 a year” (I score one out of two) it satisfies the desires of this group for something safe, solid and powerful that allows for some slightly adventurous driving combined with impeccably good road manners and a generous helping of luxury.
Powered by an all new aluminum V8 — according to Volvo the most compact in the world and weighing in at just 190 kg — it places the XC90 squarely in the premium SUV bracket with the Cadillac SRX or Infiniti FX45. Nearly 30 percent of US consumers who buy premium SUV’s choose one with a V8; it made good sense to Volvo to build one.
On the road, the transversely mounted V8 delivers a very noticeable increase in power over the six cylinder unit, knocking a full 2 seconds off the 0-100kph time — from around 9.5 down to 7.5.
With the US market as a target and with an eye on its increasingly strict emission control regulations, the 4.4 liter engine meets Ultra Low Emission Vehicle, stage II requirements, making the V8 the only SUV in its class to do so.
Passenger safety inside the cabin is of Volvo’s normal standard of excellence and includes Volvo’s Roll Over Protection System (ROPS), as well as curtain air bags for occupants of all three rows of seats.
“We’ve tailored this V8 specifically for the XC90,” Hans Wikman, Volvo Cars Vice President, Vehicle Line Large Cars said of the new unit. “A transverse engine is helpful in maintaining the frontal crumple zones in the XC90 and thus does not compromise on protective safety.”
The new design has the banks of cylinders angled at 60 degrees to each other, instead of the more common 90 degrees. Moreover, the left hand bank of cylinders is offset by half a cylinder; this helps seat the engine neatly into the structural beam network and ensure the car’s collision safety stabndards. To prevent imbalance from the 60-degree V configuration, Volvo installed a counter-rotating balance shaft.
Again, with space in mind, the bolt-ons — starter motor, generator and similar devices, are mounted on the engine rather than hanging off brackets. All very neat and tidy.
A power output of 315 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque pumping out of the twin OHC unit — most of which is available around 2600 rpm — means that the engine is rarely stressed and always clean, an impressive achievement.
On a mixed terrain — highway and soft surfaces — the V8 returned and average of 19.1 liters per 100 km though was considerably more frugal in sixth (overdrive) gear on tarmac.
The six speed automatic transmission is silky smooth and almost impossible to feel changing upwards during even quite hard acceleration. If there is a minor cavil, it is that you get the feel it is searching for top gear a bit too quickly — very probably to conserve fuel and lower emissions.
The power is distributed to the wheels through an electronically controlled system, a feature of which is the “instant traction” device. The system puts 50 percent of the traction through the back wheels during hard take-offs — from traffic lights for example — and give enhanced traction when driving conditions are less than optimal. Available on the six cylinder models as well, the system has been modified to handle the extra power.
All very nice; but how does it drive?
Bearing in mind who the car is aimed at, it is as near ideal as one could get. The cabin space is massive and reassuringly high. The two meter tall passenger had a good 15 cm head clearance in the front seat — a little less in the rear. Very few cars can match that.
The heavy looking steering wheel is deceptive insofar that the steering is very light and responsive, but it has the tendency of power assisted steering setups to isolate the hands from the feedback off the road surface. Neither does it self-center as rapidly as I would like when allowed to slide freely through the hands. Before cries of “bad habit” ripple through the air — it’s not the facility to self center that is the point; it’s the muted resistance and feel of the road.
However, these are personal preferences and easily adjusted to. The vehicle is very well mannered and steers precisely.
The roll stability contol system is difficult to spot at work but very effective. Long fast curves usually induce a lean in an SUV’s angle of attack. The Volvo remains remarkably upright and the curves physically remind the driver of traditional “seat of the pants” driving. It all makes for a much more stable ride.
Although Volvo emphasise that the V8 is not an off road vehicle, at the Dubai launch earlier this year they responed to questions about traction control and unsutability for the Kingdom very simply. They showed journalists how to drive the beast in sand.
No, it is not an “off roader” in the traditional macho sense. It is, to use the serious minded “Sven” image again rather like asking a concerned academic to demonstrate paddling to you. A sigh, a rolling up of the professorial trouser legs and a look of “Well if I must…”
If you must, then drop the tire pressure 20 percent, disengage traction control, engage 2nd gear in the manual option on the box and use 275 of the 315 horses at around 2500 rpm. That will get you far enough off road in many of the sandy areas that you are likely to encounter in Saudi Arabia — far enough for a private picnic, anyway.
Repeat: It is not an off roader, but it is surpisingly facile on sand and very reassuring on dirt and dust. The ABS braking and (when used) the traction control on dust covered surface give the vehicle a sure-footedness that is hard to beat. Even on heavily dusted tracks, it is nigh on impossible to get even close to wheelspin or skid.
All the V8-powered XC90s are all-wheel drive and come standard with plenty of luxury features — leather upholstery, moonroof, rear air conditioning and power-adjustable seats with memory.
Although furnished with high-quality materials, the interior still is not exciting; that is fine by me. It is simple, uncluttered and one does not have to search the equivalent of a stealth-bomber’s flight deck to turn on the excellent Dolby Pro-Logic II sound system.
Altogether, the XC90 V8 is a grand package. Safe as a bank-vault to keep a valuable family in — but with enough naughtiness under the right foot for moments of “recherce de temps perdu” for the driver.
