Volvo has opened order books for its all-new XC90 with deliveries expected to start by May 2015.
Sporting a new sleeker design, the XC90 is new from the ground up and has been built on an entirely new platform. It’s not only longer, wider and lower than the model it replaces but will also be available with seven seats as standard.
Key changes
A key company car for the Swedish firm, the new XC90 will be available with three trims to choose from; Momentum, R-Design and Inscription.
The main design changes over the outgoing model include a new grille, new T-shaped LED headlamps and a centre console design which is now loaded with the latest kit, including internet access while on the move.
A whole host of equipment is now available as standard across the range too including sat-nav, keyless entry and an automatic tailgate.
As we expect from Volvo, safety played a key role in the cars development and the XC90 debuts two new features: Run-off Road Protection (which applies extra steering if the car is about to leave its lane unintentionally) and an Auto Brake system which automatically brakes the car if the driver turns in front of an oncoming car.
Low-tax diesels and hybrid
When it comes to engines there’s a choice of either petrol, diesel or petrol-hybrid powertrains from launch.
All are all-wheel drive (AWD) models. The choices are a D5 222bhp diesel, a T6 316bhp petrol or an AWD T8 petrol plug-in hybrid which offers 395bhp. All engines will be mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
For CO2 emissions it’s the new plug-in hybrid which is stealing most of the headlines emitting only 64g/km meaning a nine percent BIK tax band for the 2015/16 tax year.
The hybrid pairs a four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with a 79bhp electric motor and can sprint from 0 to 62mph in 5.9 seconds.
There are five different driving modes to choose from including pure electric, AWD (all-wheel drive) and Power mode to gain access to all the cars available power for sportier performance. The car also has a Save mode which allows the driver to save the battery usage for later or, if the battery is low, the driver can use the combustion engine to charge the battery to a certain level for later use with Pure Electric drive.
You can travel up to 25 miles on electric power alone and drivers can also pre-condition the T8’s battery and cabin, either directly from within the car or by using the Volvo On Call mobile app.
Both the D5 and T6 have pretty high emissions (152g/km for the diesel and 179g/km for the petrol) though, so if your heart is set on one of these engine choices, be prepared for the larger monthly tax costs which will come with them.
How much will it cost in tax?
Order books are open now with first deliveries of the new Volvo XC90 expected in May 2015.
P11D prices start from £45,550 for the diesel which means it’ll cost a 40 percent tax payer well over £400 a month based on the 2015/16 tax year.
The hybrid P11D price starts from £59,900 which will cost you £179.70 a month for a 40 percent tax payer during the 2015/16 tax year, depending on whether you add any options or move up trim levels.
