The 2016 Volvo V90 has been revealed overnight in Sweden, and joins its ’90’ siblings the recently revealed S90 and XC90.
THE NEW 2016 VOLVO V90 has been revealed overnight in Sweden and joins its recently released siblings, the XC90 and S90. Based on Volvo’s new modular Scalable Product Architecture, the V90 shares its underpinnings, more or less, with both the S90 and XC90.
With the unveiling of the V90, Volvo is making a big deal of its ‘wagon’ heritage, it’s also making a lot of noise about the technological advancements available with the V90, although whether all of them will be available on Australia delivered models remains to be seen.
But, according to Volvo, the new V90 offers Pilot Assist semi-autonomous drive technology, “the most advanced standard safety package on the market, with large animal detection and run-off road mitigation”, and connectivity including smartphone integration with Apple CarPlay.
Speaking about the new Volvo V90, Volvo Australia boss, Kevin McCann said “We have a very strong position in the estate segment. In many people’s minds we are known as the definitive estate brand. While the Volvo brand today stands for more than estates, we are proud to carry forward this rich heritage with the V90.”
“The modern stylish estate is all about the intriguing combination of a luxurious experience with the functional origins of the estates silhouette. The sophisticated ambience of our new Volvo interiors is combined with a great cargo space, providing the right kind of functionality – whether through connectivity or cargo and storage solutions,” said McCann.
“We have a very strong offer in the V90. Our PowerPulse technology is designed to deliver a distinct performance boost to our diesel engine, while the T8 Twin Engine petrol plug-in hybrid will deliver over 300kW and a pure electric range of around 50km,” Mr McCann added.
Hang on, PowerPulse, what’s that? Basically, it’s a way of pre-priming the turbocharger and Volvo does this by “drawing air from the air filter via a compressor to a pressurised two-litre air tank. When the driver wishes to accelerate quickly during launch and during low-speed driving, the air is fed by a valve into the exhaust manifold to feed the turbo. This has the effect of delivering a quick and responsive pulse of power. The air in the tank is topped-up automatically, making sure that PowerPulse is always ready to deliver a new boost. Volvo Cars is the only car maker currently using such technology in production cars.”
