As our year ensconced in rich leather, natural woods, and minimalist Swedish design draws to an end, it is time to revisit the quality of what is under the hood.
Our 2016 XC90 T6 AWD Inscription has Volvo’s 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with a turbocharger and small supercharger, generating 316 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque and mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Our seven-seater is responsive and peppy with plenty of power to merge, pass, and anything else we ask of it.
We can now add more context after hopping in a few alternatives. In Finland we rented an XC90 D5 with a 235-hp 2.0-liter twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel engine, which is usually the entry-level model in Europe. The diesel delivered a quiet ride and smooth acceleration with plenty of low-end torque while saving some power for passing at higher speeds. We prefer our gas version. It has more power in all the right places, checking all the boxes for us, even in snow or while towing.
We also got some seat time in an XC90 T8 plug-in hybrid with the turbocharged/supercharged gas engine and an 87-hp electric motor for a combined 400 hp and 472 lb-ft of torque (that XC90 is shown in blue, above). It is the best for delivering power off the line, past the line, and to the finish line. It has a range of about 13 miles on electricity alone, and the model we drove had the lovely Orrefors crystal gearshift knob. It also is the most expensive.
It was worthwhile to experience the greater breadth of the XC90 lineup. It confirmed there are no real bad choices when it comes to powertrain—it comes down to availability, preference, and price. It was also a nice validation for our long-termer, which continues to be an office favorite on long trips.
We have accumulated 26,767 miles and averaged 20.4 mpg on a wide assortment of trips with the varied conditions and terrain that a Michigan starting point provides. We discovered a glitch in the digital information being received by the trip computer because the long-term average fuel economy shows a ridiculously low single-digit number while our records prove the figure is always above 20 mpg. It might need another service call—that is, if we can find a moment between road trips.
Read more on our 2016 Volvo XC90 T6 Inscription:
- Arrival
- Update 1: A Summer Road Trip With the XC90
- Update 2: Test Results, Glitches and Recalls
- Update 3: Testing Its Mettle
- Update 4: Big Screens and Big Snow
- Update 5: Mileage Could Be Better But It’s Still Road-Trip Ready
The post 2016 Volvo XC90 T6 AWD Update 6: Comparing Powertrain Choices appeared first on Motor Trend.
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