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2021 Volvo XC90 Recharge Road Test Review | I could've had a T8!

Second thoughts … sometimes even buyerÂ’s remorse. Nagging doubts can follow life's big decisions — and buying a car is a biggie. Was it the right choice? Or as the poet said: "You may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile / And you may ask yourself, 'Well, how did I get here?'" Two years ago, I bought a 2017 Volvo XC90 lease return with 11,000 miles on it. I hadnÂ’t expected to find an XC90 within my budget, but this one was attractively priced because it, A) was a T5, meaning turbo-only; B) had the base Momentum interior; and C) was a third-row delete, which was a turnoff to other car shoppers. Otherwise, it was heavily optioned and seemed like it would serve my family well and keep them safe. And it has. It has lots of room. It drives as well as any medium-large SUV can. The tough leatherette endures the abuse of dogs and kids and the dirt of outdoor activities. The legendary Volvo seats have comforted and supported us, even on a 750-mile day from California to Washington. We've routinely seen highway mileage go past 30 mpg. And the off-road mode was surefooted during last month's nationwide snowfall. The carÂ’s great. And yet, while at the Volvo dealership for complimentary service, sipping the waiting-room coffee and wandering the showroom, you see the cars you could have bought, had you spent more money — a turbo-and-supercharged T6, or the twin-charged-plus-plug-in-hybrid Recharge (previously known by the powertrain's name of T8). And with Volvo's elegant Inscription interiors. Would they have provided a better ownership experience than our secondhand lower-rung model? One doesnÂ’t often get a do-over to answer such questions. But a recent week in a 2021 Volvo XC90 Recharge provided a drive down the nicer road not taken. The differences between a 2017 T5 Momentum and the 2021 Recharge Inscription are many, and also few. They're basically the same car, same dimensions inside and out, same overall feel. Panoramic sunroof, same. Massive cargo hold, same — though because ours lacks the third row, it gains a large secret underfloor storage compartment. Both XC90s have roof rails, but the rails on the new car are flush-mounted versus the '17's raised rails (youÂ’d need different crossbar towers for each).

Jeremy Lin's new Volvo has him working out with the XC60

Jeremy Lin rose to prominence as a point guard for the New York Knicks in February of 2012 when he came out of nowhere to lead the team to a string of victories. Volvo was quick to notice and signed him as the company's US spokesperson that March. Since then, he has starred in several Volvo advertisements, and his latest ad shows just how he uses his Volvo XC60 to train for the court. The highlight is Lin shooting free throws out of the sunroof.
Since leaving the Knicks, Lin has lost some of the visibility and hype that attracted Volvo to him in the first place. Still, commercials must be made, so check out Lin's latest below.

Volvo Recharge models get more power and electric range

Volvo Belgium announced a few big improvements for plug-in hybrid models on the automaker's Scalable Product Architecture, meaning the 60 and 90 series Recharge models — S60, V60, XC60, S90, V90 and XC90. First, the battery's been given another layer of cells, upping capacity from 11.6 kWh to 18.8 kWh. At the moment, Volvo's UK site advertises two figures for all-electric range on the WLTP cycle for the XC60 and XC90, and says the S90 can already do 90 kilometers on a charge. The spec pages, however, say the XC60 can do 32 kilometers maximum, the XC90 able to go 30 kilometers. With the new battery, Volvo says all-electric range has improved to up to 90 kilometers (56 miles) on the WLTP cycle, but that will surely depend on model. Our U.S.-market XC90 PHEV is EPA-rated at 18 miles of battery-electric driving. A 62% increase would put that at about 30 miles. Just as good as the battery boost, the 87-horsepower e-motor that powers the rear axle on the Recharge trims is goosed to 145 hp. The T6 Recharge powertrain will make 350 combined horsepower, ten horses more than currently, and the T8 Recharge powertrain will make a combined 455 hp, a considerable 65 horses more than now. That makes the coming T8 the most powerful Volvo ever put into series production. The T8's 2.0-liter twin-charged engine has also been engineered for more efficiency as well as "higher engine power at low revs and at start-up," but Volvo hasn't offered specifics on that yet.  Finally, drivers will be able to control all that go with just the accelerator pedal, Volvo adding single pedal drive on the XC60 Recharge, S90 Recharge, and V90 Recharge. There's no word on when we might see them; introduction sometime during the 2022 model year seems sensible. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.