I finally managed to put this video together after quite a while. This is the video about me testing the 2018 Volvo S90 T8 Twin Engine Inscription Plus. This is Volvo's flagship sedan here in Malaysia and it shares the same drivetrain and powertrain as the XC90 T8 SUV. This is the sedan variant of what I think has the best hybrid drivetrain to be fitted to a vehicle (circa 2018).
I must also apologise for how some of the in-car scenes of me blabbering has come up pixelated. It looked fine during post-production. Most likely it is due to a lot of things going on and it didn't come up right during rendering...or YouTube's compression during uploading made it slightly worse. Anyway, it's good to see that most of the B-Roll footage is very clean and visible. That's more important that watching me talk. Right?
Anyway, in the video I basically stated that I like this car. It is Volvo's best sedan. I love how it drives although I feel that it isn't a sporty sedan. It is the sedan I would buy for its technology, its refinement and for wafting through town in relative silence.
Also, in a straight line it is fast. Faster that any large sedan ought to be. 0-100kmh is done in under 4.8seconds and it goes on to 250kmh. When you mash the throttle pedal it feels slow, but it isn't. It's also the refinement of the S90 T8 telling you otherwise. You're ballistic, but it feels calm. It's like having tea whilst bombs are exploding all around you. You are unperturbed. Oblivious to the speed.
Of course, I also mentioned the drawback of the car. It is a large and heavy sedan, with its battery pack and all. So you have to actually drive within its limits. I also think that the chaps at Volvo Car designed this car to carry its occupants in comfort and style. Not to attack the Nurburgring. This is a good thing actually.
That being said, there are still drive modes which you can play with - the full EV mode (Pure mode), hybrid mode, a sports mode and a individual mode.
And that Bowers & Wilkins sound system. A l whole lot of properly placed speakers and that Gothenburg Opera House simulation....bloody marvelous. It does feel like you are at an opera house and the fat lady is singing right in front of you.
Other details include a huge 500liter boot (which isn't obstructed by any battery packs as the battery for this hybrid car is in the centre of the car - in what is the transmission tunnel. Volvo has packaged this car quite well as the heavy battery is in the middle and its drivetrain is unique - the petrol powered engine powers the front wheels whereas the electric motor powers the rear wheels. The 8 speed transmission cleverly works everything out and you can't actually feel how the car shuffles the power where it is needed the most.
Truly a technological tour de force. The Volvo S90 T8 in this Inscription Plus form is something worth yearning for.
Do check out the video. It may have a little more details which I haven't written in here.
Price and Specifications with more Photos below---
The T8 Twin Engine is Volvo’s hybrid electrified vehicle powertrain which combines a turbocharged and supercharged petrol engine that powers the front and an electric motor driving the rear axle making the car a totally unique hybrid all-wheel drive car. The S90 T8's powertrain makes 407 hp (235 kW internal combustion engine + 65 kW electric motor) and 640 Nm (400 Nm internal combustion engine + 240 Nm electric motor) of torque.
Both S90 T8 Twin Engine variants can achieve 0 – 100 km/h in 4.8s and it has a pure electric range of 50 km from a 10.4 kWh hybrid battery (according to EUregulations). So the car is darn fast and also super economical. We managed about 30km and got about 6liters per 100km with Volvo claiming 2.0liters per 100km in combined driving. Our recorded consumption was most likely due to hitting a lot of traffic in the Klang Valley. So the fuel consumption we recorded is actually really excellent for such a large sedan.
Two different trim levels can be had for this top of the range Volvo car - the Inscription and Inscription Plus. The only difference between the two is that the higher priced Plus has Premium Sound by Bowers & Wilkins; a 19-speaker 1,400 watts Class-D amplified sound system and air suspension for the self-levelling rear suspension. Both cars feature Volvo's IntelliSafe City Safety Technology which combines automatic breaking functionality and collision avoidance systems to cover a range of potential accident scenarios and assist in keeping you safe.
The S90 T8's City Safety’s functionality is further extended with Large Animal Detection, which is designed to help avoid or mitigate collisions with large animals such as moose. It is also equipped with an auto-steer functionality which helps to keep you on the road, called Run Off Road Mitigation.
Aside from this, the S90 T8 also has IntelliSafe Assist as standard. This includes Adaptive Cruise Control and Distance Alert and the advanced semi-autonomous drive feature, Pilot Assist. The Pilot Assist functionality gives gentle steering input to keep the car properly aligned within lane markings up to motorway speeds of around 130 km/h and no longer needs to follow another car. Volvo Car states that their Pilot Assist is another step towards making their cars to be able to drive autonomously.
The best thing is that since it is locally assembled (CKD) as well as being a certified energy efficient vehicle with electrification, it sells from a relatively affordable price of RM368,888 onwards.
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