First look: Iron-badged XC90 V8 is set for Oz!

VOLVO has confirmed the bristling new V8 version of Volvo’s facelifted XC90 will be made available in Australia after all – and it’s just six months away.

Pictured here in leaked photos ahead of its official reveal, the revised XC90 will be the first Volvo to appear with the Swedish brand’s new "iron" symbol.

The logo has featured on Volvo cars sporadically for almost 80 years, but will now appear on all new Volvo models – beginning with the updated XC90 SUV, which will go on sale here by September.

The new transversely-mounted 60-degree V8 is the headline act of the midlife XC90 facelift. Co-developed by Yamaha, it offers a competitive 232kW and peak torque of 440Nm.



Initially claimed to be incompatible with the right-hand drive XC90, the compact new V8 has now been engineered and approved for right-hook markets - including Australia.

Volvo’s first V8 will be available from the facelifted XC90’s launch here, with an all-new 3.2-litre inline six-cylinder and - for the first time - turbo-diesel power likely to follow.

The latter is the latest generation of Volvo’s own inline five-cylinder oil-burner, which produces 138kW and 400Nm, while the inline petrol six delivers 175kW and 320Nm.

All three engines will be mated to a new six-speed automatic transmission, which is claimed to significantly reduce the XC’s noise, vibration and harshness levels.

XC90 is currently powered by a 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo petrol engine mated to a five-speed auto ($69,950) and a 2.9-litre six-cylinder turbo petrol that drives through a four-speed self-shifter ($79,950) All three engines are also expected to power Volvo’s second-generation S80 luxury flagship, which debuted in Geneva late last month and goes on sale here soon after the repowered XC90 in October.

The range-topping all-wheel drive S80 V8 sedan will come standard Dynamic Stability and Traction Control (DSTC), and will be the first Volvo to offer a new Adaptive Cruise Control with Collision Warning and Brake Support system.

Apart from its three new engines (and V8 and iron symbol badging), the facelifted XC90 brings subtly revised exterior styling and new interior plastics.

Beating it and the new S80 to Australian Volvo showrooms is the all-new C70 coupe-convertible, which arrives here in August as the first of six new models in the following 18 months.

Further afield, Volvo’s all-new C30 compact hatch – revealed in concept guise at Detroit in January - should arrive here around mid-2007 following its September Paris show production debut.

Next January’s Detroit motor show should play host to the public debut of Volvo’s third-generation V70 wagon and its XC70 crossover twin, while Frankfurt 2007 is expected to host the reveal of a redesigned S60 sedan, which could also receive a final update later this year.

Volvo also recently announced production, at the rate of 5000 vehicles annually, of its S40 sedan in China, joining Malaysia as Volvo’s second Asian production site.

Volvo Cars Australia says that, unlike Volkswagen, its entry-level sedan will continue to be sourced from Europe (our S40 is built in Belgium), while the Swedish marque’s Trollhattan plant will continue to supply Australian versions of the XC90, XC70 and S80.

What’s coming from Volvo:

New C70 CC – August
Facelifted XC90 SUV – September
New S80 sedan – October
All-new C30 hatch – mid-2007
New V70 and XC70 wagons – late 2007
New S60 sedan – 2008

Volvo V8 carries serious cred

VOLVO says the first V8 in its 79-year history is not just the cleanest V8 available today – it’s also more compact than any similar-capacity bent eight on the market.

Measuring just 754mm long and 635mm wide, the all-aluminium V8 weighs only 190kg and is the first petrol V8 to comply with America’s strict stage two Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV-II) standard.

Said to be tailored specifically for the XC90 – in which it made its public debut at the 2004 Paris motor show – the new 4.4-litre V8 features no fewer than four catalytic converters, a fast 1250rpm cold-start idle speed and continuous variable inlet and exhaust valve timing (CVVT).

Eschewing V8 tradition, its cylinder banks are angled at a tight 60 degrees and offset in relation to eachother by half a cylinder. Negating the natural imbalance of such a configuration is a counter-rotating balance shaft.

Volvo says the layout allows a neat fit within the chassis beams of the XC90 (in which it’s fitted transversely, like all Volvo engines) and improves crash performance.

Offering 232kW and a beefy 440Nm of torque from 3900rpm (with 370Nm available at 2000rpm), the V8 drives all four wheels via a new six-speed auto with manual-shift function, which continues with Volvo’s Geartronic name.

The revised AWD system is claimed to comprise the world-first fitment of a new electronic function developed by Swedish company Haldex and dubbed Instant Traction. IT employs a non-return valve to "pre-charge" the AWD system with 80Nm of torque during takeoff to prevent the front-drive biased system becoming drained of hydraulic fluid.

In effect, Volvo says it reduces the usual wheelspin of about one-seventh of a turn permitted by the current system before power is transmitted to the rear wheels. Aiding the new feature is an upgraded AWD system that increases maximum short-term torque delivery to the rear wheels by 50 per cent.

Regarded as crucial to the success of Volvo’s premium XC90 SUV - 60 per cent of which are sold in the US - the V8 version is distinguished by new 18-inch alloy wheels, twin exhaust outlets and a unique grille, among other changes.

Volvo claims 0-100km/h acceleration of a relatively spritely seven seconds for the XC90 V8, along with a 210km/h top speed and preliminary average fuel consumption of 13.0L/100km. Oh, and a "charismatic off-beat V8 burble".