03-06-2025
2025.5 Volvo XC90 T8 AWD First Test: Simpler, Swifter, Better
Pros B transmission mode a great quasi-one-pedal option
Ample EV power for around-town cruising
Reasonable day-trip range and overnight recharging Cons Abrupt engine engagement in Hybrid mode
Front-biased power challenges traction
Laggy screens
We've heaped a ton of praise on the second-gen Volvo XC90 luxury three-row SUV, from crowning it our 2016 SUV of the Year to marveling at its continued viability nine years later, when it was ostensibly meant to be replaced by the all-electric EX90. Well, it's still here, we've driven all its variants, tested the midgrade B6 trim, and now strapped our gear to the range-topping T8 plug-in hybrid version. Have we found a hole in this SUV's armor this time around?
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Simpler
Not really. This 2025.5 model is the automotive epitome of working smarter, not harder. Its powertrain is vastly simplified and at the same time measurably better at its job. When we first praised the T8, its powertrain comprised a four-cylinder engine that was assisted by not just a turbocharger and belt-driven supercharger, but also a mild hybrid helper motor sitting just ahead of the transmission, with a more powerful second motor powering the rear wheels.
Nowadays, that same basic 2.0-liter turbo makes about the same output sans supercharger. And despite ditching its 46-hp/111-lb-ft helper motor, swapping in a 143-hp/228-lb-ft motor in the rear (replacing an 87-hp/177-lb-ft unit), and roughly doubling the size of its battery, total system power jumps from 400 hp and 442 lb-ft to 455 hp and 523 lb-ft. Gotta love modern math.
(Cake icing: Doubling the battery size apparently offset the weight of the supercharger and front motor, as this '25.5 T8 Ultra weighed precisely the same 5,132 pounds as the 2017 T8 Inscription range-topper we tested, while improving front/rear distribution by a percentage point, to 51/49.)
Swifter
In lieu of that supercharger, the new engine employs the Miller cycle. This efficiency booster is where the engine runs a high mechanical compression ratio that's offset by leaving the intake valves open during part of the compression stroke, reducing the negative work on the crank and effective compression, while allowing a full expansion ratio. (This trick is called Atkinson cycle until you bolt on a turbo or supercharger; then it's a Miller cycle). The hole-shot launch doesn't improve that much, so the 0–60 time only drops by a tenth—to 4.9 seconds—but at the quarter mile the new car is half a second and 8.8 mph out in front of the older one, at 13.4 seconds and 105.9 mph.
Less Grippy?
Tire compounds may have changed over the past eight years, because the tire sidewall markings suggest they're similar and yet an identical, better distributed curb weight resulted in a 6-foot longer 60-mph stopping distance (a still quite respectable 121 feet), a less tenacious 0.80 g of maximum lateral grip (down from 0.84), and a 1.1-second-slower figure-eight lap (differences in stability-control programming likely account for some of this time difference).
Under the conditions where you'd have an opportunity to observe these differences, you'll likely be laser focused on an impending emergency. In normal driving, this new XC90 feels as poised and adroit as ever. It's also worth noting that the 295-/228-lb-ft front/rear torque split led to the occasional front-wheel peel on damp roads, especially in turns, before traction control kicked in.
A Genuine PHEV
Many plug-in hybrids over the past decade have struck us as disingenuous tax-incentive grabs. Vehicles with short EV ranges and insufficient electric oomph to support normal driving can end up being way worse for the environment than a purely combustion version of the same vehicle if they result in multiple cold starts in any given trip, because cold starts account for the vast majority of a vehicle's controlled emissions.
Here, with 143 hp and 228 lb-ft of rear-drive power on tap, it's possible to accomplish all your normal around-town driving in EV mode. Volvo facilitates this with a setting that lets the XC90 start in Pure (EV) mode, in which case the engine only starts if you floor the accelerator, depressing the 'kick-down' switch. Even in Hybrid mode, a variable line on the power meter clearly indicates the point at which the engine will engage.
And after a day or so of gentle driving, a full battery indicated 35 miles of EV range (3 more than the EPA rating). That's darned close to the 39.7 miles the DOT says is the nationwide daily average for drivers.
Those looking to exercise all 455 horses and 523 lb-ft may notice that during part-throttle acceleration, the transition can be somewhat abrupt, surging noticeably as the ICE wakes up.
Great One-Pedal Idea for Two-Driver Households
There are no shift paddles or screen menu options that adjust one-pedal driving. Those who like this feature will adopt a habit of double-tapping the Orrefors crystal shifter to engage B mode, while occasional users who do not like it need never struggle to disable it.
One slight drawback is that one-pedal devotees must remember that feature never works in reverse. B-mode regen is roughly aligned with the middle setting in three-level adjustable systems.
Complaints?
The updated Google-based UX looks nice and adds functionality, but screen response can be laggy, raising the question whether the new tech stack's reach has exceeded the legacy electrical architecture's grasp. We still wish the lovely center and driver screens offered more data for us to consume—you know, like Springsteen laments: '57 channels and nothin' on.'
Bottom Line
Maybe a future test of the entry B5 version will give us a chance to really complain about a Volvo XC90, but don't count on it. This remains a very well thought-out luxury three-row SUV, and at $74,295 for the entry Core model, it's a decent value in the segment.
No wonder the XC90 remains the top pick amongst Luxury 3-Row SUVs and Luxury 3-Row Hybrid SUVs in MotorTrend's Ultimate Car Rankings.
And unlike some PHEVs like the Mazda CX-90 that make their electric motors spin through the gas engine's transmission, the XC90's powerful rear motor spins a single reduction-gear drive as in a proper EV, making this a great 'training EV,' providing weekday electric driving plus 530 miles of carefree weekend range.
Maybe buy this one now, and plan to trade it in on an EX90, which itself may still seem equally fresh years down the line.
