V8 A AWD SR 4dr
2005 Volvo XC90 Review

The one major difference in this year's Volvo XC90 is the new available V8 engine. You might have noticed the ad blitz around it during the Super Bowl and on a few websites and maybe even to the right of this very post. Just to clear the air, I scheduled the XC90 V8 for a test long before I even knew Volvo was signing on as an advertiser here. And even if it we had Volvo signed on earlier, it is still a newsworthy model to cover.

There is roughly a $4,000 difference between the twin turbo I6 and the normally aspirated V8 model starting at $41,550 and $45,395 respectively. Unfortunately, I haven?t tested the T6 model for comparison so I can only tell you what I experienced with the V8. To get down to basics, the engine is certainly powerful and would be a great asset for you highway commuters or anyone who can cruise freely on long stretches. In a stop and go environment, or even gridlock traffic, the engine offers a loud V8 gurgle at launch before the power kicks in. This is due to the much talked about built-in resistance. To me that means no fun. We?ll need more time in the XC90 before coming to a definitive conclusion.

Luckily, Volvo does the interior right. We?ll go in-depth with many images tomorrow but quickly I can say this is one of the most sophisticated and modern interior styles I?ve seen in an SUV. It certainly outdoes the Lexus RX we tested a few weeks back.