XC90 will be world's most powerful and cleanest SUV

Volvo's all-new XC90 will offer an unrivalled combination of power and clean operation when it is launched later this year, writes Trish Whelan.

The all-wheel drive seven seater offers drivers up to 400hp but with C02 emissions of around 60g/km. There has never been an SUV offering this level of power this cleanly.

In the past, you could either have power or low C02 emissions but with this new XC90 you can have both, says Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President Research and Development of Volvo Car Group.

The new XC90 offers a range of Drive-E, four-cylinder petrol and diesel options to provide the type of drive associated with a much larger engine. These Drive-E engines will, over time, be introduced across Volvo's entire range.

The top of the range 'Twin Engine' will carry the badge 'T8' and be a plug-in electric car, a hybrid car and a high-performance car all rolled into one. Normal driving is the default hybrid mode which uses a 2.0 supercharged and turbocharged Drive-E petrol engine that powers the front wheels and an 80hp electric motor that drives the rear ones.

At the push of a button, the driver can switch to quiet and emission-free city driving on pure electric power where the range will be around 25 miles. When needed, they can revert back to the combined capacity of the petrol engine and electric motor, with its combined output of around 400hp and 640 Nm of torque.

The XC90 range also includes the D5 twin turbo engine with 225hp, 470 Nm, and fuel consumption of around 6.0 L/100kms (47mpg) for the combined cycle, and the D4 turbo diesel engine with 190hp, 400 Nm and around 5.0 L/100kms (56mpg).

The original XC90 was launched in 2002 and went on to be a global seller.