2022 Volvo XC'90: Pricing Will Determine Australian Success Of New Electrified BMW X5, Lexus RX And Rival Range Rover Sport
The 2022 Volvo XC'90 Recharge will hit Australian showrooms early next year and compete in the large luxury SUV segment.
Volvo is synonymous with safety, but the Swedish brand hopes it will soon become famous for its electrification as well.
In 2022, the company will continue its electrification plans with the introduction of the updated XC90 Recharge plug-in hybrid, which they hope will be able to compete with the BMW X5 xDrive 45e, Range Rover Sport P400e and Lexus RX450h.
As we reported earlier, Volvo has announced changes for the 2022 PHEV, but how will the new Volvo compete against the competition? The three previously mentioned models represent the XC90 Recharge's biggest competitors, as the trio are hybrid-powered and are similarly sized luxury SUVs.
The redesigned XC90 Recharge will continue Volvo's focus on its performance variant, sticking with the T8 powertrain, which features a supercharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine and a new, more powerful electric motor. This will raise power to 339kW/709Nm - up from 300kW/640Nm in the current PHEV - making it the most powerful in the quarter of hybrid SUVs we're reviewing here.
In comparison, the Range Rover Sport PHEV delivers 297kW/640Nm of power from a 2.0-litre four-cylinder electric turbocharged petrol engine. Next up, at least in terms of power, is BMW's 3.0kW/290Nm 600-litre inline-six petrol-electric unit, ahead of the Lexus RX450h with its 3.5kW/m 6-litre V230 petrol-electric engine. 335 Nm.
Performance is only part of the story as these four vehicles are tuned for fuel economy as well.
But Volvo has yet to release final details on the new Recharge model, though the company has announced that it will be equipped with a more powerful 18.8 kWh lithium battery that will increase the EV-only range to 72 km.
By comparison, BMW claims the X5 45e consumes just 2.5 liters per 100 km on the combined city/freeway cycle, beating the Range Rover's claimed 2.8 l/100 km and well ahead of the Lexus' 5.7 l/100 km return; which is expected since it's a regular hybrid and not a plug-in.
Pricing for the new Volvo hasn't been announced either, but given its improved engine, it's likely to push the price up from the outgoing model's $116,990 price tag (plus travel expenses). The good news for the Swedish brand is that it already has some lead over its European rivals, with the BMW X5 45e starting at $135,400 and the Range Rover Sport P400 SE starting at $136,187.
The regular hybrid setup on Lexus means it's the price leader for these luxury family SUVs, with a three-tier line starting at $91,760 for the Luxury, moving up to $104,260 for the F Sport and $110,460 for the Sports Luxury. .
The final price of the new XC90 Recharge will be announced ahead of its launch in the first quarter of 2022.
Supplied The Volvo Concept Recharge is a preview of the upcoming new XC90.
The XC90 Recharge is seen as a bridge to full electrification of Volvo's largest SUV.
The brand gave us an idea of what to expect from the next, all-new generation model due by the middle of this decade, with the Concept Recharge earlier in 2021.
It will be designed as an electric vehicle from the outset, allowing Volvo to create a customized electric SUV, as opposed to having both an electric vehicle and petrol/diesel powertrains, which should make it more suitable to take on the BMW iX, Tesla Model X and Audi e-tron.
