Volvo XC90 2015

[Beckervdo]

Arriva un'altra versione top di gamma. La Excellence:

Volvo XC90 Excellence al top della gamma presentata al Salone dell’Automobile di Shanghai

Volvo Cars presenterà in anteprima al Salone Internazionale di Shanghai il veicolo più lussuoso mai costruito dalla società svedese nei suoi 88 anni di storia - un elegante e raffinata versione a quattro posti della sua XC90 lanciata di recente.

La XC90 Eccellence è stata realizzata dai designers e ingegneri di Volvo per offrire ai clienti un'esperienza automobilistica unica e individuale che incorpora le ultime innovazioni scandinave in fatto di design, raffinatezza, comfort e stile.

La XC90 Excellence si basa sulla nuova sport utility XC90 di Volvo. La XC90 Excellence ha solo quattro posti rispetto ai sette dell’originale, creando una quantità enorme di spazio aggiuntivo per i passeggeri dei sedili posteriori che consente di offrire un livello qualitativo di comfort e sicurezza impareggiabili.

Questo spazio è utilizzato per offrire un’esperienza automobilistica da “prima classe” che inizia con ampi, spaziosi sedili reclinabili posteriori completi di massaggio, di ventilazione e un maggiore spazio per le gambe, così come un touchscreen di controllo a scomparsa, tavolini pieghevoli, un frigorifero con porta bottiglie e bicchieri, un support per sia per raffreddare sia per scaldare bicchiari o tazze e bicchieri di cristallo realizzati a mano dall’azienda svedese Orrefors, leader nel design del vetro.

"Questa è la nostra nuova ammiraglia", ha detto Thomas Ingenlath, Senior Vice President, Design. "proponiamo il massimo livello di esperienza e piacere del lusso e del design scandinavo. Volvo non ha mai lanciato prima una vettura come questa. La XC90 Excellence dimostra quello che significa oggi il nome di Volvo".

La XC90 Excellence offre ai suoi passeggeri: poggiapiedi, l’illuminazione specifica dell’ambiente ivi compresi i porta oggetti e tocchi unici in raffinata pelle di varie tonalità. La XC90 Excellence è inoltre dotata di uno schermo divisorio per il bagagliaio, di isolamento acustico supplementare dell’abitacolo e di gomme Pirelli Cancelling System (PNCS).

I Passeggeri della XC90 Eccellence potranno anche godere del sofisticato sistema audio Bowers & Wilkins. Dettaglio unico per questa versione Excellence l’aggiunta di un altoparlante mid-range supplementare ai 19 già previsti, con conseguente impareggiabile livello di alta fedeltà di riproduzione del suono ed effetto surround per i sedili posteriori .

Quello che abbiamo creato ritemiamo sia tra le migliori soluzioni disponibili oggi fra i SUV premium alto di gamma", ha detto Ingenlath . “ Il risultato è un ambiente superlativo per un momento di relax e per affrontare viaggi di affari,”

Per sottolineare l’amore svedese per l’aria aperta, la XC90 Excellence è dotata anche di un filtro per l’aria agli ioni nel sistema di climatizzazione (CleanZone). Il filtro agli ioni per la pulizia dell’aria lavora caricando di elettricità positiva le particelle sospese nell’aria (polvere o fumo per esempio) cosi da appesantirle e da non lasciarle più sospensione nell’abitacolo.

La XC90 Excellence è equipaggiata con una plancia in pelle con cuciture a contrasto, mentre l'headliner dell’abitacolo è di colore coordinato in finissima pelle Nubuck. All’esterno, alcuni tratti stilistici distintivi identificano l’auto, incluso un marchio specifico Excellence, finiture cromate sulla cornice dei finestrini e modanature delle porte più basse.

La Nuova XC90 di Volvo, lanciata nel mese di agosto 2014, sta dimostrando di essere estremamente popolare fra i clienti che oggi cercano un SUV del segment di lusso. Oltre 24.000 sono le XC90 ordinate prima ancora di aver raggiunto gli showroom Volvo. Questo rappresenta circa la metà del volume previsto di Volvo per questo modello nel 2015.

La XC90 Excellence incorpora tutte le caratteristiche che sono alla base del continuo successo della XC90, come le dotazioni di sicurezza leader nel mondo, le nuove tecnologie dei motori e di un'impareggiabile combinazione di potenza e efficienza dei consumi.

La XC90 Excellence sarà disponibile nella seconda metà di quest’anno e solo in alcuni mercati selezionati, con la formula e-commerce.

Via VolvoCars

[Beckervdo]

Arriva la variante HEICO

• Striking design thanks to HEICO SPORTIV Bodykit

• World premiere of Selected Sound

• New 22” and 23” VOLUTION® sport wheels

Weiterstadt – The curtain is raised for the brand new Volvo XC90 by HEICO SPORTIV. Coinciding with next Saturday’s market launch, the preeminent Weiterstadt-based Volvo specialist will be-come the world’s first vehicle finisher to offer a holistic customizing program for the luxury SUV. Particularly notable among the new products will be the new Bodykit, VOLUTION® wheels in 22’’ and 23’’ and Selected Sound for a beefy engine sound.

“The XC90 represents a new beginning for Volvo. For us, as an independent vehicle tuner, we’ve a unique opportunity to enhance an already-fascinating vehicle and give it an even more exclusive design,” says HEICO SPORTIV Managing Director, Holger Hedtke. “During product development, all our efforts focus on creating a perfect design and sophisticated detailed solutions.”

The art of design – Made in Germany: the Volvo XC90 Bodykit

Since time immemorial, HEICO SPORTIV’s exterior components have been characterized by an independent and expressive design. The art thereof lies in HEICO SPORTIV’s ability to integrate its components into the Volvo XC90’s visual appearance. “Our products cannot look like add-ons – after all, our customers expect a harmonious, overall work of art,” explains Holger Hedtke. “As always, our new Volvo XC90 Bodykit will also fulfill that expectation.” The Bodykit comprises a PU-R-RIM front spoiler with a centric plastic lamella mesh, a rear skirt consisting of a PU-R-RIM upper section and mesh-structured PU lower section, as well as four integrated tailpipe trims. The standard fog lamps are retained.

The HEICO SPORTIV rear skirt can be combined with the standard end muffler or, optionally, with the HEICO SPORTIV exhaust system and/or Selected Sound. To shorten the time to market and ensure the snuggest possible fitting, all parts were constructed using computer aided design (CAD). Plug & play interchange techniques are universally used to replace the original parts, and each component is compatible with all the various design options (i.e. Kinetic, Momentum, Inscription and R-Design). The components also come with a registration-free general operating license (ABE) including pedestrian protection testing.

The perfect sound experience: pure V8 sound for the Volvo XC90

As an absolute worldwide novelty, HEICO SPORTIV is also offering Selected Sound as a product to enhance the new VEA (Volvo Engine Architecture) engines’ purr. “In the course of Volvo’s downsizing strategy, only four cylinder engines will be used in the future. Although these efficient VEA engines contain cutting-edge technology, they offer room for improvement as far as sound – and therefore emotion – is concerned,” says Holger Hedtke. “We’ve accepted this challenge and become the first after-market supplier to offer a suitable solution.”

Selected Sound is a HEICO SPORTIV-developed sport exhaust system with integrated subwoofer. With a HEICO SPORTIV e.motion® controller, vehicle-relevant data – such as speed, rpm, load status and accelerator position – are forwarded from the CAN-BUS to a sound processor with amplifier to generate the V8 Sound specially developed by HEICO SPORTIV’s technicians. Drivers can choose between standard, unobtrusively sporty and pure V8 sound pleasure. The standard configuration is compatible with the series-produced rear skirt with trapezoid tailpipes, or optionally with the HEICO SPORTIV rear skirt and four tailpipes. Selected Sound will initially only be available for the VEA T6 engine, but further variants – also with EC type approval – will become available for other VEAs over the medium term.

For a perfect show: new 22” and 23” sport wheels for the Volvo XC90

Where Volvo’s offering ends, HEICO SPORTIV’s is only just starting. HEICO SPORTIV’s engineers decided on the dimension 11×23” for the forged wheel as an optimal compromise between maximum size and best suitability for every-day use. With that, HEICO SPORTIV offers a wheel size that’s 1” larger than the maximum offered by Volvo.

Despite the forged wheel’s impressive size, it was possible to realize a massive, circa 15% weight saving compared to the conventional cast wheel. The aluminum is compacted in the so-called forging process prior to the actual production step. This improves the material’s stress-bearing qualities, and filigree design requirements can be implemented. Finally, the forged wheel’s form is milled from the aluminum block on an ultra-modern 5-shaft high-speed cutter, mirror polished, and finished with an acrylic lacquer. The substantially lighter wheel rims reduce the unabsorbed mass, thereby resulting in a significantly more pleasing driving experience. The design captivates with ten clear-cut, elegantly curved spokes that melt away deep inside the rim well, giving a highly filigree, stylish look. The VOLUTION® X. FORGED 11×23” forged wheel can be optionally delivered with 315/25 R23 ContiSportContact 5P tires and will be available from August 2015.

Another attractive alternative to Volvo’s standard portfolio is the VOLUTION® V. 22” sport wheel – an evolved version of the classical VOLUTION® V. wheel with its timeless five-spoke design. In the new interpretation, the spokes have a distinctly concave form, giving the wheel an even more dynamic and wider appearance. Technical highlights include undercut-milled spokes and manufacturing using a low-pressure casting process for weight reduction. The VOLUTION® V. 22” sport wheel is perfected with 285/35R22 tires and delivered in Black Diamond Cut and a warm titanium color tone.

Complete program: HEICO SPORTIV fulfills every desire

Besides these product novelties, HEICO SPORTIV also offers a holistic individualization program for the new Volvo XC90. This includes e.motion® performance enhancements for D4, D5, T5 and T6 engines, exhaust systems, lowered suspension and bespoke leather finishing of the interior.

“With this portfolio, we’re delighted to offer products which appeal to interested Volvo XC90 customers. Further detailed information will be available shortly on our reworked website www.heicosportiv.de”, concludes Holger Hedtke.

Via Swedespeed

[superkappa125]

Autocar l'ha incoronata vincitrice del test comparativo con X5 e Discovery, pare addirittura che si guidi meglio della BMW.

Volvo XC90 versus BMW X5 and Land Rover Discovery - comparison

The new XC90 SUV seems destined to be another hit for Volvo - but is it good enough to beat a BMW X5 and a Land Rover Discovery?

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by Matt Prior

12 June 2015

There is a foregone conclusion in some tests. A car that, before you’ve even read the story, you would bet good money on winning. Take the Porsche 911 GT3 RS, for example.

But this isn’t one of those features. Any of the three cars here is capable of winning this test, and I know this because, even as I write, I’m not convinced that I’m sure on which car’s bid the hammer will fall. The three cars in this test are among the most different in character yet most competitive set of cars that I’ve tested in a long while.

The reason that they’re lined up at all is, of course, the arrival of the latest Volvo XC90, the new flagship SUV from the revitalised Swedish company. So revitalised is Volvo that although the XC90 is currently its newest model, it’ll be its oldest in just four years’ time.

Still, compared with the previous-generation XC90, which remained on sale for some 13 years, at a mere four it’ll still seem like a stripling. In four years’ time, there will be plenty of other car makers still only beginning to adopt Volvo’s way of doing things – most notably, the way it saves money.

Volvo is cutting the number of platforms it uses to just two scalable ones that will underpin every model it makes. More significant still, it’ll make no engine with more than four cylinders or of more than 2.0 litres, and its petrols and diesels will share as many components as is possible.

This D5 model, then – a nomenclature that would once have bagged you a five-cylinder diesel of large capacity – is a 2.0-litre four-pot turbodiesel making 222bhp and 347lb ft of torque. It drives all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic gearbox and, at this car’s launch a few months ago, I concluded that all of the above, plus a world-class interior, made it a remarkably likeable thing. However, the test cars at its launch rode on air springs.

Read the full Volvo XC90 review

This one is sprung by ‘real’ springs (steel coils on the front, a novel composite leaf spring on the rear). We’ll see whether that makes a difference, but the short of it is that it’s a £50k-ish SUV.

Today, it goes up against two cars of a similar ilk. To be honest, you can largely overlook the trim levels and optional equipment they arrived in and with and assume that, at £50,000, all three are available in likeable forms. We liked the Volvo’s rivals a great deal when they were launched and time has not withered their appeal.

BMW’s X5 is most like the XC90 in ethos. It, too, has a steel monocoque, and this 25d model also has a 2.0-litre turbodiesel driving all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic. Its engine makes 228bhp and 369lb ft of torque.

And then there’s the oldest stager here, Land Rover’s Discovery. It survives from a time when Land Rover’s braces-and-belt combo gave it chassis rails that were topped by a monocoque, which was exceptionally strong but gave it a kerb weight of 2504kg. The claimed kerb weights for both the BMW and the Volvo are half a tonne lighter, at 2040kg (X5) and 2009kg (XC90).

The Land Rover’s engine is also 50% bigger, toting two extra cylinders that give it an additional litre of capacity. Its 3.0-litre V6 makes 253bhp and a monster 443lb ft, but don’t think that gives it any kind of straight-line advantage in this company. The claimed acceleration time from 0-60mph is 8.8sec for the Land Rover, compared with 0-62mph times of 7.7sec for the BMW and 7.8sec for the Volvo.

Should you blame the fact that it’s old tech? You can a little. Land Rover hoped we’d note that the Discovery is a car that’s nearer the end than the start of its lifecycle, and we do, but it’s not something a buyer necessarily would. Most likely they’d only notice that, if they plumped for a Discovery, they’d be getting a car that is taxed on 213g/km of CO2 emissions, whereas the X5 (156g/km) and the XC90 (152g/km) are not.

Read the full Land Rover Discovery review

The Discovery, then, will have a task on its hands to be the car of choice here. But it’s where I start. And do you know what? It’s not a bad place to start at all, for lots of eminently sensible Land Roverish reasons. A Discovery seats you high because the car beneath you is rugged. And you feel as though you’re seated even higher than that, because the glass area is broad and the window line – somewhere between your shoulder and elbow – is low.

That lets a lot of light shine on your broad armchair, as you rest one elbow easily on the door top and the other on the central armrest. Because the edges of the bonnet are squared off, you can easily see where the Discovery ends. The mirrors are huge, the sides of the car are squared off, too, and the glass on the split tailgate’s upper half dips to aid rear visibility.

These things are now familiar but not insignificant, and they make the Land Rover feel like a car that is comfortable in its own skin. You sit back and relax and are the master of all you can see. It takes the ‘S’ out of ‘SUV’.

The cabin’s fit and finish do likewise. Sure, it’s plush enough – you’ll be hard pushed to find a hard or brittle surface – but it’s a busy cabin, with a lot of different finishes and chunky buttons. This is fine by me, and fine by Land Rover, which has an admirable theory that you should be able to comfortably work the controls even if you’re wearing gloves.

To those who love Discoverys and, more important, to those who use them for their intended purpose, these things matter.

But when BMW launched the X5 in 1999, it proved that a lot of people either do not use SUVs in a serious fashion or simply couldn’t give a monkeys if their ruggedness is compromised. They wanted a taller, more versatile, more capable version of a BMW they already owned.

Hence, the X5 cabin feels much like any other upper-end BMW’s: ergonomically sound and with an iDrive system that even the latest-generation Land Rover Discovery Sport, let alone this Discovery, cannot match.

There’s a broadly adjustable, far more car-like driving position than in the Land Rover. All of this comes with greater interior austerity, inevitably. The window line is high – shoulder high – so less light gets in, particularly in the back. And because no distinction is made to the cabin, it makes the X5 feel more like a tall5 Series than a true 4x4.

The previous XC90 was, arguably, closer in spirit to the Discovery than the X5, but this time it and the BMW are on more familiar terms. The XC90’s cabin – and it is exemplary – has a window line that begins at more like the BMWs height, although it stays flatter and is more airy in the rear, and the driver is treated to a massively adjustable driving position.

It’s cleanly and crisply designed inside, with first-rate fit and finish, choice materials and an absence of buttons allowed by an excellent large central touchscreen display that responds as quickly as a smartphone’s. Just as quickly, mind you, finger swipes can bring up long fingerprints that harm your ability to read it so easily in bright sunlight.

Read the full BMW X5 review

But although the dark finish to this test car’s cabin robs the XC90 of some of the airiness of the cars we tried at its launch, it feels less serious and conservative than the BMW, and I rather like that. Volvo hasn’t been afraid to express its personality inside, and it turns out that Volvo’s personality is easy to rub along with.

Rubbing along is easy to do in the Land Rover, too. To drive, the Discovery feels every inch the relaxed, loping 4x4 that its interior and key statistics suggested it would be. It fires to a refined and muted idle and has a leisurely but easily metered response to throttle applications – all the better off road or when manoeuvring at low speeds, Land Rover will tell you.

The steering is slowish, too, at about 3.4 turns between locks. But this is all fine. The secondary ride is extremely well isolated and body control, thanks to air springing, isn’t poor, either. You’re always aware of the girth of the car you’re driving, and the stability control system cuts in early if you dare try to forget it, but this is a stable, easy and exceedingly relaxing car to drive.

The BMW, quite obviously, feels more agile. It has only three turns between locks and its engine is even more muted and more responsive. Ditto its gearbox calibration. The Discovery is happy to hang in there in a higher gear, but the BMW is keener to drop and give you the acceleration you asked for.

This X5, an xDrive25d M Sport, comes as standard with adaptive dampers, which have two stages of calibration. They’re largely well judged, too, Comfort offering an approximation of that and Sport offering an effort at the other. In neither mode is the steering – non-linear in response and artificial in feel – particularly satisfying but, generally, the BMW drives like BMWs do. It rides well enough, grips strongly and is more agile than you’d credit. It’s not an engaging car to drive, but it’s a stable and predictable one.

And if the inside gave you a clue as to which way the Volvo swayed, the way it drives certainly will, too – yet, if anything, it feels even more agile than the BMW. Partly that’s presumably down to the relatively low weight, but some credit must also go to the way the XC90 is set up. Like the BMW, it wants three turns between steering locks, but away from a slightly reassuring straight-ahead tendency, it turns in with remarkable sharpness.

Body control is good and the ride firm – too firm, in truth, on this passively suspended model. Most of the time it’s acceptable, but there’s an underlying busyness to the ride on all but the smoothest of surfaces, and if you load up the suspension with, say, a cornering or braking force and then apply another input – a pothole or big surface imperfection – the XC90 is the most intrusive of the lot.

Air springs would, I suspect, solve that, and you should by no means think that the Volvo is duff even as it is. All of these cars are excellent and we’re talking small degrees here, by which it’s less isolated and more agile than the BMW but responsive enough to be preferable. It’s yet further away, in cabin isolation and agility, from the Land Rover, but I’m less inclined to think badly of the Discovery for that.

The verdict

If you want some ‘S’ in your SUV, the XC90 does a better job of behaving like a tall car than the BMW. Its engine and gearbox are eager – quieter, too, than the Land Rover’s, albeit making a less pleasing sound. Land Rover is happy to figure that, if you are buying a vehicle of this ilk, you’d like it to behave like one.Which is where I have the problem I came in with.

The Volvo has a truly excellent interior, is more interesting to drive and, if you want seven seats, its rear chairs are infinitely preferable to the BMW’s, all of which means the XC90 gets the nod over the X5.

But the XC90 and the Discovery are harder to split, because they are not attempting to do quite the same thing. I prefer the cut of the Discovery’s mature, isolated jib, and it’s the one I’d rather drive. Right up until, I suspect, where I had to pay some of the running costs – and at that point, the XC90 would seal the narrow victory I’m inclined to award it here.

[Mauri Q2]

Qualcuno sa, o ci son già delle conferme, se uscirà un motore turbodiesel con maggior potenza magari il classico 3.0 sei cilindri? Vista sabato pomeriggio dal vivo in concessionario, per me è la regina delle suv al momento. L'interno, come qualità, materiali, design ecc non ha eguali.

[Beckervdo]

Qualcuno sa, o ci son già delle conferme, se uscirà un motore turbodiesel con maggior potenza magari il classico 3.0 sei cilindri? Vista sabato pomeriggio dal vivo in concessionario, per me è la regina delle suv al momento. L'interno, come qualità, materiali, design ecc non ha eguali.

No. Solo 4 cilindri. Il D5 è già tirato a 225CV. Accoppiato all'unità elettrica butterà fuori 280/300 CV e sarà il nuovo D6

[Zero c.]

il 4C è montato per lungo o è un MT?

[CoreVD]

Devo dire la verità... Esteticamente c'è qualcosa che non mi torna, ma direi che è semplicemente progresso delle linee... Internamente invece proprio non riesco a digerirla... La vecchia, che ne ho una in casa, era meno "sgraziata"...

[jeby]

il 4C è montato per lungo o è un MT?

Trasversale:

occhio che "MT" vuol dire "Manual Transmission"

[Zero c.]

Trasversale:

occhio che "MT" vuol dire "Manual Transmission"

in inghilterra forse, visto che siamo in italia MT parlando di auto vuol dire comunemente motore trasversale

bye see U soon

[f4shamal]

Molto bello lo spot che stanno dando in tv: mi piace che venga sottolineato il concetto di svedese.