DAVID FURLONGER: Volvo’s hybrid-electric XC90 bares its teeth

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The XC90 is a big, bold seven-seater SUV made for the outdoors.

After decades of unobstructed views, we finally fenced off our front garden from the street this month. The number of loose dogs invading our quiet cul-de-sac — most of them from nearby streets where homeowners take an increasingly laissez-faire attitude to their control — made it unavoidable.

I chased the dog away and thought no more about it — until two days later, when I returned the car to Volvo and a company representative found bitemarks scarring the bodywork beneath the radiator. Had it happened to my own vehicle, a bakkie, I would have shrugged it off. But this was a R1.56m luxury car made of specialist materials. I’m still frightened to ask about the repair bill.

The XC90 — or, to give it its full name, the Volvo XC90 T8 8-Speed Geartronic FWD R-Design — has two engines. The lithium-ion battery-pack motor, offering 107kW of power, has a single-charge range of about 55km in pure electric mode. If you use the vehicle mainly for the school run or to commute to and from work, you can avoid buying petrol by topping up overnight with a home charging kit, which Volvo will provide and install.

 

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