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Written by John Kendall
Volvo"s newXC90 seven-seat SUV model, which got its first public showing at the 2014 Paris Motor Show, will replace the current model launched in 2002. The vehicle will initially be offered with a range of Drive-E four-cylinder gasoline and diesel enginesusing a common architecture with 82.0-mm (3.23-in) bore and 93.2-mm (3.67-in) stroke to give adisplacement of 1969 cm . Head and block are constructed from aluminum, andthe engines are mounted transversely. The most powerful engine will feature in theplug-in hybrid gasoline T8 variant. A turbocharged and supercharged engine developing236 kW (316 hp) at 5700 rpm and 400 N m (295 lb ft) between 2200 and 4500 rpmwill drive the front wheels and a 60-kW electric motor provides drive tothe rear wheels. In electric drive mode, the battery offers a range ofaround 40 km (25 mi). The default hybrid drive mode will employ bothengine and motor. Volvo claims carbon dioxide emissions of around 60 g/km andmeasured on the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). T6 models share the samegasoline engine as the T8 hybrid but without the hybrid electric drive. Therewill also be a gasoline variant of the engine producing 187 kW (251 hp). Two diesel engineoptions will also be available. The D5 twin-turbocharged diesel will produce165 kW (221 hp) at 4250 rpm and 470 N m (347 lb ft) between 1750 and2500 rpm. NEDC combined consumption is 39 mpg U.S. or 5.8 L/100 km.T6 and D5 models are equipped with an eight-speed automatic transmission. TheD4 turbodiesel will generate 142 kW (190 hp), and Volvo quotes NEDC combined fuelconsumption of around 46.6 mpg U.S. or 5.05 L/100 km. Although the doublewishbone front suspension is a conventional system with coil springs, hydraulicshock absorbers, and stabilizer bar, the standard rear suspension adopts anindependent system not seen on a premium passenger car (excluding Chevrolet"s Corvette) for some time. Volvo hasequipped the XC90 with a composite transverse leaf spring with the option ofair suspension. XC90 is the first Volvoto use the company"s new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) design. SPA willbe able to package a variety of powertrains, including the batteries andelectric drive motor of the hybrid XC90, without compromising passenger orluggage space. The new architecture is designed to reduce weight and improveweight distribution. "We were set three targets to be leading in safety, leading in design,and to be leading in the human machine interface, a very new business for Volvoand most manufacturers," said Dennis Nobelius, Vice President, Vehicle Line Management, at Volvo, who is responsible for the XC90program. Not surprising for aVolvo, the new XC90 will be equipped with a range of safety equipment, some ofit not before seen on a passenger car. Volvo calls the first of these "run-offroad protection." Volvo suggests that half the traffic fatalities in the U.S. arecaused when a car leaves the road, and in Sweden, single-vehicle accidentsfeature in 33% of all accidents involving fatalities and seriousinjuries, where cars are involved. The Volvo run-off road protection system is named Safe Positioning. If Safe Positioningdetects a run-off road accident, the front seat belts are tightened and kepttight while the car is in motion. To help prevent spinal injuries, the spacebetween the seat and seat frame is designed to cushion the vertical forcesassociated with a hard landing. Before such an accident could occur, other technologieswould intervene such as the Lane Keeping Aid and Driver Alert Control thatdetects inattentive driving. The XC90 will also befitted with a system to automatically brake the car if the driver tries to turnin front of an approaching car using the network of sensors around the car todetect other moving vehicles. Other safety featuresinclude precrash protection in rear impacts. Rearward facing radar sensors candetect if a rear impact is imminent and automatically tighten the seat belts.Hazard flashing lights are activated to alert the following driver. Thebrakes are activated to reduce the impact forces on the occupants. TheXC90 will also feature Volvo"s new seat design incorporating the latest versionof the company"s Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS). The combination of WHIPSand the rear precrash protection system is designed to reduce the severity ofwhiplash injuries. The Park Assist Pilotsystem now permits automatic reversing into a perpendicular parking bay as wellas entering and exiting a parallel parking bay. The steering is operatedautomatically, leaving the driver to operate the gearbox and control speed. Twelveultrasonic sensors enable this, by scanning along the side of the car for emptyparking bays. For parallel parking, the space must be 1.2 times the length of thecar. If a suitable space is detected, the car gives a visual and audible alertto the driver. In a perpendicular parking bay, the space must be one meterwider than the car. To assist parking, theXC90 can also create a digitized 360 bird"s eye view around the car. Named 360 Surround View, it is displayed on the central dashboard display. Theinformation is gathered from four wide-angle camera lenses. One is integratedinto the front of the vehicle, at the rear the camera is located above the rearlicense plate, while the side cameras are integrated into the door mirrorhousings. The system reduces the risks involved with leaving a narrow exit withrestricted view, enabling the driver to see approaching cars and pedestrians.It also allows a driver to check positioning in a parking space. The combined (Park Assist Pilot and 360 Surround View) systemsalso help to generate Cross Traffic Alert, which warns the driver ofapproaching traffic from up to 30 m (98 ft) on each side when reversing out of aparking space. An audible signal and a warning on the dashboard center screenindicate approaching traffic. Volvo"s Roll StabilityControl system has also been updated. Sensors calculate the rollover risk and,if it is high, engine torque is reduced and braking force applied to theappropriate wheels to counter a possible rollover. If this is not effective anda rollover becomes inevitable, the curtain airbags would be activated to helpreduce head injuries. Among the standardequipment fitted to the XC90 is Road Sign Information technology. Volvo claimsthat this is the first car on the market to be fitted with a road-sign-recognition system as standard, and it can read an extended selection of roadsigns. More extensive use ofhigh-strength steels has been made in the new XC90. The occupant safety cage ismade from hot-formed boron steel to optimize passenger protection. Thismaterial makes up about 40% of the new XC90"s total bodyweight. "We gained 150 kg compared with today"s XC90," said Nobelius. "Then wehave an aluminum hood and aluminum fenders."
Date: 16-Oct-2014 01:11 EDT
More of this article on the SAE International website
ID: 1018
Volvo"s newXC90 seven-seat SUV model, which got its first public showing at the 2014 Paris Motor Show, will replace the current model launched in 2002. The vehicle will initially be offered with a range of Drive-E four-cylinder gasoline and diesel enginesusing a common architecture with 82.0-mm (3.23-in) bore and 93.2-mm (3.67-in) stroke to give adisplacement of 1969 cm . Head and block are constructed from aluminum, andthe engines are mounted transversely. The most powerful engine will feature in theplug-in hybrid gasoline T8 variant. A turbocharged and supercharged engine developing236 kW (316 hp) at 5700 rpm and 400 N m (295 lb ft) between 2200 and 4500 rpmwill drive the front wheels and a 60-kW electric motor provides drive tothe rear wheels. In electric drive mode, the battery offers a range ofaround 40 km (25 mi). The default hybrid drive mode will employ bothengine and motor. Volvo claims carbon dioxide emissions of around 60 g/km andmeasured on the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). T6 models share the samegasoline engine as the T8 hybrid but without the hybrid electric drive. Therewill also be a gasoline variant of the engine producing 187 kW (251 hp). Two diesel engineoptions will also be available. The D5 twin-turbocharged diesel will produce165 kW (221 hp) at 4250 rpm and 470 N m (347 lb ft) between 1750 and2500 rpm. NEDC combined consumption is 39 mpg U.S. or 5.8 L/100 km.T6 and D5 models are equipped with an eight-speed automatic transmission. TheD4 turbodiesel will generate 142 kW (190 hp), and Volvo quotes NEDC combined fuelconsumption of around 46.6 mpg U.S. or 5.05 L/100 km. Although the doublewishbone front suspension is a conventional system with coil springs, hydraulicshock absorbers, and stabilizer bar, the standard rear suspension adopts anindependent system not seen on a premium passenger car (excluding Chevrolet"s Corvette) for some time. Volvo hasequipped the XC90 with a composite transverse leaf spring with the option ofair suspension. XC90 is the first Volvoto use the company"s new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) design. SPA willbe able to package a variety of powertrains, including the batteries andelectric drive motor of the hybrid XC90, without compromising passenger orluggage space. The new architecture is designed to reduce weight and improveweight distribution. "We were set three targets to be leading in safety, leading in design,and to be leading in the human machine interface, a very new business for Volvoand most manufacturers," said Dennis Nobelius, Vice President, Vehicle Line Management, at Volvo, who is responsible for the XC90program. Not surprising for aVolvo, the new XC90 will be equipped with a range of safety equipment, some ofit not before seen on a passenger car. Volvo calls the first of these "run-offroad protection." Volvo suggests that half the traffic fatalities in the U.S. arecaused when a car leaves the road, and in Sweden, single-vehicle accidentsfeature in 33% of all accidents involving fatalities and seriousinjuries, where cars are involved. The Volvo run-off road protection system is named Safe Positioning. If Safe Positioningdetects a run-off road accident, the front seat belts are tightened and kepttight while the car is in motion. To help prevent spinal injuries, the spacebetween the seat and seat frame is designed to cushion the vertical forcesassociated with a hard landing. Before such an accident could occur, other technologieswould intervene such as the Lane Keeping Aid and Driver Alert Control thatdetects inattentive driving. The XC90 will also befitted with a system to automatically brake the car if the driver tries to turnin front of an approaching car using the network of sensors around the car todetect other moving vehicles. Other safety featuresinclude precrash protection in rear impacts. Rearward facing radar sensors candetect if a rear impact is imminent and automatically tighten the seat belts.Hazard flashing lights are activated to alert the following driver. Thebrakes are activated to reduce the impact forces on the occupants. TheXC90 will also feature Volvo"s new seat design incorporating the latest versionof the company"s Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS). The combination of WHIPSand the rear precrash protection system is designed to reduce the severity ofwhiplash injuries. The Park Assist Pilotsystem now permits automatic reversing into a perpendicular parking bay as wellas entering and exiting a parallel parking bay. The steering is operatedautomatically, leaving the driver to operate the gearbox and control speed. Twelveultrasonic sensors enable this, by scanning along the side of the car for emptyparking bays. For parallel parking, the space must be 1.2 times the length of thecar. If a suitable space is detected, the car gives a visual and audible alertto the driver. In a perpendicular parking bay, the space must be one meterwider than the car. To assist parking, theXC90 can also create a digitized 360 bird"s eye view around the car. Named 360 Surround View, it is displayed on the central dashboard display. Theinformation is gathered from four wide-angle camera lenses. One is integratedinto the front of the vehicle, at the rear the camera is located above the rearlicense plate, while the side cameras are integrated into the door mirrorhousings. The system reduces the risks involved with leaving a narrow exit withrestricted view, enabling the driver to see approaching cars and pedestrians.It also allows a driver to check positioning in a parking space. The combined (Park Assist Pilot and 360 Surround View) systemsalso help to generate Cross Traffic Alert, which warns the driver ofapproaching traffic from up to 30 m (98 ft) on each side when reversing out of aparking space. An audible signal and a warning on the dashboard center screenindicate approaching traffic. Volvo"s Roll StabilityControl system has also been updated. Sensors calculate the rollover risk and,if it is high, engine torque is reduced and braking force applied to theappropriate wheels to counter a possible rollover. If this is not effective anda rollover becomes inevitable, the curtain airbags would be activated to helpreduce head injuries. Among the standardequipment fitted to the XC90 is Road Sign Information technology. Volvo claimsthat this is the first car on the market to be fitted with a road-sign-recognition system as standard, and it can read an extended selection of roadsigns. More extensive use ofhigh-strength steels has been made in the new XC90. The occupant safety cage ismade from hot-formed boron steel to optimize passenger protection. Thismaterial makes up about 40% of the new XC90"s total bodyweight. "We gained 150 kg compared with today"s XC90," said Nobelius. "Then wehave an aluminum hood and aluminum fenders."
Date: 16-Oct-2014 01:11 EDT
More of this article on the SAE International website
ID: 1018
