The Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine Inscription has been voted UK’s Green Car of the Year at the 2016 Professional Driver Car of the Year Awards.
The awards celebrate the best in the private hire, chauffeur and taxi industry, and the Green Car of the Year category was open to any vehicle with CO2 emissions of 70 g/km or below. The XC90 T8 sits comfortably below that figure, with CO2 emissions of just 49 g/km, helped by its innovative petrol-electric plug-in hybrid drivetrain.
That’s not the T8’s only impressive figure. It can be driven for up to 27 miles in zero-emission, virtually silent electric-only mode, and its official combined fuel economy figure is 134.5 mpg. The Volvo XC90 T8 has space for seven adults in its luxurious interior, while its boot provides an impressive 967 litres of luggage space when the two rearmost seats are folded down.
Drivers and passengers will certainly appreciate the XC90 T8 Inscription’s beautiful cabin. Nappa soft leather upholstery, natural wood inlays and leather door tops are all standard, as are rear footwell and side step illumination, and integrated sun curtains in the rear doors. Every XC90 T8 also comes with a panoramic glass sunroof and four-zone climate control.
Class-leading connectivity comes as standard, too. The ground-breaking Volvo On Call app allows you to control numerous functions of the car from your mobile device, including the ability to heat or cool the cabin so it’s at the perfect temperature when you and your passengers get in the car. The innovative touch screen control system offers pinch and zoom functionality, and you can even use it while wearing gloves. You can also turn the car into a WiFi hotspot using the increased signal strength of the car’s antenna, while Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration are available.
As you’d expect from a Volvo, safety is paramount. Every XC90 comes with automatic emergency braking, which works day or night, along with pedestrian, cyclist and large animal detection. There are also advanced safety aids to prevent the car from inadvertently leaving the road, while the standard Pilot Assist semi-autonomous drive system takes the strain out of long motorway journeys by helping to regulate the car’s speed, distance from any vehicle in front, and position in its lane.
Volvo’s bespoke chauffeur programme also won praise from the judges. This includes a three-year, 100,000-mile warranty, a like-for-like replacement vehicle, direct aftersales support and service plan options. Contract hire offers of up to 50,000 miles a year are available, too.
