New Volvo XC90: exclusive images, Well, Auto Express' own interpretation.

Our exclusive images show how the new Volvo XC90 could look when it debuts at the 2014 Paris Motor Show

Volvo is building up to the launch of its most important new car in a generation: the new Volvo XC90. The wraps will be pulled from the SUV at October’s Paris Motor Show – but we have the full story months before its official unveil. 

The second-generation XC90 will represent a landmark in Volvo’s development under Chinese owner Geely, and as our exclusive images show, it will get a chic new design inspired by the recent Coupe, XC Coupe and Estate concepts. 

The crisp new grille is flanked by slimmer headlamps, and bisected by T-shaped LED running lights. The pronounced step along the current car’s shoulder line has made way for a smooth crease, while kinked horizontal tail-lights give the rear an unmistakable signature at night. 

The XC90 is the first model built on the brand’s Scalable Platform Architecture (SPA), which will underpin all future large Volvos. Plus, it’ll come exclusively with the new range of 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol and diesel Drive-e engines, and for the first time there will be a front-wheel-drive alternative to the standard four-wheel drive.  

Volvo XC90 2015: engine options 

Volvo has yet to release power and emissions figures for the XC90, but in the V40 the 187bhp D4 engine returns 74.3mpg economy and emits just 99g/km of CO2, while the 242bhp T5 petrol claims 47.9mpg and 137g/km. A flagship XC90 hybrid will use a supercharged and turbocharged petrol engine to drive the front axle and an electric motor at the rear for a total of around 400bhp and 600Nm of torque. 

All XC90s will get an eight-speed auto, but Volvo has confirmed the SPA platform will support a manual box for use in its saloons and estates. The SUV will also feature class-leading safety tech, with all the passive safety and collision avoidance systems standard on every model. Inside, Volvo’s designers have followed Tesla’s lead with a 9.3-inch portrait screen compatible with Apple’s new CarPlay interface. The sat-nav, audio, climate and car settings are controlled with swipe and pinch gestures, like on a smartphone. 

This clever screen tech will allow for a stylish, button-free dash design, so the cabin will take cues from the Concept Estate seen at last month’s Geneva Motor Show. Expect it to carry over the practical seven-seat layout, but with more space in each row as well as an increase in the current model’s 1,837-litre maximum boot capacity. 

The outgoing XC90 has been a huge success, with over half a million sold globally to date. And Volvo’s senior vice president of research and development, Peter Martens, has said the new car will be “just like the first time, but better”.

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