Why should you buy-Volvo XC90 T8 Inscription

The Volvo XC90 has been around for a bit in India and is now even locally assembled. But with the competition always on the move, Volvo has kept the XC90 in the news by launching a mid-level variant of its hybrid power T8 model. Dubbed the T8 Inscription, it is priced at Rs 96.65 lakhs (All-India and costs Rs 34.59 lakhs lesser than the equivalent Excellence variant and carries the same feature list as the D8 Inscription variant.

What’s good about it?
This generation of the Volvo XC90 as a car has been well received around the world since its launch in 2015. The looks are a bit polarising but for the most, there are a lot of things to like and appreciate. Take for example the headlamps which resemble the weapon, Mjolnir, yielded by the mythical Norse god Thor and in its own way affirms the car’s Swedish roots. If mythology isn’t your thing then take a look at the cabin where the USP is a massive touchscreen system that dominates the dashboard and controls almost all of the functions in the cabin. This design has set a new standard in terms of both touchscreen systems and minimalism in cabin layout.
You can also look at the fact that the XC90s range now offers a hybrid powered model for under Rs one crore (ex-showroom obviously) and in the big SUV market in India that’s a niche that Volvo has been able to capture.

What’s not so good?
It is priced significantly higher than all of its petrol powered counterparts from the big German three. That higher pricing is obviously down to the CBU nature of the car and we are sure that if Volvo assembled the car here, there would be a significant price drop.

Best variant to buy?
Inscription hybrid

Specifications
Petrol hybrid-1969cc-320bhp/400Nm
Diesel-1969cc- 235bhp/480Nm
Eight-speed AT with AWD

Pricing
Rs 77.41 lakhs to Rs 1.31 crores

Did you know?
The XC90 was the first SUV that Volvo ever built. It was previewed as the Volvo Adventure Concept car in early 1997 and was eventually launched as the first generation XC90 in 2002.