Volvo likes to give you a lot of options when buying a vehicle, ranging from upholstery to stereo systems and everything in between. This means you have a lot of choices when it comes to engines as well, and to help with that choice, Motorcars Volvo Cars has made the following guide, including both gasoline and electrified drivetrains.
Gasoline Volvo Engines
Volvo doesn't actually have any non-electrified models, as every new Volvo is fitted with at least a mild hybrid system. This is a system that gives a boost to low-end torque and fuel economy without the drawbacks of more traditional hybrid systems. But for the purpose of this comparison, we're separating pure electrics and plug-in hybrids into one category, and gasoline engines (with mild hybrid systems) into another. All of Volvo's gasoline engines are inline 4-cylinders with a 2-liter displacement and turbocharging, but there are three different setups for these, the B4, B5, and B6.
Volvo B4
The B4 has only one very specific application. It can be found in front-wheel-drive versions of the XC40. Volvo's most compact model, the B4-equipped XC40 gives Volvo customers the option of a vehicle that gets great fuel economy without the need to ever plug it in. The B4 produces 194 horsepower and 221 lb-ft of torque, it gets 24 city MPG, 32 highway MPH, and 27 combined MPG.
Volvo B5
Volvo's most used engine, the B5 strikes the balance between power and economy that buyers want in the larger models that Volvo offers. It is also offered paired with either an AWD or FWD setup. It produces a robust 247 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. Fuel economy is different for different models, and for that we have a chart.
| Scroll Right > | XC40 | XC60 | XC90 | S60 | V60 Cross Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volvo B5 Fuel Economy (city/highway/combined) | 23 / 30 / 26 | 23 / 30 / 26 | 22 / 28 / 25 | 26 / 35 / 30 | 23 / 30 / 26 |
Volvo B6
Volvo's most powerful non-plugin engine option, the B6 is used in bigger models that need a bit more power in order to deliver the kind of performance that Volvo customers expect. The B6 always comes paired with an AWD system, and produces 295 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque. Fuel economy will once again require a chart:
| Scroll Right > | XC60 | XC90 | S90 | V90 Cross Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volvo B6 Fuel Economy (city/highway/combined) | 21 / 27 / 23 | 20 / 26 / 22 | 23 / 32 / 26 | 22 / 29 / 25 |
Electrified Volvo Drivetrains
Volvo offers both plug-in hybrid and pure electric models, but not on the same models. There is also only one plug-in hybrid drivetrain, the T8, which certainly makes it easier to keep everything straight.
Volvo T8
The T8 is really quite remarkable. With 455 horsepower and 523 lb-ft of torque, it is noticeably quite a bit more powerful than the standard gasoline options but offers up much better fuel economy as well. Huge amounts of low-end torque mean that even the slowest T8-equipped Volvo can still hit 60 mph in just 5 seconds. Pure electric driving range is between 32 and 41, depending on the model, and fuel economy is between 63 MPGe and 74 MPGe. The T8 is available on the V60 Recharge, S60 Recharge, S90 Recharge, XC60 Recharge, and XC90 Recharge.
Pure Electrics
There are currently three pure electric Volvo models, the XC40 Recharge, the C40 Recharge, and the EX90. While the XC40 is also available in gasoline form, the electric Recharge version is mechanically the same as the C40. Both come with 402 horsepower, and the XC40 has 223 miles of electric range to the C40's 226 miles. The bigger EX90 comes with up to 496 horsepower and 300 miles of electric range. All Volvo pure electric vehicles come with DC fast charging, and going from 10 percent to 80 percent charge takes between 30 and 37 minutes.