On Par with the Best Premium Imports?

The large luxury SUV has been at the forefront of the horsepower wars consuming

The Volvo XC90, in its first three model years, has certainly been one of the more appealing premium SUVs. (Photo: Gerry Frechette, Canadian Auto Press)

most segments of the auto industry these days, and which continue virtually unabated despite the price of crude oil reaching new heights. Buyers of these vehicles want it all, and the Volvo XC90, in its first three model years, has certainly been one of the more appealing and best-selling premium SUVs, with a rational combination of attributes like safety, conservative luxury and Swedish quality.

Effortless performance was perhaps not that high on the list, although many people would say that a turbocharged six cylinder engine is plenty powerful enough. Still, the XC90 is a relatively heavy vehicle, and it has been

It was only a matter of time before Volvo offered a V8 in one of its models, and the XC90 is a good one for the Swedish automaker to start with. (Photo: Gerry Frechette, Canadian Auto Press)

playing in an arena that has been populated with V8-powered rivals since before its introduction. It was only a matter of time before Volvo offered a V8 in one of their models, and the XC90 is a good one for them to start with, as it vaults the SUV up into an entirely different class, where it can run with the base V8s of all the other prestige European marques.

The question for Volvo was, where would the V8 come from, since the brand had never had one? And how could it be made to fit into an engine compartment designed for transverse inline engines, while maintaining the all-important crumple zones?