The Volvo XC90 premium SUV has received several exciting updates for the 2009 Model Year, including a new lower CO₂ figure for the D5 Geartronic¹, the introduction of the sports-inspired R-DESIGN and new exterior colours, alloy wheels and options giving buyers more choice.  The new 2009 Volvo XC90 is available to order now, with first cars arriving in June. Prices for the 2009 XC90 start at £32,845 for the D5 S.

CO₂ from G to F
The Volvo XC90 already boasts a CO₂ figure of 219g/km for the manual 185 PS D5 diesel engine and now the best selling automatic version, the D5 Geartronic has a new tax-appealing figure.  Now at 224g/km¹, the Volvo XC90 is the only premium standard 7-seat SUV available which achieves a sub 225g/km figure in both manual and automatic transmissions.

The new CO₂ figure means the D5 Geartronic engine falls below the key Band G threshold for Vehicle Excise Duty, saving new Volvo XC90 owners £570 in Vehicle Excise Duty² over three years.  This model will now also avoid the daily £25 London Emissions Related Congestion Charge (ERCC) which begins in October, saving owners several hundreds of pounds in annual congestion charges as well as qualifying for the 90% discount for London residents.

Tune into the sport
The R-DESIGN package was unveiled at the Detroit Motorshow earlier this year and maintains many of the prominent features of the SE Sport variant it replaces, such as the Sports chassis, details in silk matt finish, sill mouldings in brushed stainless steel and instrument dials with metal chronograph watch-style faces and blue lighting.   

The R-DESIGN package comprises a specially tuned dynamic chassis, stiffer anti-roll bars, firmer shock absorbers and sport tuned speed-dependent steering. The shock absorbers have stiffer rebound rates and the anti-roll bars are stiffer (front +0.5mm; rear +1.0mm) to offer a high level of stability when cornering.

R-DESIGN adds a new dimension to the Sport styling with 19-inch alloy wheels as standard (with new 20-inch alloys an optional upgrade), quad exhaust pipes, skid-plate, R-DESIGN badge on the grille and rear view mirror caps in silk matt finish. To accentuate the sporty nature further and to create a sleeker appearance, the car is not fitted with roof rails, although these are still available as a no cost option.

Inside the car the seats are covered in either off-black leather-faced sports with cream inlay or calcite with an off-black inlay. The R-DESIGN logo embossed on the backrest and the contrasting stitching reinforce the interior’s sporty appearance. Other R-DESIGN interior details include the leather-trim steering wheel with its R-DESIGN logo, aluminium pedals, specially designed aluminium centre stack and door inlays, gear selector and tufted dark sport floor mats with contrasting leather piping.