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2016 Volvo XC90 R-Design Shows More Aggressive Design and 22-inch Wheels

My chief editor might not be too happy with a story that focuses on paint and spoilers, but I know that there are thousands of you XC90 fans out there who want the R-Design body kit for your 2016 SUV. This one is for them!
2016 Volvo XC90 R-Design 22 photos
Photo: Volvo
2016 Volvo XC90 R-Design2016 Volvo XC90 R-Design2016 Volvo XC90 R-Design2016 Volvo XC90 R-Design2016 Volvo XC90 R-Design2016 Volvo XC90 R-Design2016 Volvo XC90 R-Design2016 Volvo XC90 R-Design2016 Volvo XC90 R-Design2016 Volvo XC90 R-Design2016 Volvo XC90 R-Design2016 Volvo XC90 R-Design2016 Volvo XC90 R-Design2016 Volvo XC90 R-Design2016 Volvo XC90 R-Design2016 Volvo XC90 R-Design2016 Volvo XC90 R-Design2016 Volvo XC90 R-Design2016 Volvo XC90 R-Design2016 Volvo XC90 R-Design2016 Volvo XC90 R-Design
There are two sides to this Swedish automaker. One is developing autonomous cars, and active safety systems and the other makes things like this XC90 R-Design. It's not quite a racing SUV to rival the GLE 63 AMG but the looks department is well catered for.

There's no denying that the all-new XC90 looks good in standard trim. However, the R-Design package rotates the anger knob to 11. A new front bumper starts things off, offering deeper chin spoilers and extra aero elements. The fog lights have also been redesigned while the grille no longer has chrome bars, these being replaced by a black mesh.

Silver mirror caps are also a nice touch, as are the large diameter 5-spoke alloy wheels with the trademark R look. Around the back, the diffuser has been subtly enhanced.

You can have the R-Design package on any model, but the one in our photos is a T6. That means a 2-liter with turbocharging and supercharging systems that delivers 320 PS to all four wheels via an 8-speed automatic gearbox. With 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) taking 6.9 seconds, it can keep up with a basic hot hatch or a cocky BMW 320d driver.

In Britain, the XC90 R-Design is considered a separate trim level, one that costs £49,285. Bursting Blue paint adds another £720 to the price, but that's not as bad as the £2,250 price of the 22-inch 5 Double Spoke (Diamond Cut/Matte Black) wheels with 275/35 rubber.

If you want even more power than the T6 can offer, the T8 Twin Engine model packs 400 PS because of its added electric goodies. However, one of these bad boys costs well over £60,000 with all the goodies mentioned above, placing it dangerously close to the X5 xDrive50i M Sport (£65,000).
Over on the continental side of Europe, the XC90 R-Design will set you back €60,330, while the US-spec model should come along any day now.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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