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Volvo Showcases All-New S90 in a Bid to End the German Rule in Full-Size Segment

Volvo just released the first batch of official pictures of the all-new S90. The car will be unveiled to the public eye at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show in January.
Volvo S90 88 photos
Photo: Volvo Cars
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The 2016 Volvo S90 is the brand's new entry in the premium large sedan segment. The guys at Volvo said that they intend to bring something entirely new to "this rather conservative segment," and their proposition is a car with a powerful visual expression and a high-end interior. Volvo's Thomas Ingenlath, Senior Vice President of Design, claims that the interior of the new S90 promises comfort, control, and a luxury experience.

The new Swedish flagship is equipped with several new technologies on top of the usual gadgets found in its platform sibling, the XC90. Specifically, the new S90 is fitted with cloud-based apps and services and it even has a moose-detection function.

Yes, that's right, the new S90 can identify a moose that's on the road or about to cross the road in a hurry, and the technology supports the detection of other large animals, such as elk and deer. The system works by first warning the driver when a large animal is detected in the car's path and gives it additional brake pressure to support avoidance if necessary.

The new S90 has the ability to react autonomously to this situation, and it avoids the possible effects of an imminent collision, reducing the car's speed by up to 15 km/h. In case there's no way of avoiding the crash, at speeds of over 30 km/h, the front seat belts are tightened to secure the position of the front occupants.

Volvo's newest sedan is the replacement of the aging S80 and is built on the SPA architecture, which debuted on the XC90. The modular platform was developed over the course of five years with an investment of $1,1 billion. Therefore, the new sedan from Sweden is equipped with the latest safety and tech gear the company has to offer.

Before Volvo releases a full-on autonomous mode for its cars, the new S90 previews that future with a semi-autonomous drive technology called Pilot Assist.

The system works at speeds of up to 130 km/h and doesn't require another vehicle in front of the S90 for it to keep the car properly aligned within lane markings. Volvo's Pilot Assist works with gentle steering inputs and showcases the Swedish manufacturer's intentions in developing autonomous cars.

Volvo will offer a T8 plug-in hybrid version for the S90, but the sedan will also feature several Drive-E powerplants under its hood. Either gasoline or diesel, the new engines have a common structure and are built on a modular approach, so that they share as many components as possible.

The press release also announces an innovative anti-lag system, called PowerPulse. It will only be available with the D5 diesel engine with an eight-speed automatic gearbox and all-wheel-drive, and it claims to surpass its rivals both in dynamic abilities and in terms of fuel economy. This technology is an industry first and promises instant turbo response in diesel engines by using compressed air from a pressurized tank.

The PowerPulse system works by drawing fresh air directly from the air box and compressing it into a two-liter tank. If the driver presses hard on the accelerator at low speeds or even at launch, the compressed air from the tank will be blown through a valve directed at the turbo.

This is the newest alternative to an anti-lag system commonly found in rally cars and promises to be always ready to deliver a new boost. While other carmakers tested and presented various solutions to the lag issue, the guys at Volvo are among the few to launch such a feature in a production car.
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About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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