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Volvo XC90 Looks like a Shoo-in to Win 2016 North American Truck of the Year

Gone are the days when every SUV was based on a truck platform it would routinely carry about and even had the occasional gun rack installed. Still, the Volvo XC90 is considered a truck by the Automotive Press Association. So please don't tell them about the 2.0-liter engine!
Volvo XC90 1 photo
Photo: Volvo
The finalists for the 2016 North American Car and Truck of the Year title have just been announced. While there are a couple of decent vehicles such as the new Honda Pilot and the Nissan Titan XD, everybody seems to agree that the XC90 will win.

We'd even go as far as to call it a potential landslide victory. Even though Honda has done great work with the new 7-seat Pilot model, it's not revolutionary in any particular area.

The XC90 is almost nothing like a Ford Expedition or a Jeep Wrangler. The body and chassis are one unit, just like on a car. There isn't a V8 option either. In fact, there's no V6 either, as a 20-liter equipped with a turbocharger and supercharger has been chosen due to its efficiency. It produces 316 horsepower in the T6 model or up to 400 hp in the T8, which also uses electric motors.

It's also one of the safest vehicles on the road. Not only does it have all those sensors scanning the road, but there's even a crumple zone installed into the bottom of the seats to save your spine if the SUV falls and bottoms out its suspension.

Volvo’s semi-autonomous technology enables the "truck" to accelerate, decelerate, stop and steer itself at speeds below 30 mph. So it's got a little bit of Tesla Model S in there as well.

“The all-new XC90 represents the future of Volvo,” said Lex Kerssemakers, president and CEO, Volvo Cars of North America. “We are grateful that NACTOY judges recognize how significant it is for consumers, the industry, and for us.”

As for car of the year, the finalists are the Chevrolet Malibu, the Honda Civic, and the Mazda MX-5 Miata. The 2016 Civic has a decent chance, but in our eyes, the Miata is a much safer bet.

The 23rd annual awards will be announced on the morning of January 11. Let us know which car and truck you think will win.
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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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