What’s as good as a Range Rover? A Volvo XC90

The Range Rover is an excellent car, says Jeremy Clarkson in The Sunday Times. So excellent, in fact, that it's almost bound to be stolen. The problem has, apparently, reached epidemic proportions. So, what other options are there? Only one, I'm afraid. The new Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine.

If your shoulders sagged on the news, I get that, says Clarkson. As a small boy you didn't lie awake in bed at night dreaming of the day you could own a Volvo. But this is different. Yes, it's still a Volvo and it's the most sensible and practical seven-seater of them all. But, oh my God, it's a nice place to sit. Everything is beautiful and the central command screen is like an iPad.

Every other car feels like the inside of a washbag in comparison. This side of a Rolls-Royce Phantom, it's the nicest interior you'll find anywhere. On top of that, it will (in theory at least) do 134.5 miles to the gallon, helped by an electric motor, and it delivers performance that'll keep up with a Ferrari. Drooling yet?

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The Swedes have got their swagger back, says Tom Voelk in The New York Times, and this T8 hybrid is the most desirable and luxurious in Volvo's range. True, the engine doesn't have anything like a satisfying V8 burble. Pushed hard, it sounds more like a hurried Toyota Corolla. But the performance is rapid, and the ride comfortable and quiet.

The T8 is well placed to steal buyers away from other luxury brands, including BMW and Porsche. It melds all you can eat versatility with aching desirability, says Ben Miller in Car, and its potential for both lunging bouts of acceleration with silent electric running is hugely attractive. Much like the car itself.

Price: from £55,455 (including government grant to encourage electric cars)Engine: 2.0 litre petrol plus electric motorTop speed: 140 mph0-60mph: 5.3 secondsEconomy: 134.5mpg

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