Volvo XC60 T8 Recharge Ultimate

It's one of the most powerful models in Volvo's local line-up, but ironically it may be one of the most sensible, too

"The best of both worlds." In a society where sticky compromises are often the best we can hope for, all we can ask is that with clever manoeuvring, it brings forth a perfect solution, from business deals to relationships, and pretty much any situation where two entities are at odds.

It is much the same in the world of motoring. With fuel prices headed skywards and the growing urge to adopt electrified mobility solutions, there must be a halfway point that can keep our expenditure at the pumps in check and meet emission and fuel consumption standards without the caprices of our limited EV charging infrastructure and ailing electrical grid.

It's at this meeting point of the automotive-needs Venn diagram that the hybrid comes in, with its blend of eco-friendly, low-speed electric motoring and practical internal combustion primary powerplant. Volvo has come to the Recharge-branded party with its wares, combining its turbo-petrol engines and a battery-fed plug-in electric motor. We sampled the firm's XC60 T8 Recharge to see if this solution really does what it maintains, or if this halfway point in the firm's plans to become an all-EV entity by 2030 is merely a motoring novelty.

The T8 is underpinned by the same SPA scalable platform that does service in several of its 60-and 90-badged models, as well as the Polestar 1. In addition to mounting a 2,0-litre, four-cylinder turbo petrol engine, the Recharge arrangement includes a rear-axle mounted electric motor. The petrol engine develops a healthy 228 kW at 6 000 r/min, along with 400 N.m of twist. It's allied to an electric motor fed by an 18,8 kWh lithium-ion battery. This unit develops 107 kW and 309 N.m of torque, contributing to combined outputs of 340 kW and 709 N.m. As the electric motor provides up to 65% drive to the rear wheels, this set-up essentially gives the T8 an all-wheel-drive powertrain.