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Volvo celebrates 20 years of sleeper wagons with 850 T-5R and V60 Polestar

I must have been around Bar Mitzvah age when I was in the back of my parents' car on the highway as we passed a truck full of Volvo 850 T-5R wagons - half of them in black, half in banana yellow. It was one of the coolest things I'd ever seen: a whole gaggle of sleeper power wagons that were infinitely cooler than whatever minivan we were riding in. Hard to believe that was 20 years ago, but it was. And Polestar is understandably keen to mark the anniversary of the first overt Volvo performance wagon.
While Volvo's racing partner hasn't released some commemorative edition to celebrate that prototypical sleeper, it has shot a special batch of photos of the T-5R (based on the 850 wagon internally known as the 855 for its five doors) alongside its modern successor, the V60 Polestar. The images shot in Huntington Beach, CA, only go to show how much has changed in the two decades that separate them.
Whereas this front-drive T-5R packed a turbocharged inline-five driving 240 horsepower through a four-speed automatic propel the yellow box to 62 in 7.0 seconds, the turbo six in the svelter, Rebel Blue-clad 2015 V60 Polestar churns out 350 hp to all four wheels through a six-speed auto for a 4.9-second sprint. That's the kind of progress we can get behind. In fact, it's the sort of progress that everyone can get behind, really, because chances are whatever you're driving will probably have a hard time keeping up.

Volvo launches XC90 configurator site

In many ways the 2016 Volvo XC90 defines the future of the Swedish brand. The SUV is the introduction of the company's Scalable Product Architecture modular platform that should underpin most of its future models. It's also the first big chance to see whether consumers accept a model like this that's only available with four-cylinder power, granted a mill that is both turbocharged and supercharged. The configurator for this Swedish hopeful is just hitting the Web giving customers a chance to see what they think.
The only available powertrain on the XC90 at the moment is the 2.0-liter Drive-E with 316 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. The base price starts at $48,900, plus $925 for destination, but that number can balloon quite quickly. Upgrading to the R-Design package tacks on $4,000 or the even plusher Inscription package adds $5,600.
Furthermore, there are several option packages to add some extra tech and comfort to the SUV. The Vision Package with a backup cam is an extra $1,600, two versions of the Climate package to keep occupants warm come to $1,050 and $1,950, respectively, and the Convenience Package that includes adaptive cruise control adds $2,000. Depending on trim, there are up to 13 colors available in an attractive variety, although all but two add $550 to the price. There are also a wide variety of leather upholsteries to choose from.

Volvo Concept Coupe is a long-legged Swedish GT [w/video]

They may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the marque, but Volvo has a long and surprisingly lustrous lineage of coupes in its stable, from the P1800 to the 142 to the Bertone 262C to the 780 Bertone and the recently departed C70. Few of those two-doors have stood the test of time the way the voluptuous P1800 has, a fact the company's designers are apparently keenly aware of. It is that exact model that Volvo says they've drawn upon for this new Concept Coupe, and while the showcar bears little resemblance to the smaller P1800 that inspired it, both cars have a visual grace and presence that has often eluded the brand's grasp.
While not completely ripping up the design language established by the 2001 S60 in 2000, the Coupe Concept is arguably the most radical design statement we've seen from Volvo in well over a decade. Gone is the tone set by the drop-shoulder hood, and in its place is a more flowing, organic look, with the generous proportions of a grand tourer. The concept is a particularly nice piece of work, from its new T-shaped daytime running lamps to its pronounced rear fenders that subtly echo those of the P1800. Interestingly, Volvo informs that the first production model to benefit from this new aesthetic will be the next-generation XC90 crossover - and judging by the teasers we recently saw, this language looks like it'll translate nicely to the CUV's larger shape.
The Concept Coupe is powered by a through-the-road plug-in hybrid architecture composed of a twincharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder powering the front wheels and an electric motor servicing the rears. All-in, Volvo says the system is good for 400 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque.