The one major difference in this year's Volvo XC90 is the new available V8 engine. You might have noticed the ad blitz around it during the Super Bowl and on a few websites and maybe even to the right of this very post. Just to clear the air, I scheduled the XC90 V8 for a test long before I even knew Volvo was signing on as an advertiser here. And even if it we had Volvo signed on earlier, it is still a newsworthy model to cover.

There is roughly a $4,000 difference between the twin turbo I6 and the normally aspirated V8 model starting at $41,550 and $45,395 respectively. Unfortunately, I haven?t tested the T6 model for comparison so I can only tell you what I experienced with the V8. To get down to basics, the engine is certainly powerful and would be a great asset for you highway commuters or anyone who can cruise freely on long stretches. In a stop and go environment, or even gridlock traffic, the engine offers a loud V8 gurgle at launch before the power kicks in. This is due to the much talked about built-in resistance. To me that means no fun. We?ll need more time in the XC90 before coming to a definitive conclusion.

Luckily, Volvo does the interior right. We?ll go in-depth with many images tomorrow but quickly I can say this is one of the most sophisticated and modern interior styles I?ve seen in an SUV. It certainly outdoes the Lexus RX we tested a few weeks back.