WATCH: Volvo XC60 T8 shows safe doesn’t have to be boring

Being renowned for its top-notch safety features, the Volvo car brand isn’t exactly a carmaker you would associate with adrenaline drag strip action.

But perceptions can be misleading. Don’t be fooled by every new Volvo’s top speed being limited to 180 km/h. What this number doesn’t tell you, is that there is no limit to how fast a new Volvo can get there.

The 0 to 100 km/h sprint time of 4.8 seconds the Swedish carmaker claims the fastest vehicle in its local stable, the XC60 R8 Recharge, is capable of, is seriously impressive.

Especially for an SUV weighing all of 2.15 tons. In fact, not that long ago seriously high-performance SUVs with M, AMG or RS credentials would have been chuffed with that sprint time.

The Volvo XC60 T8 Recharge is what is known as plug-in hybrid. The difference between a plug-in hybrid and hybrid you would find in a Toyota Corolla Cross for example, is that the plug-in hybrid’s battery can be charged with an external power source. In the case of the Corolla Cross hybrid, the electric system is powered by the internal combustion engine and requires no external charging.

ALSO READ: Volvo has all bases covered in its electric revolution

The Volvo XC60 T8 Recharge is powered by a 233 kW 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine and a 107 kW electric motor which combines for a total output of 340 kW. Together, the dual power source also provides a stomping 709 Nm of torque.

Piloting Volvos down the drag strip is not something The Citizen Road Test Editor Mark Jones is akin too, but given the XC60 T8 Recharge’s credentials, he just couldn’t resist this time around.

Mark put it through its paces in a recent early-morning outing to Gerotek Testing Facilities and where quite impressed by its performance.

Mark reckons it has a good chance of knocking the fastest Volvo he has tested, the S60 Polestar, off its perch. Back in 2016, the Polestar ran a 5.29-second 0 to 100 km/h time.

Watch this space as The Citizen will bring you the comprehensive results from our high-performance road test on Saturday.

The model we had on test, the Volvo XC60 AWD T8 Recharge R-Design, starts at a price of R1 278 900.

For more information on the Volvo XC60 T8 Recharge, visit the manufacturer’s website.