If the Range Rover Sentinel is too flashy for you, then the armoured version of the Volvo XC90 might be just the ticket. Unveiled following “numerous requests” for an armoured version of its popular SUV, Volvo took just two years to bring the project to market. Volvo delivered its first police car back in 1929, so it was able to lean on decades of experience in providing high-mobility solutions to the police, fire service, and armed forces.
The XC90 Armoured, based on the Inscription version of the Volvo XC90 T6 AWD, is certified to VR8 protection rating, providing 360-degree ballistic and explosive resistance.
Initially manufactured at the Torslanda plant in Sweden, the car is then sent to Trasco Bremen in Germany, a company which has specialised for many years in building high-quality vehicles with high protection ratings.
While the exact technical specification is classified, Green reveals that the high-strength steel armour is 10mm thick, while the thickness of the glass can be up to 50 millimetres. The armour adds approximately 1,400 kilograms to the XC90, which brings the car’s total weight up to 4,490kg (including five occupants). To cope with the increased weight, the vehicle is fitted with uprated suspension and new brakes, although the armour is said to be so discreet that the finished product is barely distinguishable from the regular car.
The Volvo XC90 Armoured is available to order now, and the first customer deliveries will be made at the end of 2019.
Volvo offers a light armoured vehicle for those customers for whom the heaviest armour isn’t necessary – primarily the security services, the police, the diplomatic corps and private individuals in Europe and Latin America. Based on the Volvo XC60 T6 AWD Inscription or XC90 T6 AWD Inscription, they are designed primarily to provide protection against handguns.
As a result, the car’s weight is only increased by around 250 kilograms, which is compensated for by upgrading the brakes and suspension. Sales of these cars are scheduled to begin in the first half of 2020.
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