Volvo XC90 Hybrid 2016, Owner'S Manual

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STARTING AND DRIVING
356
Preconditioning
•
If possible, precondition the vehicle with the
charging cable before driving.
•
Avoid parking the vehicle so that the passen-
ger compartment becomes too hot or cold.
Park, if possible, in a climate controlled park-
ing garage.
•
For short drives after using the precondition-
ing function, turn off the climate system
blower if possible.
•
If preconditioning is not possible in cold
weather, use the seat and steering wheel
heating primarily. Avoid heating the entire
passenger compartment, which reduces the
hybrid battery's charge level.
Driving
•
Choose the
Pure
drive mode to help mini-
mize electric power consumption.
•
Maintain a constant speed and an adequate
distance to the vehicle ahead to minimize
use of the brakes.
•
Brake as gently as possible; doing so
charges the hybrid battery using the inte-
grated regenerative braking function.
•
Balance energy requirements using the
accelerator pedal and utilize the gauge on
the instrument panel to see the amount of
power available from the electric motor. This
helps avoid starting the gasoline engine
unnecessarily. The electric motor is more
energy-efficient than the gasoline engine,
especially at lower speeds.
•
In hilly terrain, put the gear selector in mode
B
to utilize the electric motor's braking func-
tion when the accelerator pedal is released.
This helps charge the hybrid battery.
•
Higher speeds increase energy consumption
and the vehicle's wind resistance increases
along with speed. Do not exceed posted
speed limits.
•
Select the
Save
drive mode for higher
speeds when driving farther than is possible
using the electric motor only.
•
Avoid carrying unnecessary items (extra load)
in the vehicle.
•
Maintain correct tire pressure. Check tire
pressure regularly (when the tires are cold).
•
Remove snow tires when threat of snow or
ice has ended.
•
Note that roof racks, ski racks, etc, increase
air resistance and also energy consumption.
•
Avoid driving with open windows.
Handling and roadholding
•
Vehicle load, tire design and inflation pres-
sure all affect vehicle handling. Therefore,
check that the tires are inflated to the rec-
ommended pressure according to the vehicle
load. Loads should be distributed so that
capacity weight or maximum permissible axle
loads are not exceeded.
•
At the specified curb weight your vehicle has
a tendency to understeer, which means that
the steering wheel has to be turned more
than might seem appropriate for the curva-
ture of a bend. This ensures good stability
and reduces the risk of rear wheel skid.
Remember that these properties can alter
with the vehicle load. The heavier the load in
the cargo compartment, the less the ten-
dency to understeer.
Related information
•
Hybrid-related information in the instrument
panel (p. 130)
•
Parking climate (preconditioning) (p. 179)