By Tim Plouff

Swedish automaker Volvo has been building cars since 1927. Always a niche player, Volvo has relied on several unconventional engine layouts, including the current assortment of turbocharged in-line five- and six-cylinder motors while forging a solid reputation as the safety leader among today’s mass-produced cars.

Owned by Ford since 1999, Volvo’s sales have flourished to its highest levels ever and the brand is now offering its first V-8 engine as an option in the best-selling XC90 crossover-wagon platform.

Despite rapidly rising fuel prices and rapidly declining full-size sport utility vehicle sales, there remains a strong market for high performance, high-output mid-size and full-size crossover wagons and sport utilities. These vehicles make a lot of money for their respective automakers, which is why it makes perfect sense to add a dollop of extra power in the high-end offerings and capture as many fringe sales as possible.

Changing tastes, societal pressures and evolving products have reshaped the class to a preponderance of crossover designs over the former truck-based wagons, a sign that growth is still possible if not probable. If you think not, then you haven’t been paying attention. At the very same time that gasoline and diesel fuel prices reached an all-time high, Ford announced that it was furloughing for a week the plant that makes the compact, fuel-efficient Ford Focus for the fourth time this year.

Volvo’s market research indicates that 30 percent of all premium SUV/crossover wagon sales (BMW X5, Cadillac SRX, Infiniti FX, Mercedes M-class, VW Touareg, etc.) come with a V-8 engine. Volvo also expects that it can carve out an additional 20 percent of XC90 sales worldwide or 15,000 more units with the V-8 option. Even Lexus is positioning its new RX400h hybrid-powered wagon as a performance vehicle rather than a thrifty SUV.

Crossover designs such as the Volvo are built on elevated car platforms. The XC90 rides approximately 3.5 inches higher than the S-80 sedan upon which it is based. Suited for light-duty off-roading only, the AWD Volvo lacks the low range four-wheel-drive setup that would encourage serious off-road slogging.

Road manners are decidedly car-like, too, with the emphasis on ride comfort and handling competence, safety and convenience. By jamming a third row of seats into the cargo hold, Volvo can boast of seven-passenger seating, but perspective buyers must realize that the last row is ideally suited for athletic eight-year olds, the family dog, and not much else.

In the mid-90s, the Honda CRV and Lexus RX300 established the blueprint for this type of crossover wagon and showed other manufacturers that many drivers are content with versatile cars that can mimic trucks in some areas while leaving out some handling shortcomings and heavy-duty hardware. Not everyone needs to pull a boat trailer or a camper or push lots of snow. But everyone enjoys enhanced forward visibility and flexible interior layouts.

Today, virtually every manufacturer is building a car-based crossover wagon/ SUV.

The XC90’s chassis, the basis for lots of other Ford-branded products these days, is a stable platform. The wheelbase stretches out to 112.6 inches and the track width is 64 inches, allowing a balanced, composed ride over every road surface. The tallish body resists leaning in curves, too. As a package, the XC90 was comfortable enough to ferry the in-laws to Portland and back in one day with nary a complaint about the supportive leather seats or the “outlaw” driver. Credit the Volvo for making me look good.

Entrance and exit is at a graceful height for all passengers, requiring no undue stretching or accessory running boards, a virtue high on the list of many female owners. Overall ground clearance is a sound eight-plus inches; plenty of elevation to climb over parking curbs and snowdrifts alike.

However, the rear doors could open wider for improved egress and only the young and limber should attempt to climb into the third-row seating. The second-row seating is quite sumptuous, even if knee room is at a premium, plus the middle section of the bench seat slides for and aft and holds a child seat quite readily. If you must use the split third-row seating, plan ahead to remove the long, heavy arm that holds the rear cargo shade. There is no place to store it once removed, which by itself is an awkward exercise that wounded my hand. Just plan on tucking it away in the garage until the kids grow up.

The front cabin is typical Volvo with familiar gauges, vault-like solidity and road noise levels near the bottom of the scale. A sloping center dash stretches down to the console and places all of your auxiliary controls within easy eye contact and close to your right hand. An optional navigation system rises out of the top of the dash while a DVD entertainment system screen folds down from the ceiling. The driver’s space is cozy, efficient and all-day comfortable.

But it’s time to get back to that new V-8 engine, the single component that makes this Volvo one special vehicle.

The all-aluminum 4.4-liter, DOHC, 32-valve V-8 is a narrow 60-degree design mounted sideways in the XC90’s nose, a layout necessitated by length restrictions and the brand’s safety emphasis. It is an ultra low emissions V-8 — the only such powerplant with over 300-hp in the premium class — that uses four catalytic converters and a special fast-idle at start-up to further reduce emissions. Peak power is 311 horses at 6,000 rpm’s with peak torque of 325 lb./ft. arriving at 4,000 rpm’s. Mated to a splendid new six-speed automatic transmission and Volvo’s upgraded Instant Traction Haldex AWD, this Yamaha built V-8 is a charmer. Yes, I said Yamaha V-8.

Ford and Yamaha have partnered before, collaborating on the former Taurus SHO sedan 15 years ago. This high-output V-8 is derived from the lessons learned with that muscular V-6 plus another generation of engine technology. Just think: a Yamaha V-8 from Japan installed in a Volvo built in Sweden and owned by an American car company.

The Yamaha engine does everything right and turns this family machine into a fun vehicle to drive. Throttle step-in is perfect, delivering the sensation that your right foot is attached directly to the engine’s intake manifold. At low revs, the engine produces crisp responses and robust power. Spin the tach needle around the dial and a sonorous intake honk erupts as the dual exhausts emit a strong V-8 burble. The mid-range punch easily out duels the turbocharged versions of this vehicle while standing start to 60 mph blasts occur in under seven seconds — sports sedan territory.

The six-speed automatic also “thinks” and reacts to your particular driving style. Run the Volvo hard through first and second gear and then abruptly lift off the throttle. The transmission wants to shift up, but the XC90’s program forces the transmission to wait a precious second or two while you decide if you want to jump back on the gas for more acceleration in that lower gear, stomp onto the brakes because of an unexpected obstacle, or just resume a normal traffic speed. This gearbox is so clever; it almost makes the manual function irrelevant.

Your XC90 V-8 purchase also comes with an upgraded Haldex AWD system. Generally, 95 percent of available power is directed to the front wheels. Software programming senses throttle positioning relative to vehicle speed, quickly sending torque to the rear wheels as needed. Take-off traction is superb, no matter what the surface, with no hesitation or wheelspin. The hardware seems more than capable of handling the V-8’s additional torque and appears better able to handle the vehicle’s 5,000-pound tow rating.

Volvo also equips the XC90 with an auto-leveling rear suspension and the world’s first gyroscopic roll stability control program to reduce the likelihood of a rollover accident.

All in all, this judge gives the XC90’s V-8 powertrain a solid “10.” A safe, fast and fun Volvo — who would have imagined that there would now be so many of them?