Volvo's Confusing New Trim Levels Explained

Luxury automakers like to mess with us. That is the only conclusion we can come up with when looking at various manufacturer’s vehicle nomenclature.

Lincoln seemingly applies random letters at the end of the brand’s model names – MKC, MKT, MKZ, etc. Acura is just as willy-nilly with the letters used at the start of the manufacture’s vehicles – ILX compact, RLX full-size and TLX mid-size follows no real naming order structure.

Then last year Infiniti decided it was high time to unleash utter chaos by renaming all of the brand’s vehicles with Qs and QXs. Making matters worse, vehicles already containing Qs and QXs also received name changes just for fun.

Let’s start with the AWD group first that doesn’t receive major name changes. In T5 AWD versions of the S60 and V60, the carry-over 250 hp 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder engine will remain. The 3.2 AWD trim of the XC60 and XC70 crossovers will continue to use the 240 hp 3.2 liter six-cylinder unit. All vehicles, including the S80, will offer a T6 AWD trim that includes the 3.0-liter turbocharged six-cylinder engine. This so far makes sense as the T5 features a five-cylinder engine and the T6 has a six-cylinder engine.

But then things get confusing. By referring to the chart below, it can be seen that every 2015 Volvo model will also be offered with another T5 trim, this one dubbed the T5 FWD. This trim level doesn’t feature a five-cylinder engine like the T5 AWD, but instead makes do with a 2.0 liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 240 hp. The reason Volvo chose to use the T5 moniker for the turbo four pot is due to the fact that this engine makes similar power to the T5 five-cylinder.