Its actually a more complicated question. Even when using gas, the PHEV vehicle is still a hybrid and gets much better MPG than a typical gas car even when not charging at night. The B6 powertrain is not really a hybrid and is more engine start/stop on steriods. The difference in fuel economy between the old T6 and the newer B6 is only 1 MPG improvement with the mild hybrid.

The other annoyance I have heard with the B powertrains is that the air conditioner is not electric based and some find the car HVAC doesn't perform well then the engine is off at a light and it is hot outside.

Do you need two three row SUV's in the household. The XC60 is very similar but gets better all electric range and fuel economy.

 

If you're leasing the T8's have plenty of incentives that apparently make them the about the same price as B6's. That all of course depends on the market, dealer, etc.

 

I’m paying cash for whatever I get.

 

@BritVegas What people do is "lease" the PHEV so you can get the 7500 Tax credit, then buy out the lease after a few months. You pay a small amount in fee's but net $5k in savings or more after all said and done.

 

If you're considering this route, might be best to do it before the administration change with talk of ending the tax credit and tariffs come into play.

 

That’s a very interesting concept. I’ll look into it!

 

I have a 2023 B6 and a 2024 T8. I hate the B6 in comparison. The T8 drives so much nicer.

 

I've never felt that I needed more than the 300hp in my T6. The stupid supercharger makes low end power come in hard which makes the vehicle feel fast. Though I'm old now and my driving is mostly taking the kids to daycare and going to the grocery store, no HPDEs in my XC90. I guess if my other vehicle had 600-800hp, then 300hp might feel slow......even 400hp would feel slow.

For me the T8 would still be nice to have to be able to pre heat/cool the vehicle without starting the engine. The EV range is much less beneficial if most of your trips are beyond 2X that range. Would the ~30+ mile range of the newer T8 still not be enough to be more beneficial?

If you're paying cash for brand new $70k+ vehicles, then I would expect that you're pretty much beyond caring about a measly $9k. Just get whatever one you like more. I would be eyeing a MY23/24 T8 and get the same vehicle for $10-20k less, but I think we're in different tax brackets.

 

The B6 has become much more refined than the T6 was ... but the T8 (PHEV) is still more refined than that.

I think this really depends on how this car is driven. If it's a highway cruiser it's not really going to make much difference. But the PHEV of today is a far more tractable EV than your 2017 - if this is for tooting around the city it's amazing. You'll barely use gas at all in the city.

 

As a T8 owner i like the flexibility of choosing to drive like an all-electric hypermiler for in-town errands (and nice electric-only parking spots!) or doing "Italian tuneups" on highways and on-ramps. But having this choice is our preference . . . The real question is, what is yours?

Good luck deciding!

 

T8 is best XC90... but it depends on your use case, as others have said. You should test drive a new T8 and a new B6 to see the difference. All good cars, but I would be inclined to pick the T8 if I drove in urban and suburban areas most of the time.

 

I've driven both engines and to me the T8 is a smoother drive compared to the B6. Both have plenty of power though.

Switched to the B6 because I wasn't able to charge much like you and didn't want to bother with the maintenance / cost risk of owning a PHEV.

 

I've driven both and prefer the T8 for a bunch of reasons - I posted about it back in August. B6 is nice too but after driving one I bought a T8.

 

I’ve been driving a 2017 XC90 T8 (hybrid with a 17mi range) inscription since 2020. I’ve really enjoyed it but find the charging annoying only to get 17 miles around town, so I’m using gas 90% of the time.

The pre-2022.5 T8 and the post-2022.5 T8 (the "extended range") are two completely different vehicles. This coming from someone who leased a 2021 T8 and now a 2024 T8.

The electric system is leaps and bounds better. In the spring/fall, I'm getting 38-40 miles of electric range in my 2024 Recharge. But it's not just the range, it's the power. The 2021 T8 felt like a golf cart at times... so slow with just electric power. The 2024? I mean, it's not going to compare to the R1S on electric performance, but, it's perfect in 95% of driving situations. Way more torque and way more power.

I would suggest you at least take a current T8 out for a test drive... maybe call ahead and ask them to charge one up for you to use. As for the price difference, if you're in the US, consider leasing and then buying out the lease. Due to the way the new EV laws are written, lease vehicles still get the $7,500 tax credit. Depending on your state, some people have found that buying the lease out 3 months results in less money out of pocket overall.