2016 Volvo XC90 T8 ⚊ 2017 Hyundai Elantra 2.0L Automatic

1. 2016 Volvo XC90 T8 Twin-Engine AWD Plug-In Hybrid To be fair, Volvo doesn’t actually convert a finished XC90 into a T8 Twin-Engine Plug-in Hybrid. There is no team of Swedish robots ripping out Haldex hardware to make way for the 9.2-kWh battery pack that gets bolted into the driveshaft tunnel. Volvo’s Scalable Product Architecture was designed from the start to accommodate the rear-mounted 87-hp AC motor that differentiates the T8 from other XC90 models. Volvo calls this version “Twin-Engine” because it retains the 316-hp turbo­charged and supercharged four-cylinder that powers the T6. But the T8 in fact has a third power source, a 46-hp electric motor that sits between the gas engine and the XC90’s eight-speed automatic transaxle. Total system output is 400 horsepower and 472 pound-feet of torque. 2. 2017 Hyundai Elantra 2.0L Automatic Running a 147-hp 2.0-liter four, this is not an overtly sporty vehicle, delivering 0.83 g on a skidpad and huffing and puffing to 60 mph in 8.5 seconds. But it flows with controlled roll from corner to corner and with steering effort that rises and falls commensurate with the angles. A sport/eco button can summon the mildest of sporty shift maps, but you won’t notice much difference. Firm brakes, the Elantra’s best performance asset, produce a laudable stopping distance of 166 feet.