Christopher Bell won the NASCAR Cup race Sunday on the road course at Daytona while the best race – and story – of the weekend came Saturday when Joe Gibbs’s grandson, Ty Gibbs, won the first Xfinity Series race he entered, which put him in some very select company indeed. But first, The Sermon.

Last winter, Kyle Larson used the N word while playing an iRacing game. He was immediately fired by Chip Ganassi Racing and suspended for the season by NASCAR. He was ordered to take sensitivity training. And that, by the way, was the proper way to handle that situation.

Over the course of the 2020 season, NASCAR showed a commitment to race relations that might not have been possible even a few years ago. It banned the Confederate flag from all properties where NASCAR races. When a noose was found hanging from the garage door of Bubba Wallace’s team at Talladega, it threw its support behind the young black driver and the scene when Wallace pushed his car to the front of the line on pit road and was followed by every other driver, car owner and pit crew member was both inspiring and unforgettable.

To show that 2020 wasn’t a fluke, or a PR exercise, the invocation and the U.S. national anthem at Sunday’s NASCAR Cup road course race were both performed by African-Americans.

Now, this January, Hailie Deegan, a rising young woman racer, used the R word while iRacing. She wasn’t fired and although NASCAR said she was suspended, it was only while she took sensitivity training, which she did in record time to open the season in the Camping World Truck Series last weekend at Daytona. NASCAR (and Ford, which sponsors her) apparently think race relations are more important than mental illness. They are wrong and Hailie Deegan should not be racing in NASCAR.

How do I know? My friend Ellie Tesher writes the “Ellie” advice column for the Star and some newspapers in the United States. Sunday, she wrote that a “mental health crisis exists as a byproduct of life during COVID-19 . . . “ She said she knows this because her mailbox is full each day with cries for help.

Bell Canada has sponsored a “Let’s Talk” about mental health day for 11 years now to encourage people to dismantle the stigma of mental illness and to raise money for mental health initiatives across Canada. Clara Hughes, the Olympic speed skater and cyclist, has been the face of the campaign for years but I didn’t see her this year and I hope she’s okay. Steve Simmons, the sports columnist for the Toronto Sun and Postmedia papers across the country, talked this year about his panic attacks while TSN’s Michael Landsberg and Sportsnet’s Ken Reid were both vocal about their battles with depression.

Mental illness is here and it’s everywhere and while NASCAR showed it sensitivity toward racial issues, it has completely dropped the ball when it comes to Hailie Deegan and her equally offensive slur. NASCAR and the Ford Motor Co. should have a rethink, fast. She’s young and can race in non-NASCAR events (as Kyle Larson did on the sprint car circuit in 2020). She will return stronger than ever because she will have been given the opportunity to learn from her mistake.

What she got in January wasn’t even a slap on the wrist. NASCAR and Ford have as much to learn as Deegan does.

NASCAR CUP AND XFINITY RACE

I’m writing these two races together for a reason. The good news: both races were won by drivers scoring their first victories (Christopher Bell and Ty Gibbs) and one of those two (Gibbs) won his very first professional NASCAR race, period.

The bad news is that the big league, the Cup Series, featured horrible racing Sunday. The drivers – and this includes the so-called stars of NASCAR – couldn’t drive on the Daytona Speedway road course to save their souls. It was embarrassing.

Also, there are really no story lines in Cup these days. Chase Elliott is a young guy but he seems old. He’s been around NASCAR for eight years now (he won his very first race in the trucks at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in 2013) and has won the Xfinity and Cup season championships. Cole Custer is in Cup but hasn’t turned heads. Bell, a stupendous talent, should be in IndyCar – he grew up and matured as a race driver in karts and midgets and sprint cars – and it shows how lost that series is if the people who run it prefer to turn their backs on natural-born open-wheelers like Kyle Larson and Bell in favour of a retired NASCAR star like Jimmie Johnston and F1 refugee Romain Grosjean.

Two Xfinity Series guys who are locks to move up to Cup in the next year or two will hopefully give that lackluster series some pizzazz when they get there. Austin Cindric, son of Team Penske president Tim Cindric and a kid who’s moved steadily up the NASCAR ranks through trucks and now Xfinity (he won the Xfinity series championship last year and had a Cup start this year in the Daytona 500; he was running well late in the race when he was caught up in the Second Big One) and is a future Cup champion.

He’ll have trouble with young Gibbs, who’s got a ton of talent and a matching personality. You want humble? Joey Logano, who was sitting in as a guest colour announcer on the Xfinity telecast, called Gibbs during a caution period to ask how he was feeling. Gibbs replied that he couldn’t believe that he was talking to Joey Logano, his hero.

And then when he exited his car after winning that race Saturday night, he threw himself to his knees (see photo above). His grandfather, Joe Gibbs, made religion a central part of his life when he coached the NFL’s Washington Football Team and made it a large part of his NASCAR team. I suggest the younger Gibbs has gotten the message.

Gibbs bulldozed his way to victory in that Xfinity race. There was a late-race restart and he went from fifth to first. He just went around the outside of everybody else on his way to the front. It was reminiscent of Ayrton Senna’s first lap in the rain during the European GP at Donington Park in 1993. Senna, and Gibbs, were not to be denied. Cindric was handicapped Saturday night, having been caught up in an early race crash that left him minus a right-front fender. But I doubt he could have taken on Gibbs, even if he’d had a healthy car.

Sometimes, you just know when it’s your day.

In winning that Xfinity race, he now is in company with five other NASCAR legends who also won their first start in that series, starting with Dale Earnhardt and including Terry Labonte, Joe Ruttman, Kurt Busch and Ricky Rudd. Cindric was second Saturday night with Daniel Hemric third. Canadian Alex Labbe was 22^nd out of 40 starters.

After Bell on Sunday came Logano with Denny Hamlin third.

NEWS ‘N NOTES

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali says Indianapolis is in the mix for a second Grand Prix in the United States. I’m glad to see somebody is finally coming to their senses.

I first met Bob Jenkins and Larry Nuber at the first Molson Indy Toronto in 1986. They were there covering the race for a show they co-hosted on the U.S. cable network ESPN called SpeedWeek. Larry died young. He was 51 when he suffered a stroke and passed. Bob continued on as a racing program host but is best known for his work at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the Indy 500. He’s fighting brain cancer and asks for race fans to pray for him. Bob? Done.

John Force received his second COVID-19 vaccination shot this past week and will have his team back in NHRA competition, starting with the Winternationals at Gainesville on March 11.

Ben Rhodes won the Camping World Truck Series race on the Daytona road course Friday night (see photo, above) and, in so doing, gave Toyota its 200^th victory since it joined the truck series in 2004. Rhodes won the season opener, also at Daytona, last weekend. Jason White of Sun Peaks, B.C., was 38^th out of 40 starters, still running but 10 laps behind the winner. Quebec’s Raphael Lessard was 26^th and Stewart Friesen of Niagara-on-the-Lake was 11^th.

Dale Earhardt Jr. and Justin Timberlake are just two of a blue-ribbon group of investors behind the Music City Grand Prix, an IndyCar Series race planned to run on a temporary street circuit in downtown Nashville Aug. 6-8. Get this: National Speed Sport News managed to report this news WITHOUT mentioning IndyCar or the dates of the race. Very strange.

REV TV, which you can get on all cable and satellite channels in Canada except Rogers (guess who has to get his cable and Internet from Rogers . . .) has its website up and running, owner Mike Garrow advises. Check out its Facebook page (@revtvcanada), Twitter (also @revtvcanada) and Instagram (revtvc.ca)

The OSCAAR mods and hotrods will kick off their 2021 season at Sunset Speedway near Innisfil on May 23. They will wrap things up on Oct. 11 at Peterborough Speedway. The T.Q. Can-Am Midgets, meantime, will open the season at the Hamilton-area Flamboro Speedway May 8 and end their season on Sept. 25, also at Flamboro.

Two driver announcements were made this week by teams running in the NASCAR Canada Pinty’s Series.

Ed Hakonson Racing was first with the news that Brett Taylor would drive the No. 3 car vacated by 2020 Pinty’s champion Jason Hathaway. A news release said this:

“After two years of running under the Ed Hakonson Racing banner in two different car numbers, Brett Taylor will be piloting the famous No. 3 machine in the 2021 NASCAR Pinty’s Series campaign. Taylor, from Calgary, is excited about the opportunity to be driving the No. 3. ‘EHR has proven that they are at the top in the series and I am extremely proud to be part of their program. They are a passionate group about racing and have been extremely supportive both on and off the track right from the beginning of when we started to work together.’

“Team Manager Jason Hathaway, who drove the No. 3 for the past 14 years, is looking forward to the team’s continued winning ways with Taylor. ‘Brett came to us a few years ago with desire to be competitive in the series and we put a plan in place to help him do that. His win at Jukasa Speedway in 2019 was a great indication of the work that this team has put into his program. We are excited about what the 2021 season will bring for the No. 3.’ ”

Next up was Scott Steckly’s 22 Racing team with the news that Marc-Antoine Camirand would be back in the saddle for 2021.

Said a release: “After sitting out the abbreviated six-race 2020 NASCAR Pinty’s Series season, Marc-Antoine Camirand will return to compete full-time in 2021 behind the wheel of the No. 22 Chevrolet Camaro, thanks to his continued partnership with GM Paillé.

“Camirand will run his fourth full-time NASCAR Pinty’s season, a third with the support of GM Paille. The association between Camirand and the No. 1 GM dealer in Canada started at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres in 2016 and continued for four road-course races in 2017 and full-time seasons since.

“ ‘I’m honoured that GM Paillé has included me as a member of their fantastic family.’ said the Chevy pilot from Saint-Léonard-d’Aston, Que. ‘To have the continued support of a partner as engaged and passionate as GM Paillé is not only humbling for me personally, but also a tribute to the NASCAR Pinty’s series, our sport and its fans.’ ”

Once again, Camirand’s No. 22 Chevrolet Camaro will be prepared by the 22 Racing team, owned by four-time NASCAR Pinty’s Champion Scott Steckly.

The 2021 Pinty’s season will kick off on Sunday, May 23, at Sunset Speedway near Innisfil.

Norris McDonald / Special to wheels.ca

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There was something missing in my life this week and it wasn’t till Tuesday that I figured out what it was.

The Canadian International AutoShow is usually on at this time of February – kicking off on the Friday leading into the Ontario Family Day long weekend and continuing till the following Sunday – and I’d be ensconced in a room at the Intercontinental Hotel, which is attached to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre where the AutoShow is held.

Not this year. I’m hunkered down in my house, waiting to be vaccinated. But just wait till a year from now when the AutoShow returns with a vengeance. Here’s a hint: there will be a lot of electric cars on display. The world is going electric and the Toronto show has always been cutting edge. I don’t want to wish my life away but I can hardly wait.

Remembering all this, of course, got me thinking of my personal auto show highlights:

Last year (the show managed to squeeze itself in before the first lockdown), there was a black tie featuring F1 Managing Director Ross Brawn, Indy 500 legend Johnny Rutherford, Canadian champion Ron Fellows and promising young female racer Megan Gilkes, all interviewed by race driver and TV announcer Townsend Bell. It was great stuff.

I did an interview once on the Toronto Star Stage with Steve Podborski, a World Cup and Olympic skier known as one of the Crazy Canucks. Those guys were kamikazes. Our subject? Podborski’s national charity, Parachute, which is dedicated to injury prevention. A suicidal skier preaching injury prevention? That was fun.

In 2007, the show celebrated 50 years of Formula One in Canada featuring everyone still alive who was responsible for that very first F1 world championship race in 1967 at CTMP (a.k.a. Mosport).

And then, there was a real highlight. In the autumn of 2012, there was a black tie at the convention centre honouring some of Canada’s most successful racing drivers: Fellows, Alex Tagliani, Paul Tracy, Scott Goodyear and Joanne Villeneuve, widow of Gilles.

That was a night to remember. The race drivers were all there, plus all the dealer-principals belonging to the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association and many, if not most, of the employees of all those dealerships. The place was packed. The women were all gorgeous and the men all had on their tuxedos.

Read that again: the men all had on their tuxedos.

Now, there’s been something going on the last 10 or 15 years that bothers me. Invitations state black tie and yet more and more men are showing up in suits. Some people think that’s okay; I don’t. A suit is not a tux. I think when you’re supposed to wear a tux that something is taken away from the occasion if you just wear a suit.

The president of the TADA that year was Sandy Liguori and he is one of my favourite people. A very successful businessman, Sandy goes all over the world to attend F1 races. He also believes in formal dress. He sent out the invitations to that soiree and they clearly said BLACK TIE ONLY. Then, on the night in question, a Friday, if I recall correctly, he left instructions with all the security people that any man NOT wearing a tuxedo was to be denied entry, whether they had a ticket of not. No black tie, no admission. No exceptions.

Okay, as editor of Wheels in those days, I had arranged to have a Star photographer attend to take pictures. The great Vince Talotta arrived to do the shooting and he was wearing a suit but it was not a tuxedo. The security guards took one look at him and wouldn’t let him in to photograph the party.

“Excuse me,” I said, “I am editor of Toronto Star Wheels and this man must be allowed in to take pictures.” And the guard snapped back, “I don’t care if you’re the editor of the Toronto SUN, he ain’t getting’ in.”

Vinnie then started turning on the charm, which was his calling card, but even that didn’t work. I finally found Beth Rhind, who used to handle PR for the auto show and, at one time, had the contract to publicize the convention centre. “I’ll get him in,” she said. And she did.

Vinnie banged off some great photos that we put in the paper on Saturday and we laughed about that night for years. “You gotta hand it that guy (the security guard),” he’d say. “He was one of the few people I couldn’t b-s my way past.”

I haven’t seen Vinnie for awhile. I knew he’d been fighting cancer but he was such a larger-then-life character I figured he’d live forever. You know, Vince = invincible.

But I opened up my email the other day to find a note forwarded from the Star’s editor, Irene Gentle, to say that Vince Talotta, my pal Vinnie, had died. He leaves his wife and a young son and he was only 53.

Because of Covid, I will never know but I wouldn’t be all that surprised if he went to his grave wearing a camera around his neck – and a tuxedo, just in case.

Norris McDonald is a retired Star editor who works for the AutoShow under contract. He reviews the weekend’s auto racing every Monday at wheels.ca

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If one of the reasons for the 2021 Toyota Venza nameplate being brought back is to make you forget about the Camry, consider it mission accomplished.

Ok, so that’s probably not what Toyota execs had in mind, but it also stands to reason that they knew some sales of their long-standing bread and butter sedan would be cannibalized by yet another crossover.

The 2021 Toyota Venza is essentially the Japanese market Harrier, rebadged for our consumption. Based on the TNGA-K platform that’s also under the Camry and the new Sienna, the Venza gives Toyota a complete arsenal of crossovers with which to woo consumers.

The Venza sits in between the RAV4 and the Highlander in size and price starting at just under $40K. It competes with the Honda Passport, Chevy Blazer, Ford Edge, Nissan Murano and a few others.

The common theme among these crossovers is an extra dollop of style and content making them somewhat of a more premium proposition.

Where the Venza separates from the rest of the competition is with its standard hybrid powertrain. In fact you can’t have it any other way. The last Venza, discontinued in 2015, was available with a V6 and was a big reason for its popularity. This hybrid drivetrain isn’t as refined or as smooth as that V6 but the resulting boost to economy is a welcome trade-off.

Power for the new Venza comes from a 2.5-litre 4-cylinder gas engine and a trio of electric motors, two up front and one in the back. Total output is rated at 219 hp. The rear electric motor gives the Venza an on-demand all-wheel drive system that doesn’t depend on drive shafts or any sort of physical linkage for power transfer. When slip is detected, the motor will power the rear wheels independently, providing additional traction.

The system is completely seamless and it’s less complex than a traditional mechanical system but not really intended for any sort of off-roading outside of snow or dirt covered roads or light trail duty.

You can get the Venza in three different grades starting with the base LE ($38,940), moving up to the XLE and topping out at the Limited trim seen here. This “fully loaded” Venza rings in at $47,690 and that’s a pretty premium price.

But the Venza does have a premium air about it and a sense of elegant style that makes it feel like they’ve borrowed a few pages from the book of Lexus, especially when stepping into the cabin. The dash has soft, leather-like surfaces with coppery piping, tastefully applied faux woodgrain accents, and comfortable front seats that are both heated and ventilated.

It’s spacious too, with enough space for a quartet of six-footers. Cargo area is below average but with 816 litres you should be able to stuff quite a bit back there before having to fold the seats down. There’s also the Star gaze panoramic glass roof that appears frosted at first but instantly goes clear at the touch of a button, so you get diffused sunlight while avoiding the head-cooking rays you typically get from a large transparent pane of glass on the roof. It’s a neat party trick that was once reserved for six-figure Benzes but you can now find it on a mainstream Toyota.

Where it goes wrong, for me at least, is with the capacitive touch panel for the climate controls and stereo. While other Toyotas use hard buttons, the Venza forgoes this for a fingerprint attracting glossy black panel that’s difficult to use when driving. Worse yet, there’s no volume or tuning knobs, so you have to rapidly tap on a fake button to raise or lower the volume or change the radio station.

Some might like the aesthetic but when you realize that you’ll need to keep the glove box stocked full of micro-fibre cloths just to keep it clean, you might not be so enthused. And the base Venza doesn’t get this touch panel, using a traditional set up of buttons and knobs in its place.

The Venza is a relaxed, easy cruising family vehicle. And if that’s what you’re looking for then it’s a great choice. If you want any sort of personality, or fun-to-drive characteristics, you’re not going to find it here. The 4-cylinder is not as brash as it is in other Toyotas, which is nice, but it still sounds unrefined and coarse when you give it the beans.

When just schlepping around which is likely what you’ll be doing, the Venza is hushed and comfortable even at highway speeds. If you close your eyes, the Lexus equivalency becomes stronger. It’s not far off the feel of that more aspirational brand and I think that’s the Venza’s biggest takeaway.

Of course being a hybrid, you expect efficiency, and with a figure of just 7.0 L/100 km after a week of my typical lead-footed driving, you get just that. You don’t need to do anything special or learn any new driving techniques. The Venza’s brain will take care of portioning out the power in the most efficient manner. A full EV mode is available but is only good for short distances at low speeds, like in a parking lot.

In this near premium crossover segment, the Venza offers exactly what consumers are looking for: a comfortable, and semi-luxurious vehicle that ups the ante with an efficient hybrid powertrain and some pretty cool tech. Move over Camry, the Venza is back.

The vehicle was provided to the writer by the automaker. Content and vehicle evaluations were not subject to approval.

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Millennials have had to put up with a lot.

First, they gave us all trophies and then had the nerve to criticize us for all getting trophies. Then they told us we could be whatever we wanted as long as we wanted it bad enough… and then got mad at us for wanting things.

But despite all that, we navigated two recessions, paid off our student loans, worked our way up the corporate ladder and now we can finally afford nice things.

Namely, you might be thinking about finally getting yourself a “nice” car — something that proclaims to the world that you made something of yourself, despite living in your parents’ basement until you were 26.

Sure, you still don’t have crazy, break-the-bank money. But you don’t need it to get into the growing “entry-level luxury” market.

Here are five of the best options.

Genesis G70

Starting at $43,000

If you care nothing for the status of a well-established name plate and want to present a modicum of decorum without any pomp or circumstance, you may consider turning to the relatively new Genesis brand — a luxury spin off of Hyundai.

While the entry-level Genesis model, the G70, is often praised for its well-tuned chassis and upscale interior, what’s most notable is how aggressively the G70 undercuts its German competition on price. And let’s face it, a bargain price will always be the first, second and third reason to buy a Genesis. The fourth will be that some people may suspect you know something they don’t (you don’t).

Cadillac CT4

Starting at $35,998

It’s remarkable that we’ve entered a time where Cadillac is seen not necessarily as a symbol of status or wealth, but as a blue-collared alternative to the blue-blooded aristocracy of the automotive elite.

Of course, “young people” (Millennials are of course no longer the “young generation” but nobody over the age of 40 seems to know that) never really saw Cadillac, outside of the Escalade, as a… well let’s be kind and say, “contemporary” nameplate. However, this has been to our general detriment. Because while we’ve been coveting the BMW 3-Series and Audi A4, which always felt just out of the reach of our budgets, Cadillac has been producing ever more accessible models in a desperate attempt to onboard buyers who aren’t actively dying.

Case in point, the CT4 that, after freight and fees, still comes in under a $40,000 starting price. Add on some goodies, like AWD and the 2.7-litre turbocharged engine available on the CT4-V with 310 horsepower, and you’ll have yourself a proper sports sedan for under $50,000. Oh, and your grandparents will think you’re rich — despite still not understanding exactly what it is you do for a living (“something with computers,” they tell their friends).

Mercedes CLA

Starting at $43,600

There’s a good chance that you might be absolutely dead set on having a German luxury car because… well, let’s face it, it’s a flex. But if that’s the case, then you have to ask yourself which one to get — a question that used to be really hard to answer.

A decade ago, the BMW 3-Series, Audi A4 and Mercedes C-Class were ferociously deadlocked in terms of price, performance, options and unreliability. But now, the 3-series is absolutely hideous, the A4 has all the personality of a wet sponge and the C-Class will make you look like a stock trader who makes Soundcloud beats in their spare time. It’s also too expensive.

The solution is in the Mercedes CLA. While almost identical to the entry-level A-Class in terms of equipment, the CLA’s swooping bodywork helps give it the presence of Mercedes’ more expensive offerings. The CLA also has about 30 horsepower more than the A-Class and receives some sportier suspension, steering and stability control tuning.

Also you can point out to people that you didn’t buy the “cheapest Mercedes” and that’s important.

Lexus IS

Starting at $42,950

Yes, the IS’ powertrains are dated. Yes, you have to spend another $10,000 to get the really good one with AWD, 311 horsepower and all the infotainment bells and whistles.

Despite all that, without hesitation, this is the one I would personally go with. For a few reasons, I think the build quality is top-tier. I like the piece of mind of Toyota engineering. And I think the 2021 redesign makes the IS the best-looking entry-level luxury sedan (certainly the most striking) on the market.

Oh, and they finally got rid of that god-awful touchless screen that made you navigate with an actual mouse — which I can only imagine Lexus outsourced to the writers of The Onion to engineer. It was so frustrating to use, it would make you question whether Lexus was playing some kind of Andy Kaufman-inspired prank on you. It’s gone now and the world is better for it.

But what I like most is that a Lexus is neither a flex, nor does it come off as some kind of bargain-hunter special. If it were a watch, it would be a TAG Heuer, not a Rolex. It’s dignified, it’s luxurious, it’s well made, but it doesn’t make you a show off to own one.

Acura TLX

Starting at $44,105

The TLX’s little brother, the ILX, is a really great car that I like a lot. But the ILX is, for all intents and purposes, a really upscale version of the last generation Honda Civic. So if you’re really looking for the “you’ve made it” model, you’ve got to go for the TLX.

The last generation TLX was, in my opinion, an uninspired barge of a vehicle that served only to remind you of the crushing sameness of everyday life. This new generation, however, is a much, much different story.

With 272 horsepower from a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine being sent through a 10-speed automatic, the TLX is no longer a sleepy giant unable to get out of its own way. The updates to the exterior styling also help make the TLX a more exciting proposition. It looks sleek and sharp and like it wants to scythe through corners. While not as striking as the Lexus IS, the Acura TLX maintains that same “dignified, but without the bling” presence.

The interior, however, is the stand out upgrade. No longer inspired by what I assume was the back of a Dell laptop, the TLX’s new interior feels focused and purposeful — like a fighter jet.

Sure, the TLX may start at a higher price than its rivals — it can hardly be called the bargain of the group. But it brings to the table something really important. Something that the last TLX had none of; and something its competitors could use more of. And something which is slowly fading from so many models and brands.

It has a sense of joy.

And after all the struggle, after navigating through two recessions, paying off your student debt, working late, dealing with unruly clients and even more unruly bosses… isn’t what you want most to have just a little more joy in your life?

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For 2021, the “Recharge” name arrives in the Volvo line-up, representing the latest step for the brand towards getting one million electrified cars on the road by 2025.

In 2021, “Recharge” has a couple of meanings – it can mean fully battery-electric, as is the case with the 2021 XC40 Recharge small crossover or it can mean plug-in hybrid (PHEV), as seen here with the S90 T8 Recharge sedan.

It is available only as an Inscription trim, meaning fully-loaded and starting at $76,050. My tester, however, has a host of options that run the price up to just under $90K, which is no small price to pay.

Some of the features added are: massaging front seat and ventilated rear seats; power operated trunk; HUD; rear air suspension; heated steering wheel; 360-degree parking camera and more. Most of that stuff I can understand having to pay extra for, but to have to pay extra for a heated wheel in a top-trim car in Canada that starts at over 75 grand? That’s a little on the rich side.

The Recharge is a real Swedish smorgasbord, though, when it comes to its powertrain. It’s not just turbocharged, not just supercharged and not just EV-powered – it is, in fact, all three of these things. They combine to offer 400 horsepower and 472 pound-feet of torque, fed either to the front wheels, the rear wheels, or all four wheels.

How is that, you ask? Well, read on.

The S90 doesn’t have your typical AWD set-up in that there is no driveline from the engine to the rear wheels. Instead, the rear axle is powered by its own 87 hp motor, so there’s your AWD. There’s also your RWD, too, because when in full-EV mode (which Volvo says is good for 34 km), only the rear wheels get power. The gas engine, meanwhile, will send power to the front wheels and to the front wheels only if the battery is depleted. You can let the computers decide for themselves how to power the vehicle, or you can select from four different drive modes that prioritize certain elements; Pure mode, for example, keeps the S90 in full-EV mode if you have the juice. Hybrid mode optimizes fuel economy and Power mode makes use or both the gas engine and EV motor but also quickens gear shifts and stiffens up the suspension.

All that tech – and the weight it adds — could have gotten in the way of the drive, but truth be told, it really hasn’t. It should come as little surprise that the S90 drives smoothly – it’s a flagship Volvo, and Volvos, if nothing else, are very smooth-riding cars – but what the super- and turbocharging do is make for a very smooth power curve. The supercharger gets things going at low revs, while the turbocharger steps in as revs climb. Add the EV power on top of all that, and you have a big sedan that can hustle, and do so fairly efficiently (I saw 9.4 L per 100 km during my test) while it’s at it.

Speaking of the range: 34 km is fine, but I rarely saw more than 23 km or so on a single charge. It was a somewhat cold test week, though, which is going to affect range and being a PHEV, you can plug-in every night and assuming you have a short commute, you could very well be driving in EV mode almost all the time. That’s the beauty of a PHEV and the S90 goes the extra mile by providing both a “Hold” and a “Charge” mode for the EV system.

What these do is either maintain battery level or use the gas engine to charge the battery. Why would you want to modify this? Well, if you’re on a road where the gas engine is at its most efficient – eg, an open highway – you can select “Hold” and save your EV power for when the gas engine is least efficient, that is to say in traffic once back in town.

I just wish it wasn’t so hard to get to both the EV controls and a number of others, including the lane-departure system, cross-traffic alert and so on. All of that is accessed through the vertical nine-inch infotainment display, but you have to swipe left – I think – from the main screen, then navigate a text-heavy display that tends to pull your attention away from the road ahead more than I’d like.

One thing I don’t mind admiring, though, are the interior accoutrements. All the materials are of top-notch fit and finish, the Orefors crystal shift lever fits the environs well and I love the Bowers & Wilkins audio both for its sound quality and just how slick its speakers all look, punctuated by a roundel atop the dash. A little unsure about the start/stop joystick, though; it’s finicky in its operation, it seems like it might break and a button would just make more sense.

This is one comfortable car, though. The front seats are adjustable a number of ways and the massage feature is nice to have but the real story – the real story – is actually the back seat. It is a massive place to sit with limo-like legroom and a centre armrest that’s big enough to make it almost seem like the rear seat is actually two separate buckets as opposed to a single bench. Rear seat occupants also have their own controls in addition to heated seats – and if speced – cooled seats as well.

Better still: even with all that room back there, the trunk measures 500 litres, more than enough for your wares and the charge cable with its very Swedish-chic carry bag.

The real star, though, is the powertrain. It’s a well thought-out PHEV and the added super- and turbocharger rounds everything out and shows that Volvo has delivered a flagship sedan that’s not just about the high-techniness of its EV elements. It’s a car that can provide a fun drive, too.

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