The Volvo XC40 is a well designed, family-friendly 5-seater SUV that is a really useful and comfortable car to transport a family for their everyday use.
My latest Volvo test drive was the XC40 Recharge Single Motor electric extended range variant, with a rated WLTP range of 556kms. Volvo cars expanded their all-electric XC40 Recharge compact SUV line-up in 2021 by adding the single motor version. It joined the dual-motor XC40 Recharge Twin that comes with all-wheel drive.
The car looks almost the exact same as its ICE and PHEV siblings, except for the blanked-off body colour front, as a grille is not needed in an electric car. I really like the 'Thor’s Hammer' headlights design, a distinctive feature on many Volvo models down the years, inspired by the Norse god Thor in a T-shaped LED. My car also had posh 20-inch diamond cut/black alloy wheels which looked the part and in-built roof rails. Front fog lights had a cornering function which I always appreciate.
Getting in and out for my tall 6.2-inch hubby was a lot easier than with many cars.
The interior is far bigger than you’d expect from the outside and everything is nice and simple and of high quality. The tilt and slide panoramic power sunroof in my Ultimate spec XC40 extended the length of the cabin and provided lots of light. No leather is used in the interior, just beautiful sustainable materials for upholstery and trims. However, the interior was a bit on the dark side for my taste and needed a bit more silver or other light accents to brighten it up. At night, though, a panel on both front doors lit up to provide light relief.
Seats are hugely comfy, including lumbar support. Front ones had power adjustments, the driver’s had two memory seat and mirror settings. Front seats can be heated — ditto the steering wheel. People in the rear enjoy very good head- and leg-room, but, even though this is the all-electric version, there's a high transmission tunnel for the person in the middle seat to have to contend with. The two outer rear seats can be heated. Boot capacity is 419 litres, expandable to 1,295 litres with rear seats folded to give a flat floor and no lip, making it easy to lift items over. The floor was covered with a removable rubber mat and had a small space below. My car had a power tailgate.
Centre dash has a 9-inch portrait style touchscreen, not as large as in many other SUVs but big enough for most users to feel comfortable with. Just tap and swipe to select the feature you require. The standard Google-based navigation system is one of the best around. Thankfully, there are some physical buttons including a huge volume control knob below the central screen. The large instrumentation cluster shows speed, power-charge indicator and you can choose to have the navigation shown here, as I did. There’s no Start button, as the car goes to 'Ready' as you sit in. Just select Drive or Reverse and drive away. When the journey ends, press the P for Park button and leave.
The 252hp available provides decent acceleration, useful when joining a motorway or clearing busy junctions. But remember, driving the motorways at 120km/h will eat into range (as it does with any fuel) so it’s more economical to keep things at around 100-110km/h. Lower speed will pay off in the long run.
When it comes to charging, a 150 kWh fast charger allows a 30pc-95pc 'fill' in around 35 minutes. Charging my car to 61pc gave me an indicated range of 240kms.
Parking is helped by big side mirrors, reversing camera and a 360deg visualisation. You can also select on the front, side or rear of the car icon to show which viewpoint you require. However, I felt the rear camera view to be quite limited vertically.
My Ultimate grade added the keyless drive/start, Pilot Assist semi-autonomous driving, and Adaptive Cruise Control, rear Park Assist Camera, Hill Start Assist, Hill Descent Control, excellent Blind Spot warming, Premium Sound by Harman Kardon, and 20-inch alloys as well as a wireless charging pad. The car receives automatic over the air updates, so features are always up to date.
Start price is €58,210 (not incl SEAI grant).; my car €65,910.
