The sub-compact luxury SUV concept might sound oxymoronic, but BMW, Audi, Lexus and
Cadillac all disagree, as does a growing hoard of car shoppers. Oxymoronic or not,
Volvo wants in on the action, and as it turns out, their small luxury SUV is one
of the best.
Slotting beneath the XC60, the XC40 is small in all the right ways. Vectoring
into parking spots is child's play thanks to a small footprint, and
incredibly light and quick steering, so easy to steer, and yet somehow I'm in...
oh, actually, I'm not within the lines. that's not surprising.
However, drive like you have something to prove, and a bit more resistant to make
it easier to steer with precision. Even so, this XC40 R-Design, with its
sportier suspension and 19-inch wheels,
carries impressive speed through corners. Not that anyone's going to be driving
the wheels off their Volvo SUV. A more relevant issue is ride quality, and in
that regard the XC40 shines with top-tier sophistication. With a short
wheelbase there is a slight seesaw action over undulating pavement, but
otherwise, the XC40 manages road imperfections with amazing grace. How
sweet it is. Matching the 40's stable, quiet and comfortable road manners is a
cabin that merges clever packaging, welcoming quarters, and high style. Like
the XC60, the XC40s rear seats are fairly vertical and do not recline, but I
can fit behind my preferred front seating position with ample clearance
for my knees and my head. There's also plenty of space under the front seat to
stretch my toes. Elsewhere, the middle seat is usable despite a large center
tunnel, soft and interesting materials abound, and cargo space is outstanding. In
all regards the standard power tailgate reveals a large square cargo hold with
an optional reconfigurable cargo separator. For larger gear available push
button releases drop the rear seats while smaller items can be stowed in
laptop sized front door bins adjacent the rear seats or in this tablet slot
under the driver's seat. Sorry iPad, you're just too big. There's also a
clever fold out glove compartment hook for bags and a removable wastebasket.
Those Swedes have thought of everything except a dedicated nook to hold the
medical tape that I used to stick the microphone to my chest. Though now that
I'm looking at it. That works pretty well. Nicely done
Sweden. As noted previously in the world of infotainment systems Volvo Sensus is
a standout. The standard nine-inch touchscreen is an elegantly-arranged,
easily-navigable way to control information, entertainment, vehicle
settings, and your phone via standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It's also
smudge prone so keep your Volvo supplied microfiber readily available. Two seconds
and we wipe. Before departing the interior, you should mention a few
oddities. Selecting drive or reverse with the stubby little controller is tricky
until you realize moving it in either direction selects neutral first, so if
you want to move, you've got a double tap. I'm not gonna move. You're standing
outside of the car, Mike. See, safety first.
The sun visors do not slide, but it's such a narrow gap I'm going to give the
XC40 a pass. The rear doors extend well behind the door handle, so be careful not
to hit adjacent cars when you get out, and when you're getting in try not to hit
yourself in the face. Got to protect the moneymaker, and in this R-Design model
the interior trim messes with my vision like one of those magic eye posters from
the 90s. I truly can't focus on it. Stupid stereoscopic vision.
Visual trickery aside, the interior is smartly styled complimenting an equally
charming exterior. From its shapely taillights, to its Thor's hammer LED
headlights, the XC40 is a Volvo with distinct scrappy appeal. It wears its
svelt dimensions and available contrasting roof colors well. Of course,
good looks don't come free. In this case, the driver pays with huge blind spots
from a bulky B-pillar and a wide C-pillar. Lowering the rear headrests
through the touchscreen is cool, but that doesn't fix the blind spots, making a
great case for safety oriented options like blind spot monitoring. On that
subject, this is a Volvo. As such, the safety roster is robust. With standard
lane keeping assist, forward collision alert with automatic emergency braking
and rear collision warning that can detect an impending crash and
proactively tighten the seat belts. The XC40 also offers pilot assist which
keeps the vehicle within its lane, and automatically paces the car ahead. On the
powertrain front there are two 4-cylinder variants. The front-wheel
drive T4 and the $2,000 pricier all-wheel-drive T5. Each partner with an
agreeable 8-speed automatic transmission. Fuel economy with the T5 is decent, but
for your best efficiency the T4 is the play, we're guessing, since official
figures weren't revealed while creating this video. And just so you know, Volvo
has confirmed hybrid and all-electric XC40s for the future.
Punch it from a stop and it takes a beat before the turbos come alive in the T5,
but once they do it scoots with respectable authority, hitting 60 in a
little more than six seconds. There's also an automatic engine start/stop
feature to save gas when the vehicle is motionless, but the engine restarts in
inelegant fashion. Thanks Sensus for making deactivation so darn simple. The XC40
lineup is divided into three trims, the base Momentum the sporty R-Design and
the classy Inscription. For slightly more than $34,000,
the simplest T4 Momentum trim features a 12.3-inch digital gauge
cluster, leather seating and app based car sharing. Using the Volvo on-call app,
users can share their vehicles location and let a friend drive it without having
to hand off a key. If I had friends I would definitely use that.
Load up an Inscription trim with foot-activated tailgate, wireless phone
charging, automatic parking abilities, a 13-speaker Harman Kardon audio system, a
panoramic sunroof and active dampers, the MSRP can top $45,000. That's a large sum
for a small SUV, but the XC40 starting price is quite competitive versus the
BMW X1, Audi Q3, Mercedes-Benz GLA and Cadillac XT4 especially considering the Volvo's hardy
equipment list. The XC40 can also be purchased via Volvo's care subscription
service. Starting at $600 per month the 24-month subscription requires no down
payment includes insurance and maintenance and lets you upgrade to a
new car in as little as 12 months. just like a phone. Volvo's are known for their
esoteric Swedish charm, but the XC40s credentials extend well beyond
Scandinavian heritage.
It's a fun, functional, comfortable SUV condensed to perfection. If you want
small-scale luxury in an SUV, the Volvo XC40 is a prime contender, and if you
want Swedish charm, it's got that too.