But you still get sat-nav, voice activation and LED headlights as standard, and Volvo On Call, which lets you control various functions from your phone, and can alert the authorities if you prang it into a dyke again.īut (if you don’t snap up a First Edition) you have to turn to the options list to get smartphone integration, wireless phone charging and Pilot Assist semi-autonomous ability (it helps keep you in your lane at up to 80mph, and accelerates and brakes to keep you at the right speed or distance from other traffic).Īt times it feels too clever for its own good. Where the XC60 and the S/V/XC90 come with nigh-on everything, it’s all scaled back a little for the new XC40. Volvo XC40 review by sister site CarZing How clever is the new 2018 XC40? And, to complicate matters further, the first UK cars will be the T5 First Edition and D4 First Edition, which means R-Design Pro spec but with a bit more equipment, including a panoramic sunroof, Pilot Assist (super-smart cruise control), a powered tailgate with hands-free operation, heated rear seats, wireless charging and Harman Kardon audio. Inscription comes with a powered tailgate, front parking sensors, powered driver’s seat, chrome exterior detailing and driftwood interior inserts.Įach trim level has a Pro sub-level that brings a package of extras. R-Design trim – with vertical slats in the grille – adds sports suspension, 18in diamond-cut alloys, plusher seats, a more leathery interior, twin tailpipes, a black roof and various black external details. Standard wheels are 18in alloys (with up to 21in available as options), and there’s a good level of comfort and infotainment: three USBs, dual-zone climate control, rear parking sensors, the instruments and portrait touchscreen now familiar from the new XC60 and the 90 family, automatic emergency braking that can detect pedestrians you’ve failed to spot, and Oncoming Lane Mitigation, which warns and if necessary assists you if you seem to be heading for oncoming traffic. Momentum trim – with horizontal grille slats – gets you a non-leather interior and the option of a white roof and door mirrors. The entry-level XC40 will be a T3 front-drive manual in Momentum trim, priced at £27,905 the line-up extends to about £40,000. T4, T5 and D4 are AWD and automatic.īrowse Volvo cars for sale Volvo XC40 prices, specs: what do you get for your money? The T3 is front-drive only, while the D3 is front- or all-wheel-drive and manual or auto. There will be less powerful fours (T3 is a 154bhp petrol, T4 is a 187bhp petrol D3 is a 148bhp diesel, D4 is a 187bhp diesel) plus a three-cylinder petrol. As other engines arrive, various combinations of manual or automatic and front- or all-wheel drive will be possible. They’re both all-wheel drive with eight-speed automatic transmissions. There will be a big choice of engines soon, but initially in the UK we get a 187bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engine badged D4 and a 244bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine badged T5. It’s a steel monocoque, with the engine mounted transversely in the front, MacPherson strut front suspension, multilink rear, five doors and five seats. There’s no hybrid XC40 just yet, but there will be, and eventually there will be a fully electric version. The underpinnings are relatively conventional, aside from the fact that they’ve been designed with Volvo’s commitment to an entirely electrified range in mind. This is the first Volvo on a newly developed platform that’s also going to appear on other Volvos including the next-generation V40 and other products from the family of companies owned by Chinese giant Geely, probably starting with an SUV from Lynk & Co. What’s the hardware underpinning the new 2018 Volvo XC40?
This is a fast-growing mainstream global market, where success will be very rewarding but any weakness will result in customers swerving off to the many excellent alternatives. This isn’t a niche where you can get away with appealing to bearded geographers and vegan architects. It’s going up against cars as good as the Audi Q3, BMW X1, Jaguar E-Pace and Range Rover Evoque.
But with their new small SUV, the Volvo XC40, the Swedes are going into direct competition with the big boys.