Volvo’s first EV-only model family offers a lower and slightly sportier take on the XC40, plus AWD and serious performance. Mike Duff experiences it in its European homeland.
- Effortless performance
- Impressive refinement
- Smart, good-looking Google infotainment (for the most part)
- Laid-back chassis can’t do justice to the performance
- Plasticy cabin lacks class
- Button-light interface hides some functions in menus
Introduction
Remember when a C suffix on a Volvo meant the car in question would be a coupe or a cabriolet? No longer, with the C40 – the Swedish company’s first electric-only model – being very obviously an SUV. Just one that has a slightly lower roofline than the existing XC40 it is closely related to. That’s right, it’s one of ‘those’ coupes: a slightly squashed crossover.
While the C40 will never be fitted with a combustion engine, not even a hybridized one, it isn’t breaking much new ground in technical terms. That’s because it is closely related to both the existing XC40 Recharge Twin Pro, which is already on sale in Europe, as well as the AWD version of the Polestar 2.
Power comes from two identical 150kW motors, one turning each axle, with a 78kWh lithium-ion battery pack located between its axles. The dimensional similarities to the XC40 are pretty striking, both cars sitting on the same 2702mm wheelbase. The C40 is 6mm longer and 69mm less tall thanks to that chopped roofline. Every external panel is different to the XC40, the front end getting narrower all-LED headlights, but the family resemblance is obvious.
I drove a car on the international launch, run out of Brussels Airport in Belgium, this being a launch Euro spec Launch Edition model featuring something close to kitchen sink specification. We will have to wait for details on finalized Australian spec and pricing, but Volvo has indicated it will ultimately also offer a cheaper front-driven single motor C40 in some markets, too.
On European pricing the launch spec C40 will be more expensive than the Polestar 2, which seems a strange bit of brand positioning despite the comprehensive equipment.
Inside
The C40’s cabin is almost identical to that of the XC40, with the two cars sharing the same dashboard moulding, switchgear and 12-inch digital instrument panel. That’s no bad thing given the well-designed utility of the existing car, but it’s fair to say that some of the materials are a bit lacking in the premium flair demanded by the new car’s much higher base pricing.
Space is impressive given the lowered roofline. Headroom isn’t as generous as in the XC40, but average sized adults will still be able to sit in both rows simultaneously without complaint from front or back. Losing the combustion engine hasn’t liberated much space up front; there’s a tiny 31-litre frunk under the bonnet, this intended to accommodate charging cables. But opening the tailgate reveals a more than respectable 413-litres of luggage space at the back with the rear seats in place.
Volvo is very proud of the C40’s vegan interior – yes, that’s now a thing – this being the first of the company’s cars that won’t be available with the option of any animal-derived materials. That means no leather for seats or trim, although the microfibre and pleather seats felt supportive and upmarket.
My test car was showing off the indigo fabric for carpeting and door cards which looks (and feels) like faded denim. But the scratchy hard plastics that cover much of the rest of the interior are both conspicuously lacking in woke credentials given their obvious petrochemical origins, and also don’t feel up to the standards you’d expect given the C40’s elevated price point.
Infotainment and Connectivity
The C40 is one of the first cars to switch to Volvo’s new Google-based infotainment system, which will soon be rolled out throughout the whole model range. This is a worthwhile upgrade when compared to the dull-witted Sensus system it replaces, using a high resolution portrait orientated 9-inch touchscreen and boasting impressively snappy responses.
It looks good and worked cleanly when delivering either entertainment or guidance functions. One omission is that it only currently supports wireless Android Auto, iPhone users will have to wait for a later update to use AirPlay.
But Volvo has also joined the ‘war on buttons’ that has seen most conventional switchgear removed, including – in the C40 – even the parking brake and start button (to go you just get in with the key and select drive.) Various dynamic functions are also controlled by the Google UI, several of which are buried deep in sub-menus where it seems few C40 drivers are ever to go and hunt for them. Just changing driving modes is now a two step process.
The launch-spec C40’s Harmon Kardon speaker system delivered impressively crisp audio definition even at high volumes.
Safety & Technology
The C40 is still too new to have undergone NCAP testing, but its very close underbody relationship to the impressively sturdy XC40 suggests it should be in line for a similarly impressive score (see the breakdown here).
In Europe the C40 Recharge’s standard safety equipment includes active cruise (with piloted lane keeping), AEB, active blind spot monitoring and back-up radar protection plus cross-traffic alert, automatic parking and hill-start assist.
There are also 360-degree cameras for low-speed manoeuvring, their presence made necessary by the restricted view through the cut-down rear screen.
Value for Money
We will have to wait for official pricing to see exactly where the C40 Recharge Twin Profits into the market, and also to establish how much more Volvo intends to charge over the fully electric XC40 Recharge Twin Pro for the extra exclusivity of that lowered roofline. As with the fully electric XC40 it seems likely that Volvo will only offer the car in one spec level, at least initially, with this including comprehensive standard kit.
The XC40 Recharge Twin’s $76,990 before on-roads makes it the most expensive of its clan, and pricier than the mechanically identical Polestar 2, although the Volvo gets more standard equipment. In the UK the C40 Recharge Twin Pro is £700 more than its XC40 sister, which suggests a relatively modest supplement.
Volvo’s five-year unlimited KM warranty will come as standard, and the C40 Recharge Twin Pro may also get the complementary three-year servicing package of of the fully electric XC40. We’ll let you know when we do.
| At a glance | 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge Twin Pro |
| Warranty | Five years / unlimited km |
| Service intervals | TBC |
| Servicing costs | TBC |
| Fuel type | Electricity |
| Battery size | 78kWh |
| Range | 444km (WLTP, targeted) |
Driving
With 150kW powering each axle, the C40 Recharge Twin Pro definitely isn’t short on motivation, the lack of any need to change gears or spool up turbochargers making it feel even quicker than it is. On Volvo’s own numbers the Twin Pro’s 4.7-second 0-100km/h time make it the company’s second quickest model of all time, behind only the S60 Polestar Engineered which uses a turbocharged, supercharged and hybridized powertrain to deliver its marginally quicker time through the benchmark.
But the C40 delivers its urge with far less drama, with no hard work required to be experiencing an impressive level of longitudinal G-forces. No more than the top quarter of the C40’s long travel accelerator pedal is necessary for a pace that gets it drawing ahead of urban traffic, and pushing harder instantly creates loadings that feel close to being Tesla-keen. Acceleration diminishes as speed rises, but it wouldn’t take a very long straight to confirm the presence of the 180km/h speed limiter that Volvo now fits to all its cars.
Despite some Belgian rain, traction on the test car’s Pirelli Scorpion all-season tyres was impressive, launching cleanly even on slippery surfaces. But corners revealed the fundamental limitations of the soft chassis settings, high centre of gravity and winter-friendly rubber.
The C40 Recharge Twin Pro weighs a substantial 2185kg on Volvo’s numbers, and that figure feels evident when asking it to change direction, with limited front-end grip and a tendency for power-on understeer in tighter corners. There was lots of roll, too, with the C40 also pitching and diving under power or braking.
Slowing the pace improved things significantly, although negated much of the point of having such a potent powertrain. Despite 20-inch alloys the C40’s ride felt pliant over poorer surfaces, and highway cruising was impressive in the well-insulated cabin; only the start of wind whistle at speeds above 130km/h distracted from the calm. Both the switchable one-pedal operation and the piloted cruise control deserve praise, too. Both operate with sufficiently fine control to allow almost imperceptible stops, whether under the management of human or machine.
Range is a respectable 444km under the European WLTP methodology, and the C40 Recharge Twin Pro’s underfloor battery pack supports fast charging at speeds of up to 150kW.
Find a charger that supports that dizzying rate and it would be possible to get an 80 percent charge in just 40 minutes, although the onboard 11kW AC charger will take around 11 hours to fully top off the battery on domestic power.
| Key details | 22022 Volvo C40 Recharge Twin Pro |
| Engine | Dual electric motor |
| Power | 300kW |
| Torque | 660Nm |
| Drive type | 4-wheel drive |
| Transmission | Single speed |
Conclusion
The C40 is a pioneer, Volvo’s first all-electric car, but it won’t be alone for long: the company says fully 50 percent of its global production will be EVs as soon as 2025.
The Recharge Twin Pro is a flagship, but its high output all-wheel drive powertrain doesn’t feel particularly well suited to the laid-back dynamic demeanour of the car.
Put simply, it’s considerably quicker than it needs to be. Much as I love an excess of power, I’m pretty certain that the forthcoming single-motor version will be much better matched to both the gentle chassis settings and the duty cycle of an average Volvo user.
If you want something closer to a typical performance car using this powertrain then the cheaper Polestar 2 seems like the more obvious choice.
The post 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge Twin Pro launch review: International first drive appeared first on Drive.
