FIRST DRIVE
2019 Volvo XC40
Damn, Volvo’s new XC40 is cute. As in bug’s ear. As in I didn’t know whether I want to drive it or hug it.
Designer Ian Kettle talks about how rugged his new SUV-cum-crossover is and how it’s taller and wider than its BMW and Audi competitors. He also claims that it’s “city tough” and has “true SUV proportions.”
And truth be told, there’s a certain butch-ness to its front end and more than a little aggression in its haunches.
But what really sets Volvo’s first subcompact CUV apart from its Teutonic competition is its absolutely stunning side profile and the sensuality of — can I still say this? — its rear hindquarters. Maybe it’s just me, but I see a face that could launch a thousand ships and the sensuality normally associated with Italian, er, cars.
Like I said, cute.
Not that this is all the baby XC has going for it. Delve a little deeper and you’ll find a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine that boasts 248 horsepower and 258 pound feet of torque.
More importantly, it’s fairly responsive — just a little turbo lag down low — and is actually smoother than BMW’s X1.
Truth be told, it’s also smoother than Audi’s Q3, the master of this turbo-charged-four-in-a-baby SUV thing. Mated to the eightspeed Geartronic automatic and all-wheel drive (Yanks get access to a cheaper FWD T4 model, though it’s powered by the same engine), it makes for an impressive powertrain.
And, yes, because I knew you would ask, it will tow 1,588 kilograms (3,500 pounds).
The chassis is equally impressive. No supercar to be sure, but sporty nonetheless, the XC40 feels taut and well-connected to the road.
The electrical power steering can feel a little numb, but it’s both precise and well weighted.
As for the suspension — MacPherson struts up front and four-link in the rear, all independent — it borders on the stiff, which means it’s just sporty enough.
Of course, being a Volvo, there’s a long list of safety gear on board. There’s the now de rigueur lanekeeping, forward collision-avoidance and driver-alerting systems, as well as a large-animal detection system, because like Canada, Sweden has a ton of moose.
You can, by ponying up $1,600 for the Convenience package. add Volvo’s Pilot Assist, Volvo’s semi autonomous driving aid, and Adaptive Cruise Control.
Throw in another $1,800 for the Vision package and you will add blind-spot and cross-traffic systems, Volvo’s new park-assist pilot system and a 360-degree camera. In other words, crash a fully loaded XC40 and the insurance company knows you made a big mistake.
But there’s a lot more to the new XC40 than a comely face and Swedish paranoia. Volvo claims, for instance, the XC40 has more in-cabin storage options than any other car on the market. It’s hard not to believe it. The stowage areas in the doors, for instance, are positively cavernous, big enough to hold a mid-size computer bag and a litre bottle of Evian.
Ditto for the centre console. There’s even a tab to hook your bag of takeout sushi to on the way home.
There’s even a small removable garbage bin, should you decide to eat your spicy tuna roll on the way home.
Other interior goodies include a 13-speaker Harmon Kardon premium sound system with something Volvo says is the industry’s first air-vented woofer. At $950, it’s something of a bargain compared with what other manufacturers are charging for their upgraded stereos.
The XC40 also comes standard with wireless charging for your phone and a cooled glove box in case you got some sake to go with your tuna roll.
And, like all recent Volvos, you can share your new XC40 with friends and family using Volvo’s digital key, which uses a pass code — date stamp able — to allow temporary access.
As for the interior, it is most welcoming, austere like its European counterparts, though in a Scandinavian and not Germanic way. Lightning up my tester’s otherwise monochromatic black decor was a bunch of bright orange cloth — think young punkers’ overt shading here — in door and floor alike.
It will not be everyone’s taste — and, judging by the test unit, will dirty easily — but for those tired of the same ol’, same ol’ other automakers are putting out, it will be welcome.
Though my young hipster friend and co-pilot thought the Sensus infotainment system complicated, I quite liked it, especially the navigation system controls and the audio system screen.
I struggled to find something that I didn’t like about Volvo’s new compact crossover, especially since, with a base price of $39,500, it is, in Volvo’s words, “the most powerful luxury compact SUV priced under $40,000.”
But all that said, the real reason you’ll buy the new XC40 is that it is so darned cute.