PRACTICALLYFUNKYXC40
VOLVO Car Malaysia has launched its new XC40 compact sport utility vehicle (SUV), with T5 R-Design specs as the standard trim level.
It is equipped with Volvo’s two-litre Drive-E powertrain, which provides an overall total 252hp and 350Nm of torque.
The car can complete the century sprint in 6.4 seconds while fuel economy is 7.7 litres for every 100km (NEDC, combined cycle).
Volvo says the new SUV, which was named European Car of the Year, will bring a new standard of safety and user experience to the premium small SUV segment.
“The XC40 builds on our heritage as a human-centric brand that focuses on the well-being of the driver and passengers through the combination of innovative technologies that offer the best in safety standards, driver-assistance technologies, and intuitive design,” said Lennart Stegland, managing director of Volvo Car Malaysia.
The new XC40 is built on Volvo’s new Compact Modular Architecture (CMA), which gives access to a range of technologies that were first introduced in the larger models, based on Scalable Product Architecture (SPA).
The suite of technologies include Pilot Assist for semi-autonomous driving.
Safety features include autonomous collision mitigation and avoidance, cyclist and large animal detection, Run-off Road Protection and Mitigation, Cross Traffic Alert with Auto Brake.
The car was developed with practicality in mind. During the development phase, Volvo Cars’ customer research team spent considerable time investigating how city dwellers across the globe use their cars, and more importantly, how their belongings are stored within the cabin.
“On top of these innovations that we’re introducing into this segment, the new XC40 will also seek to end clutter inside the cabin by carefully designing practical and functional storage areas after extensive consumer insight,” added Stegland.
An example can be seen in how the designers of the XC40 moved speakers from the door, developing what Volvo called a world-first, airventilated dashboard-mounted subwoofer. This allowed the designers to create enough storage in the door compartment for a laptop and a tablet, or a few water bottles.
“The core tenet of Scandinavian design is the perfect balance of aesthetics and function. For example, the tunnel is not only designed to be visually pleasing but the cup holders themselves provide areas for coins, card, charging cables and a usable space for your phone, which offers wireless charging as well as USB ports,” said Stegland.
The XC40 is available in four colours, namely Bursting Blue, Fusion Red, Crystal White and Osmium Grey.
The XC40 T5 R-Design will be priced at RM255,888 (on-the-road, without insurance, inclusive of excise duty and sales tax).
It will be available for viewing at all authorised Volvo dealers nationwide starting tomorrow.