Volvo XC40 is a crossover in a smaller, sportier package
Is the third time a charm? If you're Volvo, the answer is yes.
Having already offered the XC90 and XC60 crossover SUVs, the Swedish automaker is launching the compact XC40 for 2019. And while you might think that the last thing the world needs is another premium compact crossover, some time with this little love will convince you other wise.
But before we get to that, a bit of background.
Volvo's new trucklet is 174.2 inches long, but at 65.2 inches high it's as tall as an XC60, allowing for 8.3 inches of ground clearance and 20-inch wheels. Like the Scalable Product Architecture, or SPA, which underpins the XC 90 and XC60, the XC40 employs the company's new Compact Modular Architecture, or CMA, which will underpin Volvo's 40-series cars as well as parent company Geely's forthcoming marque Lynk & Co. CMA has a fixed dash-to-axle ratio. In other words, the distance between the leading edge of the dashboard and the front axle is set and can't be changed. However, the rest of the platform can.
That said, the styling of the XC40 is a departure for the brand. Volvo didn't want to make the XC40 look like a smaller version of its larger siblings. Instead, it possesses its own identity, one meant to appeal to younger buyers and dubbed by Volvo as a "tough little robot." This explains the available white roof on entry-level T4 models and a black roof on T5 models, as well as the optional 20-inch rims and funky window shape on the rear doors. But it works. Unlike its competitors, the XC40 doesn't possess the styling of its larger siblings awkwardly shrunken down, looking as if it were left in the dryer too long.
The same proves true inside, where some of the styling hallmarks of Volvo's larger crossovers carry over, but it's rendered with a sporty flair. The driver faces a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, while the center of the instrument panel is anchored by a vertically oriented nine-inch touchscreen. Thankfully, it employs the same easy-to-use Sensus Connect software from its bigger brothers and includes standard Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and an optional wireless phone-charging pad.
And while you may be smitten by the concave metallic trim that decorates the dash, there are other unique touches that are worth noting. If you're lacking a Y-chromosome, you'll be thrilled to discover that the XC40 has a bag hook that flips out of the top of the glovebox door. If you suffer from allergies, you'll be happy to know that the center console was designed to be large enough to hold a tissue box. And once those tissues are used, you can place them in the integrated removable trash bin, which is also useful for denizens of the drive-thru. And check out those spacious frontdoor map pockets. Working with Harman Kardon, designers moved the woofers to the dashboard from the doors. The spaciousness continues in the cargo hold, with almost 21 cubic feet of space. Usefully, there's a spot to hold the cargo cover when not in use.
But the space most buyers care about is for passengers, and it's here where Volvo delivers. There's adult-size space both front and rear, although the rear seat cushion is a little low. The flip is that this furnishes remarkable head room, even as the rear styling renders the rear seat a bit claustrophobic. Leather trim is standard.
When it comes time to move, you'll find a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine under the hood, although how much power you get depends on which model you choose. The entry-level frontwheel-drive T4's engine produces 187 horsepower and 248 poundfeet of torque. The all-wheel-drive T5 delivers 248 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Both engines are paired to an eightspeed automatic transmission.
Volvo provided pre-production T5s to sample, and according to the automaker, 0-60 mph comes up in 6.1 seconds. Certainly the T5's engine has the muscle to move this little beastie with moxie, powering through corners, especially when changing the driving mode from Comfort to Dynamic. Don't think of using Eco unless you're lacking a pulse. This markedly awakens the XC40's responses, although it doesn't transform this into a sports car. Instead, this is very athletic Volvo, and there's nothing wrong with that. For the XC40 still delivers the sort of handling/comfort balance that's long been a hallmark of the brand's vehicles. There's little drama, whether pushing hard through a corner on your favorite back road, encountering neglected roads at too high a speed, or tackling the cut and thrust of the daily commuter grand prix. The XC40's demeanor absorbs all that you can throw at it while remaining quiet, comfortable and composed.
And being a Volvo, it's loaded with safety gear, but you knew that.
In the end, what sets the 2019 Volvo XC40 apart isn't just its attractively distinctive look but its reimagining of the best aspects of Volvo crossovers in a smaller, sportier package.
Is the third time a charm? You bet is.