New hiking boots for Volvo V40
OLVO’S V40 Cross Country range has reached South Africa in a 14-model range of petrols and diesels.
Like the original V70 Cross Country launched back in 1997, this is basically a Volvo that sheds its formal footwear in favour of hiking boots. It’s not a proper SUV in the Volvo XC90 mould, but has an extra 1.2cm ride height over the standard V40 hatchback which gives it a slight advantage on dirt roads.
All versions are frontwheel driven except for the top-of-the-range T5 2.5 turbo which comes with all-wheel drive and hill descent control for a bit of extra dirt-taming ablity.
To give it a more rugged “Indiana Jones” look the V40 Cross Country is given contrasting bumpers, sills and skid plates, and a honeycomb mesh grille. In the cabin, Volvo’s usually sober and restrained design is given more flavour with leather seat upholstery that gets contrasting stitching, and you can even order the cowhide in flamboyant two-tone if you like.
Like the standard V40 the digital instrument panel can be set to different themes, and interior mood lighting allows you to choose a red-toblue setting that adapts the light to the interior temperature or choose between another seven mood themes.
There are two petrol and two diesel engines to choose from, all turbocharged and therefore capable performers at all altitudes. The petrol versions are the T4, which is powered by a four-cylinder two-litre turbo with 132kW
Vand 300Nm; and the T5, which has a five-cylinder 2.5litre turbo with a 187kW/360Nm punch and is good for a claimed 0-100km/h in a brisk 6.4 seconds.
All derivatives have startstop and brake energy regeneration as fuel-saving measures. Every version is a six-speed automatic, with the T4 also offering a six-speed manual option. The model I drove on the media launch last week was the D3 which is powered by a 2-litre fivecylinder turbodiesel engine with 110kW and 350Nm on call. It’s the lesser powered of the two turbodiesel derivatives available, with the other model, the D4, which is also a 2-litre five cylinder, producing 130kW and 400Nm.
The better-priced D3 has more than enough get-upand-go, with better fuel consumption than the D4 and ironically also rated for a higher towing capacity. It’s an effortless cruiser, hushed in operation, and sips diesel at a conservative rate – our mostly open-road drive yielded 6.5 litres per 100km.
In urban stop-start driving at Gauteng altitude there’s some turbo lag to contend with, but the engine comes on song without requiring merciless revving.
The transmission’s a smooth and slick six-speed automatic (only the T4 version gets the option of a manual gearbox) and Volvo’s quoted figures for the D3 are a 205km/h top speed and a 9.3 second 0-100km/h sprint.
On tar the car feels very refined and the suspension’s set up not-too-firm for a good balance between cornering prowess and ride comfort. However, the 50-profile tyres weren’t great at soaking up ruts and ripples on the dirt roads I drove, and I question the logic of fitting low-profile rubber to a car that purports to be at home on rough surfaces. But then, the V40 Cross Country is also offered in an R-design option with a lowered chassis and even lowerprofile rubber, which makes even less sense.
The D3 Elite I drove was the most luxurious of the three spec levels offered in the V40 Cross Country range (the other two being Essential and Excel). Selling for R367 600, the D3 Elite is generously specced and comes standard with items like electrically adjustable front seats, an active TFT crystal driver’s instrument display, LED daytime running lights, active bi-xenon lights with headlight cleaning, a highend multimedia audio system with a 7” colour screen, and bluetooth.
Safety spec on every V40 includes seven airbags, ABS brakes, stability control, and City Safety which automatically brakes the car if the driver fails to react in time when the vehicle in front suddenly stops ( at speeds up to 50km/h). But the optional safety list goes really wild with extra-cost items like a pedestrian airbag (a world first in the V40), blind spot detection, active cruise control with pedestrian detection, and a driver impairment monitor among others.