Volvo XC40
Start your engines – by smartphone
With only a few weeks left before the XC40 departs, I’ve been racking up some miles on the weekends to discover whether this impressive car can grow on me further or, perhaps, do quite the opposite. I’ve been to Brighton (too windy for pictures), to Bedfordshire (too distracted by my nephew for pictures) and to deepest, darkest Surrey (pictures herein).
It’s a couple of months in with the entry-level D3 diesel and my view hasn’t changed since I first wrote about it: it’s not as good as the petrol T4 I ran previously or the petrol T3 that I borrowed for a couple of weeks. But by all means and purposes, it’s fine. There’s enough power delivery for it to cope comfortably on motorways and it’s only really changing from second to third gear that reminds you the engine and auto ’box should work better together. But for space and comfort, it feels like all the car you’d ever need.
This has become an effortless car for all journeys, always cosseting you in comfort while being nimble and compact enough to suit a country road or a narrow London street. On a recent trip to rural Surrey, I visited a family member who has a rather admirable car collection. On display was a VW Golf R, a VW California plus a 993-series Porsche 911 Carrera and a 1974 Carrera MFI. I’d been lying if I said the XC40 would be my first choice among that lot – but, as part of the collection, the XC40 genuinely has a place. The Golf R is pretty practical for an everyday car, but the Volvo has the edge, as by far the most comfortable, easiest way to get around from that pool of metal. A point proven by the willingness of Stan, a very picky dog, to jump into the boot.
While I’m well used to day-to-day life with the XC40, a new feature has just been activated on our car: Volvo Oncall. This is a subscription-based service with a downloadable app. It shows information on your car – fuel range, temperature outside the car, whether it’s locked – and allows you to control certain things. One frosty morning, I tested it by turning the XC40 on via the app (it remains locked) so the car would defrost before I got in. Within 20 seconds, the alarm went off. I got a notification on my phone telling me as much, but I’m not sure what would have happened if I wasn’t able to instantly point my key in the direction of the car to stop it. Soon after, I tried again, and it worked perfectly. I’ll be playing with Oncall more over the next couple of weeks and will report back.