IN THE FAST LANE
From its appearance to its performance, the new Volvo XC40 is just one knockout after another, says Neil Lyndon
Neil Lyndon falls hook, line and sinker for the Volvo XC40
The year has far to run but if a better car than the new Volvo XC40 emerges in 2018, I shall eat this page. Fortunately, I shall probably not be turning my knife and fork to a dish of paper. My view of this car is far from unique. Already this year, the XC40 has run away with a barrow full of awards, including European Car of the Year.
No segment of the car market is more hotly contested than the XC40’s compact SUV class. Every major manufacturer is throwing all its treasure and energy into the effort to stand out in this most rewarding field.
For the XC40 to be recognised on all sides as a creation of exceptional qualities is, therefore, a truly extraordinary achievement. From its outward appearance to its interior comforts and decoration, from its performance to its handling, from its accessories to its connectivity, this car is just one knockout after another.
The first knockout comes with the first glance. The wheels on the corners of the body and the tapered rear end wider than the front give the XC40 a perky, cheeky stance which is decades more youthful than the tweed jacket and leather elbow patches brigade who have been Volvo’s stalwart customers for generations. The clamshell bonnet, concave grille and heavily sculpted doors all bespeak a design energy and brio that we haven’t seen in a Volvo in millennia.
The next knockout is the interior. At the recent launch event in Scotland, only XC40s in top-of-theline First Edition spec were available, so their gorgeous, shimmering surfaces of piano black and the sumptuous leather/nubuck seat upholsteries may not be common throughout the range. But the nine-inch centre console familiar from the 90 and 60 ranges is standard to all XC40s, as is their unmatched battery of driver safety aids.
Clever touches abound. The glovebox includes a fold-out hook for takeaways, while slots in the dashboard by the steering wheel ensure your credit and service cards are to hand when they are needed. The parcel shelf can be removed and stowed beneath the luggage compartment floor, while a flexible floor includes hooks to help secure shopping bags.
This kind of intelligence truly reflects Volvo’s commitment to making cars that match their customers’ needs, as does the XC40’s peppy performance. Two engine variants were available at the launch – the 247 bhp T5 with eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive and the 190 bhp D4 also with eight-speed and AWD.
I gave both versions a belting work-out, resulting in fuel consumption in single figures and tyres and brakes so hot they were fuming when I finished. With each car, ‘wow’ was the only fitting word. The T5, with 0-60 mph in just over six seconds, is more like a hot hatch than a mimsy compact SUV but what matters more in both cars is rock-solid handling and electric responsiveness. The T5 version, including an enrapturing Harmon Kardon sound system and 19” wheels, would cost £40,055, as tested. The D4 would be £39,905, as tested.
Too rich for my blood, alas; but I must put my dime down and state for the record that the XC40 will be Car of the Year by a country mile. Perhaps I could have fish and chips with that paper...
“I must state for the record that the XC40 will be Car of the Year by a country mile