NEW CAR ROAD TEST: VOLVO XC40

Volvo has never made a small SUV but it needed one. Hence some new beginnings with this XC40.

For the time being, buyers are limited to the Swedish brand’s efficient 2.0-litre Drive-E petrol and diesel units. If you want to fuel from the green pump, the range starts with the 154bhp T3 variant.

In styling this contender, the brief was to give the XC40 its own identity, rather than simply making it a down-sized XC60. So while this car shares its bigger stablemate’s ‘Thor’s Hammer’ LED headlights and clamshell bonnet, it also gets touches like an inverted front grille and coupe-like rear styling.

Prices are likely to start at just over £25,000 and range up to just under £40,000.

There are three main levels of trim – Momentum, R-Design and Inscription, with plusher Pro variants of each.

The 148bhp D3 variant most will choose offers combined fuel consumption of up to 70mpg and CO2 emissions from around 105g/km, and if you go for the pokier 187bhp D4 AWD variant, you’ll be looking at about 60mpg and 115g/km.

Volvo clearly felt that to break into the premium brand compact SUV segment, it had to offer something distinctively different to its German rivals, so that’s exactly what we’ve got. Not everyone will like the looks but there’s no doubt that they will help the brand to target buyers who would never previously have considered a Volvo.