Volvo XC40
With other petrol XC40S not quite hitting the spot, is the mid-range T4 the Goldilocks version we’ve been waiting for? On sale Now Price from £27,660
HOW TIME FLIES. Believe it or not, it’s nearly a year since the Volvo XC40 won our overall Car of the Year award. Even so, the Swedish firm is still fleshing out the range, the latest version being this 187bhp 2.0-litre petrol T4.
Available exclusively with an eight-speed automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive, the T4 attracts a company car tax rate of 33% – up 4% on the cheaper, more efficient T3 and the same as the pricier and more powerful T5.
The mid-range engine is smooth enough but sounds rather gruff at times, accompanied by a fair bit of whooshing from the turbocharger, but it’s certainly quieter and smoother than the 2.0-litre diesels and the 1.5-litre threecylinder T3, with far fewer vibrations being transmitted through the steering wheel and pedals. If you’re after the last word in refined petrol power, the T5 remains your best bet, though.
Drive gently and the gearbox shifts smoothly enough through the gears, but accelerate harder to join a motorway, for instance, and it’s often slow to kick down and the engine becomes even more vocal. Performance is adequate, but the T4 doesn’t feel particularly fast, and it certainly doesn’t have the mid-range flexibility of the diesels. You’ll also find that it can’t match the diesels or the petrol T3 for fuel economy. Our experience on a mixture of roads suggests that economy in the low 30s is realistic. Blame the fourwheel drive system and automatic ’box for that.
Inside, the T4 is as classy, spacious and well built as any XC40. Therefore, it’s well worth considering if you’re set on petrol power for your XC40. Although it’s a fair bit more expensive to buy than the T3, it’s smoother and usefully quicker while not being massively thirstier in the real world. Meanwhile, it’s cheaper to buy and insure than the T5, so we reckon it’s the pick of the petrol XC40S so far.
Nevertheless, we’d still strongly suggest that you consider the D4 diesel. With gutsier performance at low to medium revs and slightly better fuel economy, it feels like a much better fit for this family SUV.