Test drive Volvo XC40
The Scandinavians were the first to come up with a car subscription system, and this will definitely become a trend in the coming years. But the brand new crossover is worthy of attention apart from car sharing - we have not seen such Volvo yet.
The thrust with which Volvo has rejuvenated its audience in recent years is truly encouraging. From square suitcases for retirees, Scandinavian cars quickly turned into stylish and technological devices, jumped into the crossover market and firmly established themselves in a segment that may not equal the duo of German giants, but quite confidently stands somewhere very close.
In order for the market puzzle to be fully formed, the company clearly lacked only a young audience, and it failed the first entry into this segment with the non-standard Volvo C30 hatchback. The more traditional V40 hatch was more accurate, but the market accepted the Cross Country's off-road performance even better. Finally, evolution has led the Swedes to a full-fledged XC40 crossover, the ground for which has been set for a long time. In the wake of interest in such cars, the XC40 can perform well, therefore it is relevant, starting from the very idea.
The Swedes, of course, are aware that the younger generation does not want to burden themselves with property, preferring to live in rented apartments and use car sharing. The latter threatens to be a big headache for manufacturers who will have to adapt. How? For example, the way the Swedes came up with: to offer their cars for rent by subscription. More precisely, not quite Swedes - a similar model was previously mastered by the Americans from General Motors, but it is Volvo that is the first in the world to promote the rental model of ownership for a specific car.
What's more, the XC40 can be truly shared with friends by giving them an electronic key, and can also be used as a shipping address. Imagine that a courier with a parcel or groceries can leave goods in a car parked near your house, and you will pick them up at any convenient time. So, all this is working now, and to manage the service, you only need to have a smartphone. The future has come, and the machine has become his instrument.
There is one nuance in the model of total globalism and sharing: people still care what kind of things they use and what they drive. This is why the compact XC40 is so distinctive and attractive. The task to create a car for girls was definitely not worth it - a high, tightly knit body, a powerful line of the hood, a reverse slope of the radiator grille and curvy bumpers create a very toothy look, emphasized by the trapeziums of the side stampings, and by the family shoulder line, and by the well-known stern with the already familiar drops of lanterns.
Even the controversial rear-door glass format, which visually enlarges the body pillar, seems to be an appropriate element of reliability, and looks especially good with a roof in a contrasting shade.
A minimalistic salon in the style of Scandinavian interiors with a traditional tablet is here as nowhere else - young people do not need excesses, and they are easier to manage with smartphones than with keys to an apartment. All the main onboard functions are hidden behind the screen, including even heated seats, and this will definitely not cause rejection among the target audience.
The dashboard is also a display and is also customizable. But what amazes most of all is how carefully each nook of this simple-looking interior is worked out and how coolly the materials are selected: quality and design are everywhere here without the slightest hint of kitsch.
In terms of dimensions, the Volvo XC40 is fully consistent with the BMW X1 and Audi Q3, but it looks more brutal and more decisive than both competitors - so much so that it really does not cause any female associations. The point is, perhaps, also in a solid body kit, and powerful wheels measuring up to 21 inches. And there is also a good 211 mm of ground clearance, and in the role of the best rogue, it will be Volvo that will look most preferable. Although at the heart of the car is a new CMA lightweight platform with a transverse engine and a Haldex clutch, which is not entirely suitable for the construction of off-road vehicles.
The very first off-road trip makes it clear that the XC40 is not capable of showing serious cross-country ability. Even with excellent geometry and minimal body overhangs. The suspension strokes are small in a passenger way, and it is as easy as shelling pears to take the wheels off the ground, allowing diagonal hanging. At the same time, all the engine thrust goes into the limp rotation of the unloaded wheels.
The electronics are trying to slow down the slipping, but this does not give a good effect. The surprise is that the system for selecting the operating modes of the units has a special off-road algorithm, and it is already much easier with it: the moment is initially divided equally between the axles, and the electronics much more actively slows down the slipping wheels, taking out the car.
It is clear that the main surface for the XC40 is asphalt, and the short high-speed mileage on uneven dirt only confirms this obvious fact. The suspension of the car turns out to be quite strong, but there is no need to talk about comfort off flat roads - the crossover jumps with a ball over bumps, demanding to slow down, but at the same time not falling apart on the go. But on a hard surface, it is already really good.
Feels like the XC40 is so light and flexible on the move that you can control it like an extension of your hands. Such impressions are usually given only by compact cars with a good chassis. It's a pleasure to drive along smooth, winding paths, you feel the car with your fingertips, and the steering wheel is pleasantly heavy with a set of speed - light in parking modes, it becomes sporty when you go faster. In dynamic mode, the chassis "steering wheel" seems even tighter - almost the same as those found on sports cars.
At the same time, everything is within reasonable limits and under the supervision of electronics, therefore, it will definitely not work to score views with a video with the heading “Let's go sideways on XC40”. But to film the steering wheel, spontaneously turning left and right - please.
The Pilot Assist system is activated by the same button on the steering wheel, which activates the speed limiter and adaptive cruise control, clings to the lane markings and the car in front, and keeps the lane itself, requiring the driver to at least sometimes put his hands on the steering wheel. The XC40 can easily keep the lane even on high-speed road arcs, and in very dense traffic it drives itself without difficulty.
So far, there are only two engines in the range: a 190-horsepower D4 diesel and a 5-horsepower T247 gasoline engine. Both are combined with an 8-speed "automatic" that works quickly like a good preselective robot.
A gasoline turbo engine is a quite emotional option, giving the crossover a moderately harsh character. Traction to the wheels comes quickly, without delays, and in sport mode the car becomes a little aggressive and even recklessly shoots off the exhaust. But the XC40 T5 does not seem to be frostbitten at all, and after intensive acceleration to track speeds it rides with a margin, but without the devil.
Diesel is smarter, and in general it fits much better into the paradigm of reasonable consumption. Yes, it is tight, richly lucky, but does not deliver any special emotions. And it does not rumble like a premium, although this measured rumble is heard only from the outside. With noise isolation here, everything is not bad at all, and for conversations about promotion technologies on Instagram, the spacious interior of the XC40 suits very well.
Four people who are not burdened with their bellies are placed comfortably inside, since the passengers do not embarrass each other with their knees due to a more vertical landing. There will be no problems with the placement of child seats. But it was still not without a tunnel on the floor.
The chairs themselves are curvy and dense, almost German, and even look very beautiful. The front ones are almost ideal for the driver involved in the steering process, the rear ones are well molded and have a normal angle of inclination, which does not force the driver to recline. The good headroom on both rows raises concerns about boot size, but behind the fifth door is a decent 460 liters and the Swedish Simply Clever to boot.
Firstly, the spring-loaded backs of the chairs, which in one movement fall into a perfectly flat floor. There is also a familiar system with a shelf-partition, which, when raised, bristles with the most convenient hooks for bags. Under the floor there is a niche in which the curtain shelf fits exactly, and a little more space below, which in the Russian version will be occupied by a truncated spare wheel. True, they promise to save the place for the curtain.
The main competitors in the basic equipment cost a little less than two million, but the Swedes in our country, as in Europe, intend to start with more powerful modifications of the D4 and T5, so it costs 28 dollars to focus on. In the summer, simplified front-wheel drive modifications will appear, followed by the basic three-cylinder ones.
It will be possible to enter the market successfully on them - the toothy appearance and two-tone color does not depend on the type of units. The only difference is that we will have to buy a HYIP first, because the representative office has not yet implemented the subscription system. Well, there shouldn't be any problems with car sharing, since the branded OnCall has been working with us from a mobile phone for several years already.
| A type | Crossover | Crossover |
| dimensions (length / width / height), mm | 4425/1863/2034 | 4425/1863/2034 |
| Wheelbase, mm | 2702 | 2702 |
| Curb weight, kg | 1733 | 1684 |
| engine's type | Diesel, R4 | Gasoline, R4, turbo |
| Working volume, cubic meters cm | 1969 | 1969 |
| Power, h.p. at rpm | 190 at 4000 | 247 at 5500 |
| Max. cool. moment, Nm at rpm | 400 at 1750-2500 | 350 at 1800-4800 |
| Transmission, drive | 8th st. АКП | 8th st. АКП |
| Maksim. speed, km / h | 210 | 230 |
| Acceleration to 100 km / h, from | 7,9 | 6,5 |
| Fuel consumption (city / highway / mixed), l | 7,1/5,0/6,4 | 9,1/7,1/8,3 |
| Cargo space, l | 460-1336 | 460-1336 |
| Price from, USD | Not announced | Not announced |
