Test drive Volvo XC40 against Jaguar E-Pace
The Swedes have long learned to make crossovers, and the British are only trying new segments for themselves. All this means that the German troika has more and more competitors.
The segment of premium compact crossovers is growing the fastest, and the past 2018 offered a whole scattering of new products. The stylish BMW X2 has entered the market, the new Audi Q3 and Lexus UX are on the way.
But there are two more models ready to compete with the eternal dominance of the big German three: the Volvo XC40 and the Jaguar E-Pace. Both have excellent diesel engines, with which the price remains reasonable and the fuel and tax costs are quite reasonable for the premium segment.
If there were no Italians in the world, the Swedes could be called the most influential in the field of automotive design. It was they who introduced a huge number of ideas that the entire industry is still successfully using. Up to the Lada brand, on the appearance of which the chief automobile designer of Scandinavia Steve Mattin is working.
The Volvo XC40 is truly charismatic. For all its restraint and brevity, the car looks, if not an exceptional thing, then certainly expensive and refined. However, until Jaguar E-Pace appears nearby. The family oval radiator grille and front optics with LED blades are reminiscent of its closest relative and the main Jaguar of today - the F-Type sports car. But the latter is the ideological heir to the legendary E-Type, which the great Enzo Ferrari considered one of the most beautiful cars.
However, behind a beautiful appearance is not the most practical car. The E-Pace is cramped in the second row and is not very spacious, even for riders in the front. Not all is well with visibility: massive struts give high rigidity to the body, but create serious dead zones. Although for the incredibly stylish architecture and configuration of the front panel "Jaguar" can be forgiven a lot.
Well, you finally close your eyes to all the flaws when you start driving it. The E-Pace drives to match its striking appearance. Accuracy of reaction to the actions of the steering wheel and the ability to follow the gas pedal easily puts it on a par, if not with sports cars, then at least with tightly knocked down hot hatches and "charged" sedans.
The older two-liter diesel produces 240 liters. sec., has an impressive moment of 500 Nm and carries enchantingly. The nine-speed “automatic” delicately selects the gears, so you can guess about the changes only by looking at the tachometer. At the same time, in sport mode, the box can deftly switch down several gears at once, allowing the engine to spin faster.
Cheerful accelerations are given to the Jaguar playfully. But in such dynamic modes of movement, you will have to put up with a certain nervousness of downshifts when decelerating under the gas discharge. There is a simpler and more comfortable option: a 180-horsepower diesel engine, which is quite lucky, almost does not get nervous, and it costs less.
The best part about the E-Pace is that for all its sportiness it has all the characteristics of a good crossover. It has high ground clearance, great geometry, long suspension travel and good all-wheel drive based on the fast and durable Haldex clutch. Moreover, for more gambling handling on slippery surfaces, the clutch is configured so that in some modes it can transfer most of the torque to the rear axle.
In such cases, the crossover begins to possess typical rear-wheel drive habits, which is not at all expected from a car with a transversely located engine. And this also captivates - in a confrontation with Volvo, I prefer it.
Do not think the Swedish crossover is not bad. This is an excellent car with good dynamics, transparent handling and a soft, docile character. But there are already plenty of such exemplary cars in this class. And a bright lighter like the E-Pace is hard to find.
A year ago, on the first test in the vicinity of Barcelona, the Volvo XC40 seemed very frivolous, and the environment at least contributed to this. The warm sun, gentle wind and soft pastel body colors immediately hung a woman's label on the car, but the crossover turned out to be more toothy than expected, and sunk into the soul with quality and comfort.
In Moscow, everything turned out to be more serious and even rougher: snowdrifts, mud, frosts and a couple of child seats in the cabin. And instead of a delicate blue body - a demanding red. And in these not the most hospitable conditions, the XC40 turned out to be just as comfortable and reliable. Unless he finally dispelled the image of the female.
The segment of small crossovers of premium brands is labeled as feminine in advance, and the cars themselves are, if not toy, then at least not too serious. A small Volvo could have turned out like this, if not for a tall, tightly knit body with a powerful bonnet line, a reverse slope of the false radiator grille and curvy bumpers. And then there's a very powerful C-pillar that creates a sense of security.
Jaguar E-Pace, by the way, is molded in a similar way. It is not perceived as a toy and clearly maintains the brand's design code, but it seems more appropriate in women's hands. And in feelings it's the opposite. The XC40 is slightly larger than the E-Pace, but the inside of the Jaguar seems almost full-size and very pretentious.
In Volvo, on the contrary, you do not feel obligated to meet at least some requirements, because the brand has no special pretensions, and the atmosphere in the car is more comfortable and simpler. Jumping from the cold into a well-warmed cabin, I want to say the classic: "Honey, I'm at home."
Curvy and dense seats are very comfortable, and the question of the capacity of the compact cabin is easily answered by two child seats in the second row. A good headroom on both rows raises concerns about the size of the trunk, but behind the fifth door there are a decent 460 liters and a Swedish version of Simply Clever with spring-loaded sofa backs, a transformable floor-partition and a niche for a curtain shelf.
The Volvo OnCall remote control system is the best solution for monitoring and warming up the machine today. For a punctual one, it is enough to set the timer warming up, the less responsible will have to open the application ten minutes before departure in order to go to a warm car with thawed windows. And there is also the feeling that the XC40 and without the knowledge of the owner a little warms up the diesel engine. In any case, even at –10, it starts immediately after pressing the button, without wasting time warming up the glow plugs.
Jaguar may seem more temperamental, but in a direct comparison of the XC40 and E-Pace with 180 and 190 hp diesels. from. Volvo bypasses the competitor for more than a second in acceleration to “hundreds”. Yes, the British have a more powerful diesel version, but the available 190 forces of the XC40 are more than enough. You have to get used to the character, but the D4 version will definitely not disappoint, especially in the city, where strong acceleration with instant response to the accelerator is especially valuable.
If you forget about the steering wheel almost weightless in parking modes, there are no complaints about the crossover manners at all. The XC40 is light and flexible on the move, despite its 1,7 tonnes of weight, and the twisting paths are a pleasure to ride. You want to drive sincerely, and not out of need, because this is the case when you sit in the driver's seat to drive, and not drive. Even in spite of a dozen watching electronic systems and non-switchable ESP.
Paradox: in the segment, which in many respects is female, the Swedes presented a very versatile car - both youth and family at the same time. It cannot be except that it is purely masculine, although this is more a matter of choosing the right color. For example, the black XC40 looks very brutal, and in the R-Design version or with a set of external trim elements - it is also very dynamic.
From the point of view of practicality and convenience, the XC40 should bypass the E-Pace, but it will be more difficult for it to fight against German competitors. The success of the previous generations of the XC60 and XC90 was based on the attractiveness of price lists, but the product has grown in quality and price, and the brand image has not yet reached the level of Audi and BMW. On the other hand, someone is probably tired of the same "Germans", and this is a good reason to try something new.
| Body type | Crossover | Crossover |
| dimensions (length, width, height), mm | 4395/1984/1649 | 4425/1863/1652 |
| Wheelbase, mm | 2681 | 2702 |
| Curb weight, kg | 1926 | 1684 |
| Clearance, mm | 204 | 211 |
| Cargo space, l | 477 | 460 |
| engine's type | Diesel, R4 | Diesel, R4 |
| Working volume, cubic meters cm | 1999 | 1969 |
| Power, hp with. at rpm | 180 at 4000 | 190 at 4000 |
| Max. cool. moment, Nm at rpm | 430 at 1750 | 400 at 1750 |
| Transmission, drive | 9АКП, full | 8АКП, full |
| Max. speed km / h | 205 | 210 |
| Acceleration 0-100 km / h, s | 9,3 | 7,9 |
| Fuel consumption (city, highway, mixed), l | 6,5/5,1/5,6 | 5,7/4,6/5,0 |
| Price from, $. | from 33 967 | from 32 789 |
