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Honey, I’ve shrunk our Volvo
The new Volvo XC40 is just over 4.40 meters long
Source: Volvo
Volvo will be offering a small SUV from 2018, declaring war on cars like the Audi Q2. The XC40 seems to be typically Swedish. However, if you look closely, you will find some things Chinese.
It just won’t tear off. Hardly a week goes by without some manufacturer rolling a small off-road vehicle into the spotlight again. After the volume brands recently wanted to know and cars like the Kia Stonic, the VW T-Roc or the Citroën C3 Aircross have been sent into the urban jungle, the pendulum is now swinging back and there is something new for the high-income earners.
Volvo now pulls the cloth from the XC40, with which the Swedes want to compete against cars like the Mercedes GLA, the BMW X1 or the Audi Q2 for the first time. It won’t go on sale until the beginning of 2018, but you can already order it now – at prices from 31,350 euros.
To return to the compact class, Volvo is using the new CMA platform, which the Chinese parent company Geely primarily uses for its new export brand Lynk & Co has developed. The Swedes put a small off-road vehicle on it, which at first glance looks like an XC60 that has been washed too hot.
It is 25 centimeters shorter and has 17 centimeters less wheelbase. At the latest at second glance, however, you can see a couple of new beads and edges, such as the huge coving at the bottom of the doors, which are supposed to make the 4.43-meter-long car look younger and more dynamic. Just like the almost daring colors for Volvo, which you can still contrast with a white or black roof.
The new small SUV from Sweden has the typical Volvo rear lights
Source: Volvo
There is also an interior in which Volvo deliberately takes a different approach – even if this time it is not enough for an imitation lead crystal on the unconventional start button. But just as with the XC90 and XC60, the touchscreen, which has recently been inclined towards the driver, is mounted vertically.
The equipment is spilled and not padded – at least if you make enough crosses: Then the Volvo can drive semi-autonomously up to a speed of 130, it brakes for pedestrians or cross traffic, and it not only recognizes when the driver is leaving the lane, but also if he should come off the road completely.
Under the hood, the Swedes will initially start with one gasoline engine and one diesel, Both of which, however, are only available for prices above 45,000 euros. The four-cylinder units each have a displacement of 2.0 liters and come with an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. The petrol engine produces an impressive 247 hp and thus comes to 230 km / h, and for the diesel the Swedes name 190 hp and 210 km / h.
An XC40 with a hybrid is also to come
Only after the market launch will the T3 follow with a 156 hp three-cylinder, manual transmission and front-wheel drive, with which the price will drop by a third to the 31,350 euros with which the Swedes want to bring a lot of movement into the densely populated segment. And for all those who groan about standard values of 7.3 liters for the four-cylinder gasoline engine and 5.1 liters for the diesel, Volvo has a consolation: Among the engines for further model planning is also a hybrid.
Volvo is not only benefiting from its Chinese owners in platform development. The new spirit also fertilizes the sales of the Swedes. It was not for nothing that they programmed the on-board electronics of the XC40 in such a way that the car can be "shared" with friends and also given access to strangers like a room for AirBnB.
At the launch of the XC40, they are also launching their “Care by Volvo” program, with which you no longer have to buy a car, but can subscribe to it like a smartphone. Then there’s the car without any price negotiations or regional differences for a fixed monthly rate – and the Swedes even do the refueling or washing.
The interior design is known in a similar form from the larger Volvo models
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The individual comments on the topic "…I’m just having trouble with the car…" can be found through the entire car and brand landscape. Your anger Mr is understandable, but individual and not typical of the brand. This also applies to the list of surcharges – what is too expensive for one person, the other does not need.
Harald G..
But a lot has changed at Volvo over the years. When I approach Volvo with problems, I would like feedback from Volvo, not the dealer. Background: Volvo is a manufacturer and is responsible for product quality – the dealer is NOT responsible for that.
Why did Volvo understand how to shape the future? The new Volvo XC60 (market launch 2017) even came onto the market without SCR – you have to dare to do that first.
It needs a reversing camera, and there are practically no more glass surfaces in the rear. It’s just styling, it has nothing to do with function.
Note: SUV is / are not an off-road vehicle … and on the other hand, it is electronically playful …
Off-road vehicle: MB G 500. … RangeRover … Perhaps the new Defender, if not electronic ""playful"" comes.
Certainly a nice car – but after 16 years of Volvo, Volvo has certainly lost me as a customer when purchasing a new Volvo. With my 1.5 year old XC60, I only have electronics problems.
Furthermore, the current pricing policy is no longer appropriate – the acoustic glazing of the old Volvo XC60 cost 660 euros (there was a 25% discount on purchase) – the acoustic glazing of the current XC60 is listed at 990 euros. Sorry has the glass been reinvented? No, it’s not, I asked Volvo and my dealer.