40 Volvo XC2020 Review: Momentum

Like every brand in the Australian car market, Volvo has evolved into an SUV company. Its full-size XC90 broke the ice in the early 60s, joined by the midsize XC2008 in 40, and this car, the compact XC2018, completed a three-piece set in XNUMX.

Volvo is one of the few bright spots in the shrinking new car market, and the XC40 gives the XC60 a push to take the top spot in the Swedish manufacturer's range. So he must be doing something right...right?

We spent a week with the entry-level XC40 T4 Momentum to get a feel for what all the Scandinavian fuss is about.

Volvo XC40 2020: T4 Momentum (front)
Safety Rating	-
engine's type	2.0 L turbo
fuel type	Premium unleaded gasoline
Fuel efficiency	7.2l / 100km
Landing	5 Places
Price from	$37,900

Is there anything interesting about its design? 9/10

Across its current lineup, Volvo has mastered the art of design consistency without falling into confusing similarities. It's a fine line, and the XC40 illustrates why Volvo wins this game.

Volvo has mastered the art of consistent design.

Signature design cues such as the distinctive Thor's Hammer LED headlights and long hockey stick taillights tie the XC40 to its larger siblings, while chunky, masculine styling sets it apart from the compact SUV crowd.

Always a subjective opinion, but I love the XC40's chunky build, with a hint of stiffness added by the sharply chiselled recess in the side doors just above the rocker arm and the black fender flares on the wheel arches.

Speaking of which, durable 18-inch five-spoke alloy wheels add to the macho feel, with other unique touches including a tailgate glass that rises at roughly a 45-degree angle to create a third side window and a bold Iron Mark logo on the grille.

And the optional Glacier Silver trim for our test car ($1150) is extraordinary, depending on the lighting, going from off-white to soft gray or a stronger silver.

It gets the signature Thor's Hammer LED headlights and durable 18-inch five-spoke alloy wheels.

The interior is simple and discreet in typical Scandinavian style. Form and function seem equally balanced, with a 9.0-inch portrait multimedia touchscreen and 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster gracefully integrated into a fluid instrument panel design.

The finish is understated, with curved horizontal aluminum grille inlays, piano black finish, and small touches of bright metal adding to the visual appeal. Optional leather upholstered seats ($750) continue the stripped back theme with wide stitched panels enhancing the overall cool and soothing ambiance.

How practical is the interior space? 9/10

At just over 4.4m, the XC40 fits perfectly into the profile of a small SUV, and within that square footage, the 2.7m wheelbase is the same as mainstream models of comparable size such as the Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-5.

It's also quite tall and has plenty of room for the driver and front passenger, and has a storage box including a medium-sized lidded box between the seats, a small stowage compartment in front of it, and two cup holders (with another small coaster with lid). tray in front of them) and a wireless charging pad on the center console.

There is plenty of room for the driver and front passenger.

Roomy front door pockets have bottle holders, a wide but thin glove box (cooled by a bag hook) and an additional storage box under the driver's seat. Powered and connected via a 12-volt outlet and two USB ports (one for multimedia, the other for charging only).

There are bottle holders in the capacious pockets of the front doors.

Move into the back seat and sit in the driver's seat, set for my 183cm height, the head and legroom is great and the seat itself is beautifully sculpted and comfortable.

Rear headroom and legroom are excellent.

There are modest pockets in the doors, but if the bottle you want to put in isn't from the liquor section of the hotel's minibar, you're out of luck with the liquid container. Convenient stretch mesh on the backs of the front seats, as well as hooks for clothes and bags on the roof.

The fold-down center armrest contains two cupholders, while two adjustable air vents at the rear of the front center console will appeal to rear seat passengers.

In addition, the trunk offers 460 liters of cargo space with the rear seats in an upright position, more than enough to swallow our three hard suitcase set (35, 68 and 105 liters) or a large size. Cars Guide stroller.

Throw away the 60/40 folding rear seats (they fold down easily) and you have no less than 1336 liters of space at your disposal, and a pass-through port in the center of the rear seat means you can stow long items and still fit people. .

The deep compartment behind the wheel arch on the driver's side boasts a 12V outlet and an elastic strap for storing small items, while on the other side there is a smaller recess.

A grocery bag holder and a folding floor hatch increase flexibility, the latter can lift up Toblerone style to split the cargo floor. Additional bag hooks and tie downs complete the useful and handy interior fittings.

Pulling power is not great - 1800 kg for a trailer with brakes (750 kg without brakes), but for a car of this size it is quite comfortable.

Does it represent good value for money? What functions does it have? 8/10

The XC40 lives in one of the hottest segments in the Australian new car market, and at $46,990 pre-road, the Momentum lines up against a slew of quality competitors.

For that money, you can go up in size but down in prestige, which is why we stuck to the compact luxury formula and, without trying too hard, came up with eight high-quality options ranging from $45 to $50,000. Namely, Audi Q3 35 TFSI, BMW X1 sDrive 20i, Mercedes-Benz GLA 180, Mini Countryman Cooper S, Peugeot 3008 GT, Renault Koleos Intens, Skoda Kodiaq 132 TSI 4×4 and Volkswagen Tiguan 132 TSI R-Line. Yep, hot competition.

You get a 9.0-inch (vertical) multimedia touchscreen with inductive smartphone charging, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

So, you'll need some premium features for your compact SUV, plus XC40 T4 Momentum tips in Volvo high-performance audio (including digital radio), 9.0-inch (vertical) multimedia touchscreen (with speech function), 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, inductive smartphone charging, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, sat nav (with traffic sign information), power adjustable driver's seat (with memory and four-way lumbar support), leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter, and dual-zone climate control. air control (with cooled glove box and "CleanZone" cabin air quality control system).

Also included are keyless entry and start, automatic LED headlights, front fog lights, a power liftgate (with hands-free electric opening) and 18-inch alloy wheels.

Our car was equipped with the Lifestyle Pack, which includes a panoramic sunroof and tinted rear windows.

Textile/vinyl upholstery is standard, but "our" car could be ordered in "leather" trim for an additional $750, as well as the "Momentum Comfort Pack" (power passenger seat, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, manual pillow extension). $1000), Lifestyle Pack (panoramic sunroof, tinted rear windows, Harmon Kardon premium sound - $3000), and Momentum Technology Pack (360-degree camera, power folding rear headrest, LED headlights with Active Bending Lights). ', 'Park Assist Pilot' and ambient interior lighting $2000), and Glacier Silver metallic paint ($1150). All of this adds up to a “tested” price of $54,890 before travel expenses.

What are the main characteristics of the engine and transmission? 7/10

The all-alloy 2.0-liter (VEP4) four-cylinder engine is equipped with direct injection, single turbocharging (BorgWarner) and variable valve timing on intake and exhaust.

It is claimed to produce 140kW at 4700rpm and 300Nm in the 1400-4000rpm range with front-wheel drive via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The engine is claimed to deliver 140kW at 4700rpm and 300Nm in the 1400-4000rpm range.

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How much fuel does it consume? 6/10

Claimed fuel economy for the combined (ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban) cycle is 7.2 l / 100 km, while the XC40 T4 Momentum emits 165 g / km of CO2.

Despite the standard stop-and-go, we recorded 300 l/12.5 km for about 100 km of city, suburban and freeway driving, which raises the thirst factor to a dangerous level.

The minimum fuel requirement is 95 octane premium unleaded gasoline and you will need 54 liters of this fuel to fill the tank.

What is it like to drive? 8/10

The strongest plus behind driving the XC40 is how comfortable it is. Volvo's clever ride and handling has done some sort of suspension magic, making the 2.7-meter wheelbase seem half a meter longer.

The strongest plus behind driving the XC40 is how comfortable it is.

It's a strut front, multi-link rear setup, and you could swear there's some sort of magnetic damper or air technology under the car. But all this traditionally and brilliantly copes with the absorption of bumps and other imperfections without sacrificing dynamic response.

Standard shoes on the Momentum are 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero 235/55 tires. The mid-level Inscription level is 19 and the top-level R-Design is 20. But you can bet that the relatively light sidewall of the 18-inch tire contributes to the entry-level model's ride quality.

Claimed 0-100 km/h acceleration for the roughly 1.6-ton XC40 is 8.4 seconds, which is pretty sharp. With maximum torque (300 Nm) available from just 1400 rpm to 4000 rpm.

The electric power steering is well-weighted for easy turning at parking speeds, loading up with decent road feel as speeds up. The front-wheel drive XC40 feels balanced and predictable in corners.

The central multimedia screen not only looks like a million bucks, but also provides simple and intuitive navigation.

The central media screen not only looks like a million dollars, but it also provides easy and intuitive navigation, swiping through multiple screens, opening icon-based features on sub-screens to the left and right of the main page.

One thing that isn't adjusted with a swipe is the centrally located volume knob, a welcome and handy addition. The seats look as good as they look, the ergonomics are hard to fault, and the engine and road noise is modest.

On the other hand, that raised tailgate glass might look interesting, but it impacts over-the-shoulder visibility on both sides.

Warranty and safety rating

Basic Warranty

5 years / unlimited mileage


guarantee

What safety equipment is installed? What is the safety rating? 10/10

Overall, the XC40 contributes to Volvo's outstanding reputation for active and passive safety standards, earning the highest five-star ANCAP (and Euro NCAP) rating at launch in 2018… with the exception of the T4 Momentum.

This all-wheel drive model is not subject to ANCAP assessment, unlike all-wheel drive variants. But like all-wheel-drive models, the T4 Momentum comes equipped with an impressive array of collision avoidance technologies, including "City Support" - (AEB with detection of pedestrians, vehicles, large animals and cyclists, "Crash Crossing and Oncoming Mitigation" with "Brake Support" and Steering Assist), Intellisafe Assist (Driver Warning, Lane Keep Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control including Pilot Assist, Distance Warning and Lane Keep Assist ”, as well as “Oncoming Lane Warning”), as well as “Intellisafe Surround” - (“Blind Spot Information” with “Cross Traffic Warning”, “Front and Rear Collision Warning” with mitigation support, “Departure Avoidance Off Road", Hill Start Assist, Hill Descent Control, Park Assist front and rear, rear parking camera, rain-sensing wipers, Drive Mode with personalized booster settingssteering wheel, "Emergency Brake Assist" and "Emergency Brake Light".

The T4 Momentum is equipped with an impressive array of protective gear.

If that's not enough to prevent an impact, you're protected by seven airbags (front, front, side, curtain and driver's knee), Volvo's 'Side Impact Protection System' (SIPS) and 'Whiplash Protection System'.

There are three points of the upper cable on the back of the rear seat with ISOFIX anchorages in the two outermost positions for child seats and baby capsules.

An extremely impressive package for a car under $50.

How much does it cost to own? What kind of guarantee is provided? 7/10

Volvo is offering a three-year unlimited mileage warranty on its new range of vehicles, including XNUMX/XNUMX roadside assistance during this period. When you consider that most of the major brands are out of pace right now, their mileage is five years/unlimited mileage.

But on the other hand, after the warranty expires, if you have your car serviced by an authorized Volvo dealer every year (within six years from the warranty start date), you get a 12-month roadside assistance coverage extension.

Volvo offers a three-year/unlimited warranty on its entire range of vehicles.

Service is recommended every 12 months/15,000 km (whichever comes first) with a Volvo service plan covering XC40 scheduled maintenance for the first three years or $45,000 km for $1595.

Verdict

The XC40 combines current Volvo strengths - charismatic design, simple functionality and top-notch safety - in an SUV package with fast performance, an impressive list of standard equipment, and enough space and flexibility for small families. Based on this test, fuel economy could be better and the warranty needs a boost, but if you're looking for a cool compact SUV that stands apart from the mainstream, you're in for a ride.