Volvo XC40: range, prices and rivals of the first compact SUV from Volvo

The first compact SUV from the Swedish brand, the new Volvo XC40, has everything it needs to go head to head with German SUVs in the premium segment.

It has just hit the market and in Volvo they are delighted with the sales of the new Volvo XC40, the first compact SUV from the Swedish brand. A car that can repeat the success that Land Rover once achieved with the Range Rover Evoque. If the English model brought an original and groundbreaking design to the category, the Volvo arrives loaded with arguments to make life difficult for Audi, BMW and Mercedes.

An SUV loaded with design, quality and technology

At 4.42 metres long, the Volvo XC40 positions itself as the most compact model in Volvo’s SUV range, below the XC60. It debuts the modular platform known as CMA by the brand, which will also serve as the basis for future Volvo models.

The Volvo SUV range

As was once the case with the Evoque, design is one of the XC40’s strong points. It stands out, with a proposal clearly recognisable as a Volvo, and different from what has so far been seen in the category. The brand also plays the card of personalisation, with the possibility of eye-catching two-tone bodywork and equipment that emphasises sportiness (R-Design), practicality (Momentum) or elegance and luxury (the upcoming Inscription). You can see it in this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72oJd6FNSQA&feature=youtu.be

Inside, the design and layout of the dashboard is, in every sense, in line with that of its “bigger siblings”, the XC60 and XC90. This means the XC40 has everything the Swedish brand has accustomed us to, and it will surprise those who step into a Volvo for the first time: first-class comfort, with the finish quality and presentation of a premium car. The boot offers a very practical 460 litres of capacity. And given the interior space available, you may well not need to step up to a larger SUV. Furthermore, smart solutions such as generous door bins, fold-down hooks or a generous recess under the central armrest make life on board easier.

Everything you can find in the rest of the brand’s models is available in the new Volvo SUV, from City Safety – as standard – to Pilot Assist, which allows driving on fast roads close to what we could consider semi-autonomous. It helps the driver keep the vehicle between the lane lines while maintaining distance from the vehicle ahead. A novelty in terms of connectivity is Volvo’s Car Sharing. Through the Volvo On Call mobile app, it allows you to share the vehicle with other people without a key, using your smartphone.

The vertically oriented multimedia screen once again takes centre stage, both in shaping the elegant and minimalist design of the dashboard and as the control hub for all the vehicle’s main functions.

Volvo XC40 engines: petrol or diesel?

Volvo offers four variants to choose from for the XC40, three petrol and one diesel. Among the petrol versions, the turbocharged T3 with a 1.5-litre 3-cylinder engine and 156 CV, the T4 with 190 CV and the T5 with 247 CV. In diesel, the range starts with the D4 with 190 CV, complemented below by the D3 version with 150 CV.

The entry-level version of the range is the Volvo XC40 Premium Edition, a limited edition available from €26,000. It is based on the Base trim and adds the Sensus Navigation system and a rear parking camera. Versions with the Base trim start from €30,950 and are paired with the six-speed manual gearbox and 4×2 traction. The Volvo XC40 T4 always comes with the 8-speed automatic gearbox as standard, and can be ordered with 4×2 traction from €36,900, or with AWD all-wheel drive for €2,415 more. Separated by almost €6,000 in list price, there is therefore no real comparison between the T3 and the T4, as there is no automatic T3 version or manual T4.

With the same power as the petrol T4, the D4 is always automatic and with AWD traction. Its price starts from €38,700 with the Base trim, compared with €39,415 for the T4 with the same configuration, all-wheel drive and automatic gearbox. The choice is a difficult one, as the petrol goes very well and can be very economical – homologated average consumption from 6.6 l/100 km – and the diesel adds to its low consumption a refinement almost typical of petrol engines. This engine allows the Volvo SUV to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in under 8 seconds, with a top speed of 210 km/h. It has already proven its reliability, ease of use and smooth operation in other models from the brand.

What is the key factor that might tip the balance when choosing? You can have a T4 from €36,900, if you forgo all-wheel drive.

As the top petrol option and the most performance-oriented choice, the Volvo XC40 T5 AWD Automatic starts from €46,450, available only with the two top trims. We are now talking about a car equipped to the highest level, which reaches 100 km/h from a standstill in 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 230 km/h. Impressive figures, although the vast majority will be well served by the performance of the magnificent T4, which, with equal equipment and transmission, costs about €4,000 less.

In a few months, Volvo will add to the range an XC40 D3 version, with a 4-cylinder diesel of 150 CV, which can be combined with AWD traction. Electric and hybrid versions of the XC40 are also planned for later.

XC40 equipment: complete from the base

You are surely asking yourself whether the Volvo XC40 with the entry-level Base trim has sufficient equipment, especially at such a competitive price compared with its rivals. The answer is yes. You won’t get great luxury details or the latest multimedia or comfort systems, but you will get everything essential, and equipment superior to what other premium brands offer in their entry versions.

Among many other things, the XC40 Base already comes with a driver’s knee airbag, lane keeping assist, City Safety front collision warning with autonomous braking, hill start assist and hill descent control, rain sensor, cruise control and speed limiter, 9-inch touchscreen, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, air conditioning and 17-inch alloy wheels.

Above this entry trim you have three options to choose from: the Momentum versions, the Inscription trim and the more sporty-looking R-Design. The reasonable doubt between the Base and Momentum trims is resolved when you realise that the additional equipment the Momentum adds is worth more than the price difference between the two versions with the same engine, which is around €2,800.

The XC40 Momentum adds, among other things, rear parking sensors, the Volvo On Call system (includes Internet connection) which lets you control your car with your mobile phone, climate control, lumbar adjustment for the driver’s seat, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear lever knob. It can also fit interesting options not available with the Base trim, such as adaptive suspension, active headlights or the peripheral camera.

At the top of the range are the Inscription and R-Design versions, which differ mainly in styling details, as they have very similar functional equipment. The latter, true to its more sporty approach, adds comfort sport seats, a roof in a special colour, aluminium pedals and a black finish for the grille and exterior trim, which are specific to it.

Among the most interesting options for the Volvo XC40, adaptive cruise control costs €1,600; the rear-view camera costs €470 (it can be the peripheral version, including blind-spot detection, for €1,035); LED front headlights cost €705; the panoramic roof is €1,385, and keyless entry and start is €440.

With the arrival of the XC40, Volvo also launches a service called Care by Volvo, which is a more comprehensive formula than renting. It allows you to access a car by paying a monthly fee, which includes insurance and taxes, along with countless additional services for the driver, such as a personal telephone assistant or home pharmacy delivery, among many other options.

Rivals of the Volvo XC40

Among the cars the Volvo XC40 competes with are the compact premium SUVs, some already well established, others newly arrived.

One of the longest-running is the Audi Q3, which will soon be due for renewal. The base version is offered from €29,980, with a 2.0 TDI engine of 120 CV. The equivalent of the entry-level XC40 would be the 1.4 TFSI of 150 CV, priced at €31,460, practically equivalent to the Volvo SUV. The Q3 2.0 TDI of 184 CV with automatic gearbox and quattro traction is offered from €40,400. For its part, the 2.0 TFSI of 220 CV with the same transmission starts from €46,900.

The Mercedes GLA was updated at the end of 2017. The most affordable is the GLA 180, priced at €31,050, with a 122 CV engine, less powerful than the Volvo XC40 T3. With the petrol GLA 250 4Matic 7G-DCT of 211 CV it costs practically the same as the Volvo XC40 D5 Momentum, €47,450. The GLA 220d 4Matic automatic starts from €41,250.

Also among the rivals of the Volvo XC40 is the Range Rover Evoque. The SUV from Land Rover, which became the first to take on the German premium brands, has a very complete range, but its list price is high, so it is worth watching for offers. There is currently a Td4 version with a 180 CV engine which, with all-wheel drive and automatic gearbox, is priced from €45,290. The 2.0 Si4 petrol with 240 CV starts at €48,500.

Among the newcomers, the Volvo XC40 will face the BMW X2 and the Jaguar E-Pace. The version of the BMW X2 that gives access to the range of the new SUV from BMW is the sDrive 18d with 150 CV, priced above the Volvo at €35,050. In petrol, the sDrive 18i with 140 CV costs €35,850. At the top of the range, the xDrive 20d with 190 CV is priced at €42,700, closer to the Volvo. The Jaguar E-Pace is slightly more expensive if we compare diesel, and similarly priced comparing petrol, in the mid-range versions. Thus, a Jaguar E-Pace 180 diesel automatic with 180 CV and AWD traction starts at €44,900, and the 250 petrol from €47,100, although in both cases the Volvo XC40 is better equipped.

Volvo XC40 image gallery

Technical specifications of this car

CrossoverVolvo XC4011 versions · from 42,800 €