The Volvo C40 review: Twin engines all charged up and ready to go

Published on 8 May, 2022

Overview

My daughter moved to Lisbon last Tuesday. She’s disillusioned by the high rental rates here and by the overall lack of vision by the political master-class.

She’s taken her job with her and has moved into a fine apartment in a great part of the Portuguese capital. I can’t wait to visit. She says there’s a superb eating house around the corner called Restaurante Clube De Jornalistas (whatever that means) which we must go to.

My daughter joins her brother in the Iberian peninsula where he has taken a sabbatical from his job as a senior economist with the UK government to immerse himself in the Spanish language.

Interestingly, neither of them have ever owned a car.

They always live close to city centres, mainly use public transport or bikes – and when needing to travel further afield, they or their friends tend to hire cars. Car sharing schemes, like Go Car here, are also a viable option.

It’s a different way of living.

I had my first car at 17 and haven’t been without one since. Then again my eldest daughter, who lives in Manchester with three children, is more car oriented – for travelling to work as a nurse, organising the kid’s activities and holidaying in the north coast of Scotland and France.

She now drives a Ford C-Max which she “totally loves”, a sentiment echoed by a reader who asked me for advice on a new car. She describes her 10-year-old Ford C-Max as the “best car I ever bought”.

It’s a car that was perhaps over-looked by many. I remember writing in early 2011, after the C-Max range had been relaunched, that while it still hadn’t got the style or the great driving characteristics of the bigger S-Max, it was “a great improvement on the previous model which was rather clunky and unappealing”.

I signed off, saying that “for practicality, the C-Max deserves a lot of kudos”. It’s good to have some real-life vindication sometimes!

One thing the Volvo C40 Recharge doesn’t lack is style. This fully electric car, which has twin engines in the all- wheel-drive test model, aims to be the sleeker coupe-like version of the very popular XC40.

This is a fast and proper SUV which will do the 0-100kmh in 4.7 seconds, with the two motors each producing 204hp.

It aims to be vegan friendly and has all sorts of nice surfaces in the cabin, including “topographical inserts” – which are like an upmarket Ikea meeting LS Lowry’s ‘matchstick men’.

There’s much of the XC40 carried over to the C40, as well as touches of the Polestar 2. It is a luxurious and roomy offering for driver and passengers. Even the sloping roof and its panoramic insert didn’t affect me when sitting in the back – which I could easily do while still wearing my trilby.

Some of my colleagues didn’t have the same experience, but they must have been carrying giants rather than my 1.82m. The luggage load area is more compromised compared to the XC40, but at least there is a frunk under the bonnet for carrying the cables and other paraphernalia.

The twin engines give a very confident drive – however, while the 20” five-spoke alloys may look good, they don’t help the overall ride.

There are thoughtful comfort elements all round the cabin, which is only fair as you would be paying €69,950 for the twin-motor test model. The overall range starts at €53,730 for the single motor version, including the €5,000 SEAI grant.

The 78kWh battery claims a possible range of 413km – but, as always, this is optimistic by about 20pc. The on-board display showed a more realistic 350-360km after being fully charged overnight.

There’s a heat pump on board to help cabin air-conditioning as well as fast charging and getting the optimal range when needed.

Of course, like all Volvos, safety is at the forefront of the C40 philosophy. The test car listed more than 30 active and passive safety features. These were in addition to the first-class parking camera with 360 degree surround view. The camera is much needed, as the large pillars, small back window and very enveloping seats do restrict your vision.

I found the 9” centre console a bit fiddly to use when on the move, but the main driver display was good.

The C40 was a pleasant car for a week, and packs in a lot of power and comfort without being overly big. Yet the looks were a bit artificial for me – and I find the XC40 a more honest offering.

Volvo has a very loyal following and I regularly meet a fellow dog-walker in Phoenix Park who now drives a V40 but talks lovingly of his 850 from decades before. However these loyal owners can have their patience tested. Volvo is often in the bottom half of the reliability tables, and managed just 24th place in the latest Which? car guide.

Opel marks a significant birthday

This year sees the 160th anniversary of Opel. Founded by Adam Opel in August 1862, the company began modestly, making sewing machines – then became a global leader in bicycle manufacturing, and then a pioneer in automotive engineering.

Enjoying 160 years of success, peppered with innovation, today Opel is on its way to becoming a sustainable mobility brand that will rely entirely on electric vehicles in Europe from 2028.

Nearly 40 years ago it was an Opel that I first tested for a motoring column when I was editor of Social & Personal magazine. The offer to do so came from the wonderful Don Brindley, the marketing and advertising guru of the day.

Bless you Don, you started me on a long, long road with some wonderful adventures on the way.

The train to Spain: there and back again 

Just as a new coffee bar Stay with Us opens in Phibsborough, we also have a Mexican restaurant Pinto opening next door to the iconic Doyle’s pub, which serves a great Scraggy Bay IPA from the famed Donegal Kinnegar brewery.

Too many local temptations – but in six weeks I’ll have driven north and be supping a Scraggy Bay in Rathmullan, birthplace of the name.

That’ll be a great drive – but I’m also working on a rail journey, beginning with the ferry to Holyhead, train to London, onwards under the channel to Paris to catch the fast TGV to Barcelona before going to Valencia where my son is staying. Hopefully then across Iberia to Lisbon.

Your children certainly get you moving.