Volvo’s C40 electric SUV – better second time around?

Published on 26 February, 2022

Overview

It happens sometimes. You meet someone socially – in many cases from long ago at a dance or a disco – and nothing much happens except a few platitudes are exchanged before you move on to encounter someone more ‘interesting’.

Then, by chance, you meet six months later at something or other and you get on like a house on fire.

You may not have given the person a moment’s thought for so long, and then, all of a sudden, you reacquaint on different terms and at a different level.

I’ve known that to happen with test cars before, only to find myself a few months down the road really becoming enthusiastic about them on a second visit.

I hope there’s such an outcome with this week’s test car, the Volvo C40 Recharge electric crossover/coupe.

Many people would describe it as a cool EV. It has lots of what you would want from an electric crossover, including incredible acceleration.

Maybe it was the look of it – there’s such a low profile and I think it was a tad too much for my liking. And because of the steep, raked roofline there were compromises in the interior. Maybe that was it. Maybe not.

The C40 does so much that’s right and proper. It’s minimalist, intuitive – apart from the voice control. Maybe it’s too clever in some ways, but I’ll get to all that in a moment.

Mine was all-wheel drive, so both axles were powering my sprints – but I never got excited.

There’s a commendable built-in ability to rocket from a standing start (0-100kmh in just 4.7secs,and you feel the propulsion, believe me) and there was such a solid feel to the handling and ride. It suppressed bumps and road gouges with impressive ease, for sure.

All this should have me applauding its merits. And I do. But for some reason I never got the sense of enthusiasm I did with the XC40 Recharge precursor.

It didn’t endear itself to me in the way the likes of the Skoda Enyaq made me feel – that little bit cosseted, that little bit “warm”.

I can’t quite put my finger on why. Maybe it was too clinical in its minimalism. It’s a thoroughly subjective thing and an example of different folks for different strokes, I suppose.

Let me be quite clear. The car is technically excellent and the level of attention to detail is praiseworthy, which makes my reaction appear all the more churlish. I concede that and ask you to recognise this is simply how it made me feel.

I think it was a combination of factors that stunted a reaction of greater enthusiasm. Apart from the looks, I felt the cabin lacked something. For the money, I would have liked a greater feel of what I call luxury.

There was poor headroom at the back if you carry tall passengers, while the boot space wasn’t great – although there is a handy front load compartment (31 litres).

A big criticism I had was the tiny slot of visibility out the rear window. It was poor and a victim of the emphasis Volvo says it channelled into design and style. I think the makers overdid it in this aspect.

Fair dues to them on another front, however, as there’s no leather whatsoever, with fabrics and carpets derived from recycled material.

But the thing that got me most was the voice control. The infotainment system was jointly developed with Google and provides Google apps (Maps, Assistant, Play Store). However, the voice control for calling someone hands-free was, again (I endured it on the XC40 Recharge), frustrating. The simple name of a friend involved saying “no” to several strangers and strange businesses across Dublin.

Away from all that, things were simple. For example, there’s no button to start or stop. All you have to do is push the little selector into D or P. Couldn’t be easier.

Nearly everything operates through the mid-mounted portrait touchscreen. It’s simpler and part of the process the company began some time back in making things easier.

The seats were excellent too, with great lumbar support.

Each C40 recharge comes with a plugsurfing card, giving access to one of Europe’s most extensive charging networks.

That’s consoling because the battery emptied fairly lively during a couple of motorway drives – not nearly so much on suburban journeys, as you would expect.

Would I buy it? I don’t think so. Not this time around anyway.

But I would encourage you to take it for a test drive, because no matter what the facts and figures say, cars are (still) objects of subjectivity.

It’s a nice car. I just didn’t get the vibe I felt I and the car deserved.