Volvo XC40 T5 Recharge Inscription Pro
I promised a review of the car we collected on 31st July and here it is, having now done 1000 miles. The background as some will know is we exchanged our 3 year old X-line S-drive BMW X1 for the Volvo. I’m going to try for the sake of those unfamiliar with the X1 to avoid making this a ‘better or worse’ review, although that may occasionally be unavoidable. The car is to standard spec, the only addition being electrically folding rear seat headrests, being the only way to get a clear view rearwards as the outer headrests are normally fixed.
First the dealership experience. Our X1 had a dent and paint damage on one of the doors which the salesman we ordered the Volvo from had previously thought would not prevent us getting the £600 good condition bonus, and he was right. On changeover day, as we sat at the salesman’s desk, he did what seemed like a lot of data entry, during which my phone pinged with an email from Motability saying a cheque was on its way.
Once all the administration was done, we moved to a brightly lit undercover bay where the car was waiting for us. The dealership is quite new and very well equipped and laid out, and in the bay was a worktop height desk with good height seats which MrsW was happy to perch on to watch while the salesman and I went over the car. This probably took 20 minutes or more as the salesman explained and demonstrated the features of the car and the controls and infotainment stuff. He set up the free eSIM (for internet connection and WiFi hotspot) and connecting the Volvo Cars app on my phone to the car. He also demonstrated saving profiles to the keys – an important thing to us as one of the reasons for choosing the car was so whoever was driving could unlock the car and know that the driver’s seat and mirrors were adjusted to suit. With the car set up for MrsW to drive, I can hardly get in the driver’s seat, so it was always a chore for either of us to move things around in the previous car which had manual seats. So, everything completed, MrsW put in the magic PIN and we were good to go. The dealer took the car out of the bay, we got aboard and I drove away. So, an absolutely first class handover, if a little long at about an hour and a quarter. It seems as cars get more complex, these things take longer.
One positive and one negative about the preparation of the car. The fuel tank was three-quarters full and the battery fully charged, but the tyres had not been reduced from 40psi to the proper working pressures.
And now to the car itself:
At first we struggled with the SatNav which is a little cranky after the BMW system. For example, I could say to the X1 “Navigate to Heathrow Airport” and it would offer some variations like terminal numbers which I would select. The XC40 knows nothing apart from its address database. It’s necessary to ask it to “Search Heathrow Airport”. Then it will say it’s searching POIs and eventually comes up with some choices such as North Perimeter Road, which gets close. No where near as slick as the X1. Fortunately, as with the BMW app, it’s easy to use the Volvo app to find destinations in advance and push them to the car. The salesman had warned us that after the BMW, not to rely on the voice control for the SatNav.
The Sensus system which has most controls and setting on a large touch screen, is criticised by some but we have found it fine. Reviewers often fail to mention that there is a small popup display in the main instrument cluster directly in front of the driver, operated by steering wheel buttons from which phone numbers, media tracks and radio stations and navigation recent destinations show and can be selected without needing to look at the main screen. The smaller side screen buttons on the main Sensus display are mostly for features that are unlikely to be needed while on the move and those on the main home screen are large and easy to tap. Lack of physical buttons for the HVAC is also not a problem, the system is excellent at automatically maintaining the set temperature and adjusting airflow, the whole system is electric and instant and not dependent on the engine to provide heat or operate a compressor, so we’ve found no need to fiddle with temperature settings. Even on the lowest fan speed the face vents give lots of air and are easily controlled. And the HVAC is also voice controlled but, except for amusement, we’ve not needed to say “I’m hot” to make it turn the temperature down.
The Media system is good. We use a USB memory stick with all our music in FLAC format. Voice searching for an artist or track works, to MrsW’s delight and album covers are shown. DAB radio shows station art and program details. I use TuneIn internet radio too.
Sound quality is fine, very nicely balanced at low listening levels, and good at normal comfort levels, if a little bass heavy on some material, perhaps less controlled when stretched, but we don’t go for very loud. The sound is front focused and for me it would be better with bigger speakers in the back doors to balance it up.
Phone works fine, there are two Bluetooth channels so two phones can be connected and a couple of prods on the main central screen will switch from one to the other. As mentioned you can select and call contacts using the steering wheel controls and pop up list in the driver’s display. There is only one USB port in the front, which our memory stick occupies, so we have a charger adapter plugged into the 12V outlet which sits next to it. There is also plenty of space for two phones in the front of the centre console.
Which brings on to the benefits of being a PHEV. These are not exclusive to the XC40 of course. The main one for us is the quietness and smoothness of setting off and when travelling at lower speeds and in town. Even with a depleted battery the engine will turn off before coming to a stop and will only restart once the car is moving away, usually once 10mph or more is reached. This is so much more advanced then any stop/start system on a conventional ICE vehicle. Most of the time it is impossible to know from the sound and feel of the car whether it is running on battery or engine when moving about at normal speeds. In ‘Pure’ mode, the displayed 27 miles is achievable with a reasonably light foot. But to get that mileage the car reduces the HVAC output and I’ve noticed on occasion the top of the screen starting to mist. Turning the (electric) screen heater on for a minute clears it though. In ‘Hybrid’ mode, the lowest range I’ve measured is 20 miles, going out and about at up to 50mph, and the engine would sometimes come on for a few moments for its own reasons, not necessarily to provide drive. The claimed 24 miles is possible on reasonably level terrain and town speeds but 20 to 22 is more realistic. MrsW has made a couple of round trips of about 150 miles cross country and we’ve made two of 190 miles mostly motorway, other journeys have often been such that recharging overnight has covered the mileage with some others probably about 40 miles. According to the Volvo Cars app, the worst long journey petrol consumption with a depleted battery has been 42.5 mpg (cross country) and the best 56.2 mpg (mostly motorway). The average consumption over 1019 miles is 64.1 mpg but of course that says nothing about the electricity consumed. In summary I said that I would be happy if on long journeys the car did not much worse than the X1 on fuel, and it’s easily lived up to that.
So, the car in general – it’s a delight. The seats are very comfortable, interior quality is good, plenty of storage, cup holders don’t get in the way, and relaxing to drive. Auto-box is faultless, as is the transition from electric drive to engine. Brakes are smoother and more progressive than I found the X1 to be. It’s hard to find negatives. The remote control keys are a nonsense, putting small buttons on one edge, means I always have to look at the key to see where to press. There are no coat hanger hooks in the back. The engine when stretched is a bit noisy and harsh to my ears but it only lasts seconds, after all, when getting up to speed in a hurry or overtaking. Hauling up long hills, it’s subdued. It’s not an enjoyable sound like the B48 engine in the X1, so it doesn’t encourage you to take advantage of it for fun, but it’s fine for the style of car. The combined acceleration of the engine and electric is easily up to the X1 however and I’ve not felt the need to use ‘Power’ mode, which Volvo amusingly tags ‘for sporty driving’.
Conclusion? Absolutely the right choice for us. To be fair, the only other option that would suit our needs would have been another X1 with the extra features our old one didn’t have. But we liked the idea of being a PHEV and all that entails, we liked the taller height making it easier to get in and out of, and I liked the prospect of getting the car de-iced and warmed up for MrsW’s winter commutes from the comfort of the breakfast table.