APRIL 18 - 25 | 2019
Volvo Xc40 T4 Inscription
Ŷ SUPER COOL: Volvo is now one of the world’s automotive style leaders - and many say the XC40 is the best shape yet.
THE very Swedish Volvo XC40 midsize SUV has an excellent blend of style, performance and practicality. And it goes without saying it’s one of the safest vehicles on our roads. Volvo has just revised its XC40 range and added a new model called Inscription. Sitting midway between the existing Momentum and the sporty R-Design the Inscription features a powered front passenger seat, leather-trim, ambient interior lighting and a powered tailgate. It is the subject of this review. The XC40 is slightly larger
than others in its class, at 4425mm long, 1863mm wide and 1652mm high and every centimetre of the interior space is put to good use. It has seating for five though, as is often the way, four adults plus a child is a more realistic load. A fascinating insight - by far the most commented on feature of the XC40 Inscription we have been driving is the Orrefors crystal gear selector. A great collaboration between the two upmarket Swedish products. STYLING To the surprise of just about everyone, Volvo has
become one of world’s automotive style leaders. We reckon the XC40 is the best shape from the Swedes yet, from its upright slightlyconcave grille, through the deeply sculpted lower sections of the doors and onto the upward swept D-pillars it all works beautifully to our eyes. As a throwback to times past when cars were seen as fashion statements, this Volvo can be bought in two-tone paint. Interestingly, some other car makers are starting to move in a similar direction - long may this last. Inside, the Scandinavian theme is simple almost to the
point of being minimalistic in the dashboard area and there’s a real feel that you are travelling in an upmarket product. We really like the portrait shape of the central screen, more about it in the Infotainment section. Coloured carpets and inserts in the doors are neat details. In a sign of the future they are made mainly from recycled plastic. POWERTRAINS Our test car had a fourcylinder 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine with 140 kW of power, and 300Nm of torque from a nicely low 1400 all the way to
4000 revs meaning that most drivers will have peak torque under their feet virtually all the time. All-wheel-drive by way of an eight-speed automatic is used in the T4 as tested, a front wheel drive model is offered in the lower cost Momentum version of the XC40. A smaller capacity, 1.5-litre, three-cylinder turbo-petrol is to be added to the XC40 lineup later in the year. Presumably at a lower price and probably with front-wheel drive, though Volvo Australia is keeping marketing details close to its corporate chest. Volvo is working hard at electrification in its vehicles
so there could be news on this front not too far away. Stay tuned. The turbo-diesel previously offered in the XC40 is no longer being imported as diesels aren’t proving popular in the compact SUV in Australia. INFOTAINMENT We really like the portrait shape of the infotainment 9-inch screen. This makes so much more sense than the skinny horizontal units that are all the rage at the moment as you can see much further ahead on the Volvo’s satellite navigation. Ŷ Continued page 2 d21d13123-v43/1619
By EWAN KENNEDY
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