► We test Volvo's all-electric coupe-SUV
► 402bhp, 273-mile range
► The sign of things to come in the brand's battery-powered future?
The C40 Recharge marks the coming together of quite a few of Volvo’s headline features. It’s all-electric – unlike the XC40, there’s no option for a petrol or a plug-in hybrid. It features the new Android infotainment software that’ll eventually roll out to every other model. And it’s only available to buy online, either as a cash purchase or via the all-inclusive Care by Volvo.
Volvo XC40 Recharge review
As the brand’s first pure battery electric vehicle (BEV) the C40 spearheads Volvo’s pledge to go all-electric by 2030. And as a coupe-SUV, it cements modern Volvo as a company a world away from antiques dealers, elbow patches and the unrelenting boxiness of a 240 estate.
But is it really any better than an Audi Q4 e-tron, a Mercedes-Benz EQA or a Tesla Model 3?
So I can order this from home, but not from a dealer?
Sort of, though it’s not quite such a radical departure as it sounds. You can indeed complete the entire buying process from the comfort of your sofa, should you so wish – but tradition hasn’t gone entirely out of the window. Volvo dealers still exist, after all, and will be able to answer your questions about the C40 – they’ll also have demonstrators for test drives.
The difference is that when the time comes for you to buy, instead of drawing four boxes on a piece of paper or ‘checking with the manager’ to see what the best finance price they can offer is, the salesperson will direct you in completing your sale on the web, probably on a natty little Volvo-branded iPad.
And instead of offering you hire purchase or PCP, your options are more limited. You can pay cash, as five per cent of buyers will do. Or, you can lease it via Care by Volvo – for your monthly fee, you’ll get the car, maintenance, insurance and roadside assistance all bundled together. Neat.
So, what do you get for the money?
The C40 is offered in a single trim level with no choice of powertrain. That means, like the XC40 Recharge, you get an electric motor on each axle combining to produce a generous 402bhp and 487lb ft.
The end result is impressive performance right up to motorway speeds and beyond – it'll leave a Q4 e-tron or Mercedes EQA for dust off the lights, though a Tesla Model 3 still has the Volvo licked.
Group test: Tesla Model 3 vs Hyundai Ioniq vs Polestar 2 vs Audi Q4 e-Tron
It’s a similar story with range – 273 official miles means the Volvo beats the EQA, but the Tesla and Audi can both return well over 300 miles to a charge in their long range variants. We did at least find the Volvo’s range calculation to be fairly accurate, though, despite both inclement weather and a majority of motorway miles on our test route.
What’s it actually like to drive?
It performs like every other electric car – that is to say, instant torque off the line, silence but for a faint whirr from the powertrain and not that much excitement once you’re over the acceleration.
Volvo’s simplified the experience, though, moreso than many rivals. To begin with, there’s no starter button or even handbrake. Simply get into the car, shift to D and you can set off.
Once you’re going, you’ll find only three controls to tailor how the car drives, and instead of being on a dedicated switch they’re hidden in the settings menu on the touchscreen. There’s an off-road mode that’ll gather as much dust as a virtual button can, as well as a control to firm up the steering – probably to make it feel ‘sportier’ though all it really does is add to the sensation of weight.
The button for ‘One-Pedal Drive’, though, is one you might want to keep pressed. It ramps up the regen and can bring you to a complete halt with little to no need for the brakes. A few other EVs offer this, but Volvo’s judged it really well and it makes for very smooth progress once you’ve got the hang of it.
Relatively remote steering and a little body lean add to the feeling this isn’t a car to be hustled, despite the ample power on offer. A single-motor variant will arrive, but not for a while.
Let the C40 lope along and you’ll find it comfortable, though – our test car’s 20in wheels did thud a little round town but settled down to a nicely resolved ride on faster roads.
Still a Volvo inside?
Fully vegan upholstery plus 3D-printed dash panels seem rather Gen-Z, but that’s not a bad thing when they’re featured in an interior that still holds up so well even though it was introduced on the XC40 back in 2017.
Those dash panels are the main point of difference from the XC40. They feel a bit cheap to the touch, and look rubbish during the day, but at night they’re backlit and give a genuinely eye-catching effect.
Hugely comfortable seats are another highlight, while the dash is based around a nine-inch portrait infotainment touchscreen and a high-quality screen for the digital dials.
The Android infotainment setup isn’t brand new – it’s already on a couple of Volvo models as well as the Polestar 2 – and it works really well, with direct integration with Google’s services, Google Maps baked right in and support for apps downloaded from the Play Store. The mapping in particular is a gamechanger, while Google’s voice commands are far superior to any OEM system we’ve so far tested.
The more you’re already integrated into the Google ecosystem, the better it’ll be – you can even link up to smart home products. It’s just a shame there’s no support for Apple CarPlay. For once, iPhone users get the raw end of the deal.
As for space, that coupe roofline doesn’t impact rear passengers too much. Legroom’s decent and only the tallest passengers will moan too much about headroom. The boot’s another matter – it’s pretty shallow, though nowhere near as bad as a Lexus UX 300e.
Verdict
The Volvo C40 Recharge is a good electric car with excellent performance, enough range and a quality interior. It just doesn’t feel particularly special for a car that’s meant to be Volvo’s electric flagship – and looks aside, there’s nothing really to recommend it over the XC40 Recharge.
That’s especially true when you consider the single-motor XC40 is a whole heap cheaper than the C40. Hell, even the Polestar 2 - a more interesting car, lower, leaner and better to drive - undercuts the C40 significantly. Maybe the lineup will make more sense when the C40 range expands to include this less pricey variant.
More interesting EVs are sure to follow, though, especially on the new SPA2 architecture underpinning the brand’s next-generation cars.