The Vikings Are Coming!
The problem with that is they either go way off track, developing a car that misses the whole point of being an SUV, or the cars end up looking almost identical to the model from the next brand over. And don’t even get me started on brand family resemblance – I still can’t tell the difference between a BMW X1, X3 and X5.
What Volvo has done with its new XC40 crossover is quite a departure from such identify crises. The car has been developed with a clear purpose and its design has been geared not to stun with cheap theatrics, but rather to stand apart with grace.
And so when I had the opportunity to travel to Dubai to try out the car in its natural environment – the city – naturally I was delighted. I hopped on a plane, flew to the UAE and landed in Dubai International Airport, eager to make my way out of the facility and get on with the business of test-driving this singular SUV.
Unfortunately, as always seems to be the case, I hit an obstacle. Although everything went smoothly till I arrived at passport control, for some reason the eye scanner at immigration would not cooperate. I think they must have scanned my eyes half a dozen times, and I even held them open with my fingers – I suspect other people waiting in line were growing concerned about what they would have to do once it was their turn.
Finally, the immigration officer, a charming lady, concluded that the trouble was with me, insisting that my eyes wouldn’t open wide enough. Curious, as they seemed to open just fine every other time I visited Dubai. It’s possible that it could have been from a lack of sleep, but the more likely reason was that the scanner was malfunctioning, especially as a number of other people at the event later reported having the same problem.
My suspicions were confirmed when they sent me to another scanner, which promptly picked up whatever it was supposed to pick up before they stamped my passport and welcomed me to Dubai.
Outside, a lady in a Volvo vest was waiting for me and took me directly to my driver, who was waiting in – you guessed it – a Volvo XC40 in all its white glory. It was the first time I had laid eyes on the car in person, and immediately I was impressed.
Over the decades Volvos have always had a reputation for safety and durability, but styling has never been their forte. Yet here I was staring at an SUV rolling on 19-inch rims, boasting a radical yet mature design, the Crystal White sheet metal contrasting deliciously with its black roof. This was not the Volvo I remembered from my childhood.
For starters, in designing the XC40, Volvo chose a styling language that enables you to distinguish it from its larger XC60 and XC90 siblings. On that point alone it deserves praise. But besides having a distinct appearance, the brand’s smallest SUV wears some of the most elaborate lines in the segment. It boasts angular shapes in its sheet metal that surprisingly feel integrated into the overall design language, and that’s true whether we’re talking about the front fascia, the shape of the rear gate, the taillights, the octagonal cutouts in the lower body side or the rising rear windowsill. And then there’s the roof color, which can also come in black or white, with some colors such as the aforementioned Crystal White and stunning Bursting Blue coming exclusively with a black roof and on cars with R-Design trim, which we will get to.
But this was all on the outside. With my carry-on stowed safely in the cargo area, I hopped in the back and luxuriated in the white leather seats as I examined the interior. Yeah, I was still at the airport and already starting my scrutiny of the XC40. How’s that for commitment?
I was immediately struck by the design philosophy in the cabin, which besides leaning toward luxury and impeccable finish was seemingly geared toward accommodating the needs of the occupants during the journey.
Compared to the bigger Volvos, the XC40’s cabin is more pronounced. The vertical air vents stand out in narrow nacelles, with top-lit checkered aluminum strips garnishing the dash and the door. A large portion of the inner door is wrapped in a fuzzy fabric whose color matches the carpet, which can come in a variety of colors including, apparently, red and orange.
Moreover, visibility is terrific, especially with the superb seats that afford an excellent driving position. This is an example of when a car knows it’s an SUV and seats its occupants as they should be seated, with their backs upright and their legs down. In the back, legroom and headroom are more than adequate for adults, although younger occupants might find that the rising window line obstructs their view outside – assuming they’re not too immersed in their smartphones to even bother looking.
And those smartphones, tablets or laptops have plenty of ports in the back to charge them, not to mention Wi-Fi. As I said, it’s an accommodating interior, particularly if storage space is high up on your list of priorities.
For example, Volvo has relocated the sound system’s bass units from the doors to the dash, allowing you to deposit laptops in the door bins. The center console features two storage bins and there’s even a secret storage bin under the front seats. Meanwhile, the floor of the cargo area folds up to create a trough that keeps your bags from toppling over. You even get hooks behind the rear seatbacks to hang your bags on, keeping things nice and organized. It’s very well thought out.
But all that is icing on the cake and I was eager to drive the XC40 for myself, which meant I had to get to the hotel first. If you’ve ever visited the Vida hotel in Downtown Dubai, you’ll have noticed that it’s very tastefully decorated. Everything looks like it was meticulously selected to enhance the facility’s contemporary character. But as is the case with most such facilities, smoking was prohibited everywhere except for a dimly lit terrace on the ground floor.
Since writing is next to impossible for me without a cup of coffee and a cigarette burning itself out in the ashtray, that ruled out getting any work done, even on the terrace, which was just too dark for those undertakings. So I ended up meeting up with a friend and walking to Dubai Mall where we braved the throngs of people to browse electronics before finally having a nice dinner.
The next morning, however, was all business. After meeting fellow journalists from the UAE and around the region during a briefing given by a Volvo representative, we headed out to get into our chosen cars. It appeared we were to drive two different versions: the luxury-oriented Momentum and the sportier R-Design I mentioned before.
I said earlier that the XC40 does not look like a miniaturized version of its bigger siblings, which means it doesn’t use their structure or suspension either. What you have here is a brand new platform that Volvo calls “Compact Modular Architecture,” which makes use of a more space-saving and less costly four-link rear suspension with steel arms and coils.
That the CMA will be shared with the new V40 will also reduce costs, as will sharing the platform with premium Chinese brand Lynk & Co. Keep in mind though that the CMA platform was developed in Sweden and the XC40 uses Volvo’s familiar four-cylinder mills and screen interfaces as well as its driver-assist and safety gear, so it’s as much a Volvo as any of the marque’s other offerings.
You also get three gasoline engine options, which are designated as T3 (150 bhp), T4 (190 bhp) and T5 (247 bhp). Since the cars we tried out were exclusively T5s, I’ll restrict this review to those mills. But first, let’s talk about the trim types, of which Volvo offers two.
The XC40 Momentum, I expect, is the more casual version of the two. You get 18-inch alloys as standard but can upgrade all the way to massive 21-inch rims. Leather comes standard, as does a leather-wrapped, multifunction steering wheel and leather shifter. Every version of the XC40 also comes with a Wi-Fi hot spot, push-button start, automatic climate control, driver-seat memory settings and ambient interior lighting. The exterior comes with LED headlights as standard along with automatic high beams and wipers as well as a power liftgate.
Do keep in mind that for a price Volvo also offers a host of packages that include a number of other safety items, among them Pilot Assist, a semi-autonomous driving system that comes part of the Premium Package. This also nets you keyless entry, dual-zone climate control, power headrests, a cooled glove box, heated washer nozzles and a hands-free liftgate.
Tack on the Vision Package and you get parking assist, blind-spot warnings, powered auto-dimming mirrors and cross-traffic alert. It also unlocks the Advanced Package, which nets you an upgraded parking camera with a 360-degree view and intelligent cornering headlights. And these are just some of what Volvo offers just on Momentum.
Meanwhile, R-Design, the more athletic XC40 alternative, come with 19-inch rims as standard, along with suspension that has been tuned for more control. Automatic high beams, keyless entry, dual-zone automatic climate control, leather upholstery, navigation and a hands-free liftgate are also included, while the exterior benefits from a black roof and headliner, black roof rails, a slick grille and sporty exhaust tips. R-Design also retains all the safety gear included in the Momentum trim.
All T5 versions, by the way, come exclusively with all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission. However, what was obvious, whether I was driving the car or riding shotgun, was that the XC40 is meant to be an urban vehicle. And even with the sporty countenance in R-Design, this car pretends to be neither an off-roader nor a boy racer. It’s an SUV and behaves like one.
So if you’re looking to rip up back roads, this isn’t it. The XC40 is soft-riding car made to navigate urban environments safely, afford you all the amenities you need on the journey, and is geared toward connectivity with a tech-savvy world.
With its weight reined in at some 1,700 kilograms even with AWD, the XC40 offers competitive performance, going from zero to 100 kilometers an hour in about 6.5 seconds and the turbocharged 2.0-liter engine displaying minimal lag.
Driving through the streets of Dubai, especially in traffic, afforded plenty of opportunities to gauge the car’s behavior during acceleration, slow crawls or boulevard cruises. In all cases it was silent, zippy and capable, with the transmission doing its job with little drama. Using the paddle shifters helped keep the revs in a more melodic range, but this was Dubai after all, so I desisted from overly conspicuous driving excesses.
The suspension, meanwhile, kept the XC40 composed, and though the car has a soft ride, it was remarkably well-behaved on corners, displaying no hint of understeer, thanks to the AWD system. Even the small steering ratio helps greatly in granting the car a relatively nimble demeanor, more than you would expect.
There’s also very little wind or tire noise, which makes driving it all the more pleasant. However, don’t expect a roller-coaster ride as the steering, precise as it is, feels detached, offering little feedback. But as I said, this is not a boy racer. It does exactly what it’s supposed to: behave like a comfortable SUV.
And one of the places that comfortable SUV took us to was a spot called Kava & Chai right on the coast. Don’t ask me where; I get lost in Dubai every time I visit. Why am I mentioning this? Because they have this thingamajig that makes one cup of coffee every six hours. If you decide to go in a group, make sure you’re first in the door, otherwise by the time you get your coffee you may have lost your desire to live. Unless they have more than one of those contraptions, which now that I think about it makes more sense.
