Free Car Mag is by the stage to witness the Volvo XC40 being crowned European Car of the Year…
The new Volvo XC40 urban SUV is now available to order in the UK, with on-the-road prices starting at £27,905 for the T3 Momentum version.
The XC40 is Volvo’s first ever premium compact SUV, and is also the first model to be built on the company’s all-new CMA (Compact Modular Architecture) platform. Designed primarily for the city, it features much of the advanced connectivity, entertainment and safety technology from Volvo’s newest 60- and 90 series cars, the XC60, S90, V90 and XC90. It is also powered by Volvo’s efficient Drive-E engines, and is offered with front- or all-wheel drive, and with manual and automatic gearboxes.
Three petrol and two diesel engines will initially be available, with power ranging from 150 to 250 hp. All these engines are 2.0-litre, four-cylinder units: there are 156 hp T3, 190 hp T4 and 247 hp T5 petrols, and 150 hp D3 and 190 hp D4 diesels. The T3 is available exclusively with front-wheel drive, while the D3 is offered in front- or all-wheel-drive form. The T4, T5 and D4 come with all-wheel drive and an automatic gearbox. An automatic gearbox is also available on D3 versions. Full technical details of these engines will be released at a later date. Other powertrains will be offered later in the XC40’s lifecycle.
Entry-level Momentum versions have the most expressive styling, including textile and vinyl interior upholstery and the option of a contrast-coloured white roof and door mirrors, along with white and black alloy wheels.
Momentum XC40s are extremely well equipped as standard, including Volvo’s cutting-edge Sensus 9″ touch screen that works in tandem with the sophisticated voice-activated control system. The class-leading connectivity features continue with sat-nav, which includes real-time traffic information (RTTI)** and lifetime map updates, and three USB sockets. The Sensus system also allows access to a range of web apps**, including Spotify, TuneIn, Google Local Search and Yelp.
The ground-breaking Volvo On Call smartphone app and emergency assistance package is also fitted to every XC40. This allows you to control various functions of your car remotely from your smartphone or smartwatch, such as locking and unlocking the doors, and, on automatic versions, even starting the engine in order to pre-heat or cool the cabin. It can also automatically alert the emergency services if your car is involved in an accident, and use the car’s inbuilt GPS to direct them to your precise location.
