► Newly rear-drive Volvo XC40 tested
► Rear motor boosts range and efficiency
► Available as single or twin-motor
It’s going to be a trivia question in the future, mark my words – cars that have been available as front, rear, and all-wheel drive within the same generation. The only one I can think of? The Mk5 Golf – FWD standard, AWD as an R32, and RWD as the insane W12 concept. It’s dubious.
Of course, it now applies to three closely-related electric cars – the Polestar 2, the Volvo C40 and this, the Volvo XC40 Recharge – since Volvo had a change of heart and decided that, actually, having a front-mounted motor and front-wheel drive wasn’t quite how they fancied doing EVs after all, thank you very much.
It’s rare to have such a massive change in powertrain within a single car’s model year – stranger too that the rest of the car hasn’t actually changed at all. We’ve driven the new XC40 around the Swedish countryside to see if the new motor makes much of a difference – and to see if the updated car can give the Tesla Model Y or the Mercedes EQA a run for their money.
What’s changed?
The switch to rear-wheel drive has little to do with drivability – and certainly nothing to do with big smokey drifts. It’s in the name of efficiency. Volvo reckons that, for a small EV, rear-wheel drive is more efficient. That’s a view it shares with the VW Group, MG, and Honda – though not the Stellantis Group or the Renault/Nissan/Mitsubishi Alliance.
For the first time, the XC40 and its sister model the C40 are using a Volvo-developed motor, too, although for the twin-motor variants the front unit is still bought-in.
Single-motor variants now have a more powerful electric motor by a hair – 235bhp instead of 228bhp – and the same 69kWh battery capacity, though Volvo’s increased the cooling efficiency. Range has therefore increased from 264 miles to 290 miles WLTP. It’ll do 0-62mph in 7.3 seconds.
The twin-motor, previously furnished with a pair of 201bhp motors, now has a 148bhp motor at the front and a 254bhp motor at the rear. It also gains a larger battery – 82kWh, up from 78kWh, for a not-at-all-insignificant range increase to 334 miles (up from 270 miles), again on the WLTP cycle. The benchmark sprint takes 4.8 seconds, and like all Volvos, the XC40 Recharge is limited to a top speed of 112mph.
Volvo reckons efficiency figures are up to 3.7 and 3.5 miles/kWh respectively, from 3.4 and 3.0 miles/kWh pre-update. The twin-motor variants also get a faster maximum charge rate of 200kW, which drops the 10-80% charge down to 28 minutes from a suitably powerful charger. The opposite is true for the single-motor, which now charges at a maximum of 130kW, as opposed to 150kW as it managed before.
Our test drive wasn’t very taxing – Swedish tarmac is buttery smooth and a glut of speed cameras prevented us from testing performance too much – but we kept a close eye on the range gauge. Happily, our car started with 400km, and after 50km it was displaying 350km remaining. Not always a given. Efficiency on our mixed but gentle test route sat at around 3.4mi/kWh.
Enough of the numbers – how does it drive?
Those hoping for a car that feels rear-wheel drive will be disappointed. The only real mark that this car isn’t front-driven is a lack of that trademark tyre scrabble that powerful, front-drive EVs suffer when you put your foot down.
Push the car hard and you might sense a little bit of rear-drive character – the front wheels have a little more grip not having to cope with the power, and you feel a little as though you’re pushed out of a turn rather than pulled.
The single-motor model is rapid enough for anybody, but the twin-motor is genuinely fast. Not Tesla-fast, but powerful enough to get you into trouble worryingly quickly.
The XC40 handles neutrally, with a little more body lean than more overtly sporty rivals such as the Tesla Model Y. Ride comfort’s clearly been prioritised and the payoff is compliance over bumps without too much wobbling about.
There are no drive modes, although you can make the steering firmer at the touch of an icon, and there’s an off-road setting. The main choice is whether or not to go for One Pedal driving. If you do, then the electric motors do most of your slowing down for you when you ease off the accelerator. If you don’t, the car will coast when you throttle back, and you need to press the brake pedal in the conventional way. There are pros and cons to both – potentially more energy is recaptured in One Pedal driving; it’s generally much smoother with One Pedal off. Different drivers will make their own decisions about which settings best suit which journeys.
What’s the interior like?
Very Volvo though being the brand’s smallest products there are elements of cost-cutting. Materials lower down are a little plasticky, and we’re not huge fans of the 3D-printed dashboard inlays. They’re backlit, and look amazing at night, but during the day they look and feel nasty.
The excellent Google-based infotainment system is present and correct, operated through the usual vertically-oriented 9-inch touchscreen. Though Volvo’s own veneer does bury some functions quite low down in the options list, the basic package is wonderful and probably our favourite of the touchscreen infotainment systems. If you’re a Google user, you won’t miss the lack of Android Auto – you can just sign into your own Google account and you’ve got maps, voice commands etc. at your fingertips.
Apple users can use CarPlay, though they’re missing out.
Otherwise, the XC40 still manages to delight with the little things. The wool upholstery of our test car was gorgeous – warm, grippy, classy, everything leather isn’t. The air vents have a pleasingly weighted action, and the controls are simple without being simplistic. Yes, we’d love a climate control panel of physical switchgear, but that’s hardly a unique complaint to this particular compact SUV.
Verdict
Rear-drive does seem to make sense for Volvo, if only by virtue of the increased range and efficiency. A realistic 250-mile range seems achievable if driven carefully, something you certainly couldn’t say about the old front-drive model, and it’s a pleasure to do distances in a comfortable, refined car with such a great interior.
The XC40 Recharge ain’t cheap, especially not on the Care by Volvo plan the brand’s so keen to push. Nor is it a real driver’s EV. But as compact, comfortable family transport, it may just make it onto the thinking person’s shortlist.