The Drive Report: Volvo XC40 (facelift)

XC40 B4, Silver Dawn

Volvo’s been riding a tremendous wave of success on the back of the XC40 model. With local assembly of the XC40 Recharge having been announced and deliveries already being made, the XC40 sub-brand has emerged as a fairly successful case study of what makes for a good base-level luxury vehicle in India: a compact luxury SUV, with balanced proportions, all the essential luxury staples, and a bit of badge-value thrown in for good measure.

With the electric model hogging all the limelight, it’s easy to miss the car that laid the foundation for its (presently sold out) EV counterpart. The standard petrol XC40 now arrives with mild design upgrades, which include a reworked bumper, fog lights, sharper headlamps, and new five-spoke alloys, rounded-off with black roof rails and black wing mirrors.

The changes are subtle  – stuff only true anoraks would notice or care about. The big change comes in the form of mild-hybrid technology, here to relieve you of the woes of rising fuel costs. Mind you, it’s not a hybrid in any way that really counts. But the incremental changes do make a difference. Question is, are they the good kind?

Adding a 48V starter motor appears to be the first order of business for many luxury carmakers, in a bid to manage fuel economy and give a bit of a power boost. Volvo has done the same, resulting in nearly 7 bhp of additional power of, amounting to a total of 194 bhp, which is pretty decent for a 2.0-litre turbo petrol.

Yet, the mild-mannered XC40 isn’t as zesty in its delivery of linear speed like some of its competitors. This is partly due to the gearbox which, presumably in a bid to improve the economy, no longer features an ‘S’ mode. The eight-speed torque converter prefers to build speed gradually, in a linear manner, and so misses the thrills that perhaps an electric powertrain would offer. Still, 300 Nm of torque is nothing to scoff at. That, and the 48V motor, do add to the overall power, so even though lower-end performance isn’t the quickest, it does find its rhythm later on, all the way to the redline.

Volvo’s been sticking to the “don’t fix what isn’t broken” philosophy when it comes to interior design, and as such neither the XC40 nor the XC90 have seen any major overhaul to the basic layout of the dashboard. The XC40’s interiors were getting a bit long in the tooth, but Volvo has thankfully spruced things up for the mild-hybrid. Considerably. In fact, the crystal gear knob is perhaps the least significant of all the interior changes.

In increasing order of relevance, there’s a PM (particulate matter) 2.5 air purifier, leather upholstery (perplexing, given Volvo’s bid to go carbon neutral), a 14-speaker Harman Kardon sound system (one of the best in the business), wireless charging, and an extensive list of ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) features.

These include collision mitigation support, lane-assist, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, hill-start, and hill-descent, among others. The lane-assist feature can be occasionally erratic or overzealous but on the whole, the additions go on to further bolster the XC40’s safety credentials.

Although the system is Apple CarPlay-enabled (not wireless) there is an in-built Android OS, which makes it very easy to access Google Maps as also other apps like Spotify, etc., which come pre-loaded. The screen resolution remains unchanged, but the interface continues to be intuitive, and easy to access and read. A few more analog buttons would have been great.

While the arrival of Audi’s formidable Q3 does dull the sheen on the otherwise wholesome XC40 B4, this is still a comfortable, efficiency-focussed car with a firm emphasis on safety (it’s a Volvo) and plenty of comfort.

With a price tag of Rs 45.90 lakh it doesn’t possess any price advantage over the likes of the Q3 (Rs 44.89 lakh) or the Mercedes-Benz GLA (Rs 44.09 lakh). Still, the ADAS features are a nice touch. Apart from being easy on the eyes, the CX40 comes with an exceptionally insulated cabin, good performance, space, and ride quality.

Given that Volvo’s service network isn’t as extensive as that of its European competitors, a revised price tag would make the XC40 a more compelling choice. But if you’re particularly susceptible to the charms of a tastefully understated slice of Scandinavian comfort – the XC40 makes for an excellent entry-point to one of the most sensible car brands in the world.