Volvo XC40 T3 | Test Drive | Auto Class Magazine

Volvo XC40 T3 | Test Drive

31 March 2020 Redazione News, Tested

Words by Tommaso Mogge / Photos by S. Lomax

It is the smallest reindeer SUV of the Swedish brand and it took very little time to get favors of the customers loyal to the brand and even those who would not usually have considered a Volvo as their next purchase. The trump cards of the XC40 are many in fact, starting from a car body contained in 443 cm long, 186 wide and 166 high, it nevertheless manages to maintain the appearance of a mature SUV, above all thanks to the imposing front-end dominated by the traditional Volvo grille, in this case even more accentuated thanks to the R-Design package.

Close to its launch, we had the opportunity to drive it in the most typical engines offered at the beginning of 2018, but the novelty is that the XC40 introduces a new 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol unit, an unusual choice for a car of this kind. Called precisely T3, the model of our test is also equipped with an 8-speed automatic gearbox capable of managing engine revs at their best, even without requiring action from the driver, which is however possible only through the well-made paddles placed behind the steering wheel. Ok then, the interesting premises introduced by a model designed to simplify everyday life without having to compromise are accentuated by the aesthetic aspect of this one I’m sitting in, which can be defined as the top of the range version of the T3 range, very nice to look at due to the contrast between the red and black of the body and with one of the more sober but at the same time better finished interiors you can possibly get.

The 3-cylinder is a 1.5 cc, it delivers 163 horsepower at around 5,000 rpm, but at the same time has 265 Nm of torque at just 1,850 rpm, making the XC40 rather agile, also thanks to the fact of maintaining the overall weight around a ton and half. Traction is only on the front wheels, but the fair ground clearance – which can also be increased by selecting the Off-Road mode – allows you to tackle terrain that would otherwise be unreachable with a normal hatchback or sedan. The sense of compactness that you feel on board, or observing it from the outside, is slightly affected by the noise of the engine, mainly when traveling in low gears or with the car stationary, but in that case the Start/Stop system comes into play and even if at times can become invasive during the maneuver, it further reduces fuel consumption and offers traffic lights stops immersed in complete silence. While stuck in traffic or during long journeys, the multimedia system identical to that of the bigger sisters XC60 and XC90 offers any sort of thing you could want on a car, including a large stack of driver assistance systems, a safety factor that has always been very dear to Volvo’s philosophy. As in the case of some competitors, having climate controls integrated in the touch screen is less practical than usual, but this contributes to keep the dashboard clean and almost completely free from physical buttons.

Among the various driving modes, alongside Off-Road we have Comfort, Dynamic and finally Eco. Each allows the car to take on considerably different behavior and feedbacks depending on the driver’s needs and know that despite the small size of the engine, this XC40 is also quite lively and will absolutely not make you miss the fourth cylinder. It is certain that the R-Design package plays an important role in the aesthetic characterization of the car, but analyzing the general picture from further away, one quickly realizes that it is the model itself that is something extraordinary. Good on fuel, agile in traffic as much as far from the city, roomy for five people and their luggage and with a fresh and modern look, we are in front of one of the very rare cases in which the entry model has absolutely nothing to envy to larger and therefore more expensive ones. Choosing an XC40 rather than an XC60 is not a mere matter of coins, but rather identifies itself in the actual need – or not – to have a few extra centimeters. The XC40 price list starts at just under € 30,000 with the T2, € 32,900 for the basic T3 and a few Euros more for the first diesel unit. It is such a rich range that it also offers mild-hybrid (from € 42,300), Plug-In hybrid (from € 47,770) and even Full Electric (from € 59,600) versions, but back to the model of our test, we start at around € 41.400, having the rich R-Design spec, the 8-speed automatic gearbox and all you can possibly ask for taking home a complete model capable of showing that in its particular case an SUV with only three cylinders is not a heresy, but a valid alternative.