Volvo is among the select few automakers who have set some strong ambitions for themselves with regard to electric vehicles. The company aims to have an all-electric line-up by 2030 and wants to convert at least 50 per cent of its fleet to EVs by the middle of this decade. The carmaker has already launched its first EV, the XC40 Recharger in India, and recently arrived the second one – the Volvo C40 Recharge, the carmaker’s first EV that doesn’t have a combustion engine-powered counterpart. I got to spend a short time with the EV sometime back and shared my experience on the car&bike website. If you haven’t read that already, here’s a quick review of the Volvo C40 Recharge, in pictures.
Also Read: Volvo C40 Recharge Electric SUV Launched In India At Rs 61.25 Lakh
The Volvo C40 Recharge is built on the same platform as the XC40 Recharge, but here you get a coupe crossover design that gives a sportier stance.
While the face is largely similar to the XC40 Recharge, the EV also comes with new pixel headlamps with adaptive lights, which are exclusive to the C40 Recharge. The signature Thor’s Hammer LED daytime running lamps are also offered.
Also Read: Volvo C40 Recharge Review: Is It The Best EV From Volvo?
As for the most distinctive element of the C40 Recharge’s design, it has to be the taillights. Volvo calls it the ‘Welcome’ and ‘Goodbye’ feature where every time you unlock or lock the car, the taillamps light up or go off in a unique sequential pattern. And it looks really cool.
The design of the dashboard and layout remains identical, except for the fact that now on the dashboard and on the doors, you get a new styling element, a backlit topography décor that represents the northern Scandinavian mountains.
Volvo has also gone for a no-leather interior, so the seats are upholstered in a combination of suede and textile Microtech materials. At the same time, the floor carpets and the door trims are made using recycled plastic and forest materials. The fit and finish are top notch.
The C40 Recharge also comes with a new panoramic glass roof that totally enhances the premiumness of the cabin. Sadly, you do not get ventilated seats, which is something that you’d expect in this segment.
As for rear seat comfort, even a person of my stature will have enough knee and legroom, and despite the sloping roofline, I had no complaints about the headroom as well. Yes, the under-thigh support could have been better, and the rear seat is only ideal for two adults.
The C40 Recharge also offers a generous 413 litres of boot space, which is expandable. However, a good part of it is taken up by the spare wheel.
The centre stage inside the cabin is taken by a 9-inch vertical touchscreen display, which has Google built-in, meaning you can access a bunch of Google and Android-supported apps. The touchscreen is quite intuitive, and it also supports Apple CarPlay in addition to a bunch of connected car tech.
The C40 Recharge is loaded with 7 airbags, seat belt reminders for all occupants, 360-view cameras, along with hill start assist and descent control, ISOFIX mounts and rain-sensing wipers.
The C40 Recharge also comes with Level 3 ADAS functionalities, featuring up to 5 cameras, 3 radar units, and 12 ultrasonic sensors. Collectively, they form a very sophisticated system that adapts to your driving style, and road and traffic conditions.
The coupe-like sloping roof, along with the twin spoilers at the back has reduced the drag coefficient, which in return has helped Volvo achieve faster acceleration and more range.
Powered by a 78 kWh battery pack, the C40 Recharge offers and output of 402 bhp and 660 Nm of peak torque, both identical to the XC40 Recharge. Despite having the same setup, the C40 Recharge is quicker by 0.2 seconds on the 0-100 kmph sprint, at 4.7 seconds.
The C40 Recharge is the right step in the right direction for Volvo to achieve its EV ambitions. There were a lot of things I liked about the XC40 Recharge and with the C40 Recharge, Volvo has taken all those things and made them even better.
Read the full review to get more details.
