Volvo C40 is a highly attractive EV option at the price point

• Published date: 20 April 2024
• Author: Jason Woosey
• Publication title: Saturday Star

To get some politics out of the way first, Volvo has committed to an all-electric future by 2030

There are currently some doubts as to whether the future of the car industry is all-electric, and there are certainly valid concerns and debates that we need to have.

Nonetheless the Swedish carmaker is sticking to its guns and will soon be something of a battery car specialist.

It recently launched the new and far more mainstream EX30, which is likely to become the country’s best-selling EV, while the C40 will remain as something of a halo product for the brand.

The C40, by the way, has the distinction of being the brand’s first dedicated SUV, although I think that is a bit of a stretch since it is quite closely related to the XC40 compact SUV.

Nonetheless, the C40 does get its own unique body shell, with a coupe-like C-pillar giving it a fastback profile that’s almost at odds with its chunky SUV proportions. Yet it somehow just works, and quite brilliantly in my humble opinion, particularly thanks to those sporty 20-inch five-spoke alloys and especially when you order it in Fjord Blue.

After stepping inside, getting a move-on is a strange experience in the C40. You literally get in, shift into the right gear and you’re on your way in total silence. There’s no start button as once the car detects the key you’re good to go.

Changing out of reverse on the electronic gear stick is perhaps a bit more finicky than it should be, as you have to slot it into neutral before it goes into drive.

Once you are in “D”, exercise caution as the right pedal becomes something like a machine gun trigger.

The C40 is deceptively fast, but obviously it’s not a petrolhead kind of thrill. It feels a bit like a roller-coaster, pushing you back in your seat and leaving your stomach back at the stop street. All I can say is it’s a different kind of thrill, and I do appreciate that Volvo lets you experience it as it is rather than pretentious pipe-in-face exhaust sounds.

With an electric motor on each axle, the all-wheel drive C40 is good for 300kW and 660Nm, and Volvo claims a 4.7-second 0-100km/h sprint time.

But it feels faster than that number suggests, mostly because the instant torque gets you directly off the mark, from 0-40km/h for instance, quicker than...