Volvo C40 Recharge review: Extraordinary ... normal?

Volvo has with that C40 recharge launched their first all-electric model. You can find out how we liked it so much in the two-week test period here.

When you think of Volvo, you probably have the safety aspect in mind. This remains represented in the C40 Recharge. Whether the Swedes have also made great effort with the rest of the car or whether the Chinese affiliation of the group has also left its mark? We clarify all these topics in this test report, but one thing should be said in advance: The Volvo C40 Recharge is a really good electric car. Who prefers the SUV variant, the XC40 Recharge wants to see, reads best this test report. My colleague David was able to drive the XC40 extensively in Austria.

Design: Swedish through and through

Volvo's design is unique. It runs through all modern Volvo vehicles. The C40 Recharge has been given the longest LED rear lights. This puristic and minimal mindset of the Swedish car manufacturer is also evident in the interior. Be it the light that bears the name "Thor's Hammer" or the ambient lighting that shows a topographical landscape in Sweden. Volvo has a good eye for detail and design (you can see that with the Swedish flags on the seats, for example).

Interior: Minimalist but stylish

In the interior, Volvo has relied on its well-established design, but has improved or changed a few subtleties. The steering wheel feels very valuable and is made of artificial leather. In general, Volvo states that there is a completely animal-free interior in the C40. This is very good, especially from the environmental point of view. The seats were both electronically adjustable in our test car configuration. The cockpit display offers a very high-resolution display and has two views to choose from. Here you notice the minimalist touch that Volvo is aiming for. The media control elements are located directly below the central display. These are very easy to access and use.

While many manufacturers rely on touch buttons on the steering wheels, Volvo continues to rely on proven, "real" buttons on the C40 and XC40. The operation is quite simple. The "assistance systems" and the adaptive cruise control are on the left, and the media and voice control buttons are on the right. In general, you feel very comfortable in the C40 Recharge and you can get to the desired functions in just a few steps without having to think too much. Here Volvo has designed a very good operating concept for the interior.

Infotainment: Android Automotive at full speed

As a rule, one would now expect an infotainment system that works "well", but would need improvement. At least if Volvo didn't rely on Android Automotive. But the new Google software is built into the XC40 and C40 Recharge.

In short, Google offers everything your heart desires. It doesn't matter whether it's being able to use Spotify directly without a cell phone connection or asking the Google Assistant what's coming up today. Or even better, open the garage door with a voice command.

Image: Alexander Karwig for TechnikNews

The system works very smoothly and quickly without long waiting times or stutters. Volvo has installed a 4G LTE e-SIM in the C40 Recharge. This provides the necessary internet connection for Spotify, YouTube Music or the Google Play Store and the apps that are available there. Unfortunately, there is no Netflix or YouTube video app at the moment. These should probably appear in the Play Store on Android automotive systems at a later date. We are curious, because it can be used to combat the (bore) loading time.

The climate control also works via the central display. Just like the other vehicle settings, these run wonderfully in everyday life without any stuttering or performance problems. You can return to the main screen at any time using the physical home button below. Google's path into cars, especially electric cars, is a successful one. After two weeks of using Android Automotive in everyday life, I can more than confirm this. More and more manufacturers are relying on a proproprietary system, based on Google's all-inclusive solution. Most recently, the Renault Megane E-Tech Electric came onto the market with Android Automotive. Polestar started with the Polestar 2. Volvo has now also equipped two models with Google's operating system - and in the future even BMW wants to go into Google's solution. We are more than excited to see where the journey is going.

Driving impression: 408 hp with all-wheel drive is (a lot) fun

Thanks to the Recharge TWIN motor system in the C40 Recharge, our version has a 50:50 distributed all-wheel drive system. 204 hp on the rear axle and 204 hp on the front axle. You can feel this, even on rocky and hilly terrain the C40 is easy to drive, but even on the open road the sprint from a standstill using "launch control" from 0 to 100 km/h takes just 4,7 seconds. Not bad for an SUV coupe. In short, it is really a lot of fun to drive. The suspension is very comfortable and you don't feel every little pothole. Thanks to the "one-pedal" mode, recuperation works right up to a standstill without any major problems. With some manufacturers you can only recuperate until you "coast to a stop" and don't have a "real" one-pedal feeling. But Volvo has integrated this mode very well.

The selector lever is very good for "shifting" in the 1-speed automatic transmission, which is actually present in every electric car. Although it was a bit confusing at first - pushing forward is backward and pushing backward is forward. But after a short period of getting used to it, this is more of a complaint at a high level. The electronic parking brake is right next to it as a simple button.

LED matrix light: An ingenious invention

In addition to "Thor's Hammer", Volvo is also equipping the C40 Recharge with their Pixel LED Matrix headlights. These illuminate the road at night thanks to high beam "masking" around vehicles driving next to you or in front of you (whether in oncoming traffic or in multiple lanes). This system is seen by many manufacturers and in my opinion the main feature to consider when buying or leasing a car is that it offers the Matrix LED headlights as an option.

Really more relaxed driving is possible at dusk or at night. The roadside remains illuminated with high beam and nobody on the road is blinded. Volvo manages to integrate this system very well. At least we didn't get a headlight flasher back when using it when driving at night. This is a sign that it seems to be working well. Thanks to a nice fade-in and fade-out animation, you can also see the light in action.

Range in everyday life: More than sufficient

In everyday life, I got through the work week well with the Volvo C40 Recharge, and it also completed other longer journeys without any major problems. Volvo states a range of 449 km according to the WLTP standard. This is not really realistic. Unfortunately, the Volvo C40 Recharge and the XC40 Recharge use around 22 kWh/100 km in average consumption from the 69 kWh battery. Other comparable models are much more economical. Nevertheless, in the long-distance test with a mix of motorway and country roads, we managed around 360 to 380 km with the air conditioning switched on. In everyday commuting, the Volvo reached a maximum of 430 km according to the on-board computer when charged to 100 percent. A good value that should actually be sufficient for almost everyone in everyday life.

Various settings can be made in the on-board computer regarding charging planning. The important "charging limit" can also be set here, as the battery lasts longest when charged to 80 percent. In our test car, at least 80 percent was set as the default value. It is quite possible that Volvo also sets this as standard.

Sound system made by Harman Kardon: Good sound with sufficient bass

The C40 Recharge with all-wheel drive comes standard with a Harman Kardon sound system with 13 speakers and 12 channels that can be controlled. The system produces 600W. It sounds simply brilliant. There is no distortion at high volumes and even when the subwoofer is at 100 percent, nothing rattles in the vehicle. As a complete package, this sound experience definitely offers the usual Harman Kardon sound. Although we hope that a Bowers and Wilkins system will make it into a fully electric Volvo model in the future. According to experts, these are among the best sound systems in the high-end car audio segment.

Image: Alexander Karwig for TechnikNews

My conclusion: Sweden finally stole electric

With the first all-electric Volvo, the Swedes are doing some things right. When it comes to infotainment, you can get help from Google to KomproMisse to avoid and the rest of the car draws on the years of things that have made Volvo great. The space is plentiful, definitely good for an SUV coupe.

For the future, I might wish for a head-up display, as many vehicles from the competition currently offer. In addition, maybe a larger infotainment system, since 9 inches (approx. 23 cm) are unfortunately a bit too small in today's "display goes first" range from some other manufacturers. In terms of drive technology and driving experience, you have a lot of fun with the Volvo C40 Recharge. Therefore I give a real recommendation for the C40 Recharge. If you are looking for an SUV coupe with a good amount of space and an almost perfect operating concept, as well as all-wheel drive and 408PS, you will definitely be happy with the C40 Recharge.

The C40 Recharge is a normal car with modern features, without great technical innovations, but it relies on proven technology, which does a lot of things right. I'm still curious to see whether Geely or Volvo will develop their own e-platform in the future, because the only real point of criticism in my opinion is the high consumption. Otherwise, Volvo did pretty much everything right. We are excited about the next all-electric Volvo models.

Thanks to Volvo Germany for providing us with a C40 Recharge Twin for two weeks!

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