Volvo C40 Recharge Review: Is It The Best EV From Volvo?

Volvo Cars has expressed some strong ambitions with regards to electrification for the near future. The Scandinavian carmaker aims to have an all-electric line-up by 2030 and wants to convert at least half of its fleet to EVs by the middle of this decade. Last year Volvo launched its first EV in India, the XC40 Recharge, and now it’s bringing in the second one - the C40 Recharge. Although based on the same platform, the C40 Recharge is the first ‘Born Electric’ vehicle from Volvo, meaning it doesn’t have an Internal Combustion Engine or ICE counterpart. I got to spend a few hours with the new EV to find out how different it really is, and whether it's Volvo’s best attempt at an EV yet.

Design & Dimensions

The Volvo C40 Recharge is the second EV from the carmaker and it's related to the XC40 Recharge

The new Volvo C40 Recharge is built on the same Compact Modular Architecture or CMA platform that underpins the XC40 Recharge. In fact, the coupe crossover also shares some of its design cues with the electric SUV, especially the face. You get the same clamshell-style bonnet with sharp sculpted lines and a body-coloured panel in place of the grille with the Volvo mark. The EV also comes with the signature Thor’s Hammer LED daytime running lamps and new LED headlights with pixel technology, and these are adaptive lights. The design of the air intakes also looks identical, and so do the LED foglamps and the 19-inch alloy wheels.

Also Read: Volvo C40 Recharge Launch And Booking Details Revealed

The face is identical to the XC40 Recharge featuring the same design and styling

Walk towards the sides and you will start noticing a different car. The sloping roofline looks clean and sporty, which is further accentuated by the twin spoilers, which have made the C40 Recharge more aerodynamic. The company claims that this has helped improve not only the car acceleration but also range, but more on that later.

The C40 Recharge also gets a unique light signature for the LED taillamps

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. In terms of dimensions, the C40 Recharge is about 60 mm shorter than the XC40 Recharge, whereas the length, width, and wheelbase remain unchanged.

Interior & Cabin Features

The C40 Recharge comes with a minimalist cabin inspired by the XC40 Recharge 

Step inside and you’ll see that the story largely remains the same. Volvo has gone for the same minimalist design we saw in the XC40 Recharge while retaining some of the visual elements. 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. The placement of the AC vents and the usage of chrome details are also similar.

Volvo has gone for a no-leather cabin with the C40 Recharge and it also uses recycled materials

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 seats are well bolstered, and both the driver and front passenger get power adjustability, although the former also gets a memory function.

 The new EV from Volvo also gets a nice panoramic glass roof that looks very premium

Volvo is offering dual-zone automatic air conditioning, however, like most European cars, the cooling is not the best. The C40 Recharge also comes with a new panoramic glass roof that totally enhances the premiumness of the cabin. Plus, you also get a wireless phone charger, and two Type-C ports with fast charging capabilities.

Despite being a coupe, the rear seat offers good headroom, knee room and legroom

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. Having said that you do get a retractable armrest with cup holders, rear AC vents, two additional Type-C ports and a humidity sensor among others. 

The C40 Recharge offers a generous 413 litres of boot space which can be further expanded 

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.

Infotainment & Tech

The 9-inch touchscreen display comes with Google Built-In and it also supports Apple CarPlay 

In terms of tech, 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. Volvo also offers the CleanZone air purifier which shows the air quality index (AQI) on the infotainment screen. 

It's 12.3-inch digital instrument shows a bunch of in-car information 

Volvo also offers a 12.3-inch fully digital instrument cluster which shows a bunch of information like battery life, range, navigation tyre pressure and much more. Sadly, you do not get ventilated seats, which is something that you’d expect in this segment.

Safety Tech & ADAS

Safety has always been one of the key USPs for Volvo cars, and the C40 Recharge is no exception. The electric crossover already holds a 5-star safety rating from Euro NCAP. Plus, you get features like 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 comes with a host of advanced safety tech 

The C40 Recharge also comes with Level 3 ADAS functionalities. In fact, it is one of the first cars to get this advanced driver assistance tech and features 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. In fact, during our drive, I felt the system was not really as intrusive as some of the other cars with Level 2 ADAS in the market. However, I would like to drive the car in both city and highway extensively before commenting more about it. The list of ADAS functions include – adaptive cruise control, front and rear collision mitigation, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring and cross-traffic alert.

The car gets Level 3 ADAS, and it comes with 5 cameras, 3 radars and 12 ultrasonic sensors

Volvo has also updated its one-pedal function, wherein simply by lifting your foot off the accelerator the electric motor slows down the car, thus minimising the use of brakes. The system feels a lot smarter, and it works quite nicely. 

Battery Pack & Performance

The C40 Recharge comes with charging ports on either side

Volvo Cars will offer only the Twin charge variant of the C40 Recharge in India, which gets two electric motors, each attached to the front and rear axles respectively, thus offering an all-wheel drive setup. Powered by a 78 kWh battery pack, the electric motors collectively generate an output of 402 bhp and 660 Nm of peak torque, both identical to the XC40 Recharge. However, here’s where things get interesting. 

Powered by a 78 kWh battery pack, the C40 Recharge offers a range of 530 km on a single charge 

Despite having the same setup, the C40 Recharge is quicker by 0.2 seconds on the 0-100 kmph sprint, at 4.7 seconds. Moreover, it also offers an increased range of 530 km (WLTP) on a single charge. Right now, the XC40 Recharge has a claimed range of 418 km.

The C40 Recharge is a much more fun-to-drive and exciting electric vehicle from Volvo

So yes, the C40 Recharge is a much more fun-to-drive and exciting electric vehicle from Volvo. The company claims that it is because of the new aerodynamic design. 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.

Ride and Handling

The ride quality is very plush and comfortable. And it also handles quite nicely

The C40 Recharge’s ride quality is also one of its big USPs. The XC40 Recharge was a bit on the stiffer side and wasn’t great at handling the sharp undulations and bumps on the road nicely. But the C40 is much better on that front. The ride quality is very plush and comfortable. And it also handles quite nicely. The steering is a bit too light for my liking, however, as you move up the speedometer it weighs up nicely. The electric crossover’s NVH levels are also extremely nice.

Verdict

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. The electric crossover offers some advanced tech, premium creature comforts, superior performance, and an excellent range. And if the company manages to keep the ex-showroom price under Rs. 60 lakh, then it would certainly be a sweet deal. The new Volvo C40 Recharge will go on sale in India on September 4, 2023.