Why the new Volvo XC40 is the perfect first luxury car

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Volvo is known across the world for safety – cars that are safe and truly reliable. The Swedish brand has been bullish on its India-prospect and has brought in all of their latest products to India right after their global launches. From the full-size XC90 SUV, the premium S90 sedan and its country cousin the V90 Cross Country to the all-new XC60, we have got the best from Volvo in India. Now that the XC40 is slated to arrive next month, 4 July, we can’t help but ponder over why the new Volvo makes the best luxury car in the entry-level segment.

1. It is a proper SUV
While most of the luxury car brands in India prefer sedans or hatchbacks to lure buyers, Volvo gives us an SUV. Knowing how much we love our SUVs, the XC40 surely isn’t a difficult choice. And not only because it is a high rider, but also because the way it is designed. Those signature T-shaped Thor’s hammer all-LED headlamps combined with the high-mounted grille make one of the best fascia in the business. The boxy design with flared wheel arches, large alloy wheels and the peripheral cladding add muscle to the equation. Completing the Volvo trademark are the vertically stacked tail lamps.

2. The luxury
Yes it is the luxury segment and the Volvo also adds style to it. The layout is refreshingly different than the competition with the black interiors and the large tablet-like touchscreen dominating the proceedings on the dashboard. The quality of materials is good and the brushed aluminium highlights add class. You have everything from power-seats, power-mirrors, an electric sunroof, two-zone climate control, cruise control to auto-dimming rear-view mirrors.
Being a square SUV, the cabin space is generous and the seating is made comfortable with the bucket seats in the front and the comfy bench in the back. And the bootspace will eat up more than all your luggage for the weekend.

3. Safety
Volvo has been the global pioneer of safety and the new XC40 is one of the safest cars in its segment. Along with a cocoon of airbags, the Volvo XC40 gets lane-keep assist, lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control. This is in addition to the basic safety net of an electronic stability program replete with ABS, EBD, traction control, hill-hold function and parking sensors with rear-view camera.

4. Technology
The 9-inch touchscreen display in the centre console helps you manage the entire car from tweaking the climate control to setting up the driving modes and lane-keep assist, lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control. The instrument cluster is fully digital and displays all the necessary information like the trip computer, fuel economy, distance to empty etc.

5. Performance
The Volvo XC40 is built on the CMA platform that is derived from the larger SPA platform and has been designed to allow seamless electrification of the powertrain. While the electric and hybrid options will come in later, the Volvo XC40 gets the modern 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine that pumps out 190bhp of power and 400Nm of torque. Mated to an eight-speed automatic, power is sent to all-four wheels through the Haldex AWD unit. The ride is comfortable and it also holds well around corners and is good enough for the weekend off-road trails if you wish, making it one of the most comprehensive packages in its segment.