My son asked me recently: “What’s your favourite luxury car brand?” and I must admit, I had genuinely not thought about it.
After a few seconds of thought, my wife and I both blurted out: “Volvo.”
There’s just something so cool about the Scandinavian brand; its uncluttered interfaces, its innovation, its sustainability programmes, the way its vehicles fit seamlessly into your life ...
Take, for example, the fully electric Volvo XC40 P8 Recharge. You don’t even need to switch it on. You just get in, and drive away.
@lancethewit10 Things I love and hate about the @Volvo Cars #XC40 P8 Recharge @IOLNEWS #cars #carreview #review #electricvehicle #ev #carlovers #fyp #motoring #XC40Recharge #xc40rechargepureelectric #petrolhead ((Shot by @lisa charles ♬ original sound - Lance Witten450
I’d always found the XC40 to be rather cute and funky, but had never considered it to be family-car worthy. That is, until I got the chance to experience it in the flesh, as it were.
I happened to have on test at the time the Mahindra XUV300 W8 petrol, which has similar interior dimensions and a taller ride height, but the way Volvo has packaged the XC40 makes it feel so much more spacious.
As a family man, I like big boots and I cannot lie.
The XC40’s is massive for a car its size. It’s easily three times the size of the Mahindra’s (which, to be fair, is a sub four metre vehicle owing to the tax break this affords buyers in India), and can easily swallow up your week-long getaway’s worth of luggage.
The cabin is spacious and airy, thanks to the massive panoramic sunroof, although, the sun shield could be better at keeping out the blazing South African sun.
There are nifty little hidey-holes for storage, and the seats are appointed in luxurious leather (before Volvo makes the switch to more sustainable automotive leather, already found in the Mahindra). It’s one helluva comfortable car to drive.
And of course, being fully electric, the torque on hand is immediate and the power endless. There’s no tapping out of revs on an electric vehicle, and the pull from the P8 Recharge truly is something else.
I’d driven the XC60 T8 Recharge hybrid before, so I’d become accustomed to one-pedal driving (lifting off the go-faster pedal immediately engages regenerative braking to help use the kinetic energy to recharge the battery), but if you’re not careful you might find yourself making your passengers car-sick with the inertia. You get used to it quickly enough and find you may never even need to use the brake pedal unless you’re parallel parking.
The XC40 full EV has one interesting quirk though - there’s no start button. It’s on from the moment you sit in the driver’s seat, engaging the air-con and infotainment system (that lovely portrait-oriented super-responsive haptic screen with the full Android OS), so all you have to do is slip it into drive and go. And when you’re done? Stick it in park and get out. That’s it. Tap any door handle and it locks when you walk away, grab any door handle to unlock.
Like I said: seamless.
And what about the range? Well, having had the turbo-petrol Mahindra at around the same time (which has a tiny fuel tank, by the way), I think we got more mileage out of a full charge than we did from a full tank - around 450km.
Range anxiety is real though, but owners needn’t fear; buy one and Volvo will install a wall-box at your home for smoother and more efficient charging. When you’re out, use your Volvo charge card to activate any of the Grid Cars charging stations and you’ll find yourself on an 80% charge in the time it takes you to grab a coffee.
@lancethewit10 Living with the @Volvo Cars #XC40P8Recharge means having to charge every so often. But it’s really quick and easy. Everything in life should be this user-friendly. #cars #carsoftiktok #carreview #electricvehicle #ev #fyp #Volvo #XC40 @IOLNEWS - full review coming soon! ((shot by @lisa charles ♬ original sound - Lance Witten450
Seriously, the fast chargers are incredible.
All you have to do is keep your charge card topped up with credits, the balance of which will be sent to you via updates on WhatsApp.
This car isn’t cheap - a touch over a million Randelas as at February 2023 - but you can pick up a petrol-powered one from R677k. However, what you’re spending extra on the full electric you’ll definitely save on fuel and running costs.
In sage green with the EV differentiated grille, the XC40 P8 Recharge is truly funky, gorgeous, and sexy, and the perfect family car. It’s also probably the best ambassador for full EVs in my opinion.
IOL Motoring