Volvo’s XC40 Recharge EV – XCEPTIONAL

Volvo’s XC40 Recharge EV

XCEPTIONAL

Santa Clarita, CA – Forget, for a moment, the XC40 Recharge’s rear-drive motor and 293 miles of all-electric range. Focus, instead, on the XC40’s two-box architecture, expansive greenhouse and 175 inches of overall length. It is, in short, the perfect urban runabout, whether the ‘urban’ is downtown DC, a ½-hour from where we live, or suburban Los Angeles, where our two granddaughters live. If inclined to drive to your destination and subsequently park, the small Volvo’s footprint is just about perfect for that two-step process. And while in no way is this newish EV your mom’s 245 wagon, that car’s virtues – including space for five and generous cargo room – are successfully reclaimed and repurposed.

In its two-box profile Volvo’s XC40 – despite its SUV categorization – has more in common with VW’s GTI than Chevy’s Tahoe or Suburban. On a wheelbase of 106 inches and an overall length of just under 175 inches, in profile the Volvo speaks to the company’s heritage, while including an overtone (or two) from Scion’s 2^nd-gen xB. Neither tiny nor tinny, the XC40 delivers a substantial feel within those smallish dimensions; every door closes tightly, and every touchpoint feels solid. And that vault-like solidity is underscored by Volvo’s traditional emphasis on safety. Whether carrying young children or older parents, there’s a sense of onboard safety accompanying every trip.

Inside, the Swedish aesthetic is fully communicated via the XC40’s clean – albeit not sterile – interior design. I didn’t find the touchscreen as intuitive as I might have hoped, but if you own it for more than a week I’m confident it can be deciphered. The XC40’s Vapour Grey exterior is complemented by a light grey cloth interior, which is pleasing to the eye; that is, pleasing to the eye before the In-N-Out cheeseburger or chocolate shake land. And on an hour-long drive from our holiday zip code in Santa Clarita to rotisserie chicken in Ojai, five adults were comfortable.

On the road, the XC40 Recharge underscores what I’ve come to like in almost all EVs: The powertrain delivers its power – with the single motor the XC40 offers 248 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque – in a smooth, seamless way that is both recreational and utterly serene. While the Volvo’s 0-60 in under 7 seconds isn’t astonishingly fast, it’s more than adequate, and in a driving environment that forces you to merge with I-5 traffic doing most of 80, the motor and its 2WD hookup never complain.

On the winding asphalt between Fillmore and Ojai, a bit of body lean distances the Volvo from that GTI, but the steering is direct and the braking both sure and reassuring. With its upright seating position and generous glass area, the Volvo seems fully appropriate to either a run to the mall or a coastal run north to Monterey. But with the dearth of charging options between coasts, I’d probably opt for something else if going to Montana.

And if there’s a blemish in this all-electric assemblage, it’s the need to conveniently access chargers when out-of-town. Los Angeles is – at least figuratively – covered with them, but then you hit the Whole Foods lot on Christmas day and find those chargers that work already in use; two of the seven aren’t working. Plan B, the ½-dozen or so chargers adjacent to Santa Clarita’s mall, are also in use, so we end up using a ChargePoint charger at the back of a Mercedes showroom and rely on the app to notify us when charging’s complete.

There’s also the XC40’s price point. At a time when virtually every OEM is offering lease payments at – or below! – $300/month, Volvo will ask you for closer to $500. And if buying, know that no parts in its Belgium assembly point come from the U.S. or Canada, while 50% are sourced from China. As you already know, Mr. Trump’s people won’t like that.

At a time when the Biden administration’s EV mandates are very much up in the air, the Volvo team offers both the electrified XC40 Recharge with both rear (single motor) and all-wheel drive, as well as a gasoline-powered variant with a mild hybrid assist. The gas version goes for just over $40K, while the EV starts at just over $50K. And yes, a smaller carbon footprint still means less in the checking account.