Volvo pulled a rabbit out of the hat by confirming that the XC40 Recharge will be assembled in India. The all-electric SUV will mark its debut on July 26th. Before it drops cover, we tell you what to expect from this Nordic Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The XC40 Recharge is expected to be competitively priced and may rival the Kia EV6, which starts from Rs 60 lakhs, ex-showroom India.
Volvo XC40 Recharge Performance: Baby Face Assassin
The EV SUV may come across as the guy next door, but it packs a knockout punch that will make Iron Mike (former world boxing champion Mike Tyson) very proud. This cuddly-looking SUV is powered by twin motors on each axle and has a walloping output of 402bhp with a mind-boggling torque of 660Nm. The XC40 Recharge does a 0-100 km dash in just 4.9 seconds.
Volvo XC40 Recharge Battery: Goodbye Range Anxiety
With great power comes an impressive kilometre range and the XC40 Recharge doesn’t disappoint. The electric SUV will be powered by a 78 kWh battery, which translates into 418 km on the WTLP cycle. In real-world conditions, it showed a range of 350 km. With a 50kW DC fast charger, the Volvo XC40 Recharge can be completely juiced up in two and half hours and the standard 11kW AC charger takes around eight hours. The SUV can be charged by a 150 kW connection and it will juice up from 0 to 80 per cent in 40 minutes, but if you do find this ultra-fast charger in India then do let me know where it is.
Volvo XC40 Recharge: Balanced Cornering
Don’t be fooled by the XC40 Recharge’s typical SUV stance. It does come with an all-wheel-drive system that ensures this compact electric SUV enters and exits bends at a blistering pace. With a big battery tucked beneath the floor, the XC40 Recharge has a lower stance than its petrol avatar, which allows it to hold the road in full gusto thanks to the additional grip provided by AWD.
The XC40 Recharge’s steering wheel is on the lighter side like other Volvo vehicles and makes driving in the city an effortless experience. The electric SUV comes with a mode to increase the weight of the steering wheel making it more dynamic and involving to drive on the highway.
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Volvo XC40 Recharge: Fully Loaded
The XC40 Recharge is equipped with a slew of features like a 9-inch vertical infotainment system based on Google OS. With in-built Google Maps and Google Assist, it is very simple to select the destination without typing it and this system also gives easy access to the Play Store. It has a massive 12.3-inch all-digital instrument cluster and a powerful Harmon Kardon music system.
Knowing Volvo, it offers state-of-the-art safety functions — Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) including adaptive cruise control, collision mitigation support, lane-keeping aid, blind spot assist, Rear Auto Brake system, Level 2 Autonomous driving etc. Unlike many EVs, the XC40 Recharge doesn’t come with multiple driving modes but it has a One Pedal driving option that activates the regenerative system and lets the battery recharge every time the vehicle decelerates.
Volvo XC40 Recharge: Difference Between EV and Petrol Siblings
Currently, the Volvo XC40 is available only in petrol, but soon its electric version will be available in India. With the battery pack, the EV’s ground clearance is around 170mm while the petrol is 211mm. The fossil fuel SUV sports 18-inch alloy wheels, while the XC40 Recharge gets bigger 19-inch ones. The boot space of the XC40 Recharge is 419 litres, 41 litres less than the petrol version, but with the frunk offering 31 litres, the total space is 450 litres. The catch here is that the space saver eats up the space.
Also Read: Top 5 Upcoming Cars in India in July 2022: Citroen C3 to Toyota Hyryder
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