Volvo has decided to add a dash of swagger and verve to the electric car segment under Rs 65 lakh with the new C40 Recharge. This will be Volvo’s second all-electric SUV in the stable for the Indian market. No doubt the C40 Recharge makes a sweeping statement with its suave presence, but we reveal there’s more to this eye candy than meets the eye.
Volvo C40 Recharge: Exteriors
There are no mincing words. Volvo is bringing sexy back with the stunning C40 Recharge. The coupe SUV is the more swanky and upscale version of the XC40 Recharge. With the eye-catching sloping roofline, does this reduce the headroom for rear passengers? We shall talk about that a bit later but one thing is for sure the C40 Recharge offers much-improved aerodynamics, which translates into a better kilometer range.

For a change, let’s start with the bootylicious rear. With an all-new angular rear windshield, the C40 Recharge sports two spoilers, one on the roof and the other on the tailgate. These spoilers improve the aerodynamics and stability at high speeds and Volvo claims that this also helps in increasing the range by 4 per cent. It also gets freshly designed sleek LED tail lamps that extend into the boot lid.
Moving to the side profile, the truncated roofline and the jagged rear window sill add flamboyance to the C40 Recharge. To add a robust stance, the C40 Recharge looks like it has hit the gym as it flexes bulging biceps like wheel arches along with 19-inch five-spoke diamond cut alloys. The electric SUV comes with low rolling resistance tyres, which according to Volvo help improve up to 8 per cent in range.
The front design is the typical Volvo design language with the signature Thor’s Hammer LED headlamps but the manufacturer has decided to up the game by introducing Pixel LED headlights for the first time in India. Each headlamp has 84 pixels that ensure better illumination and safety as it doesn’t blind oncoming cars. Apart from this, the C40 Recharge remains pretty much the same as its XC40 Recharge including the front bumper, bonnet and the body-coloured front grille.

With a reasonably raised floor, the C40 Recharge’s luggage space has gone down to 413 litres from the XC40 Recharge’s 452 litres though it retains the 31-litre frunk area, which is spacious enough to store backpacks or charging chords.
Volvo C40 Recharge: Interiors
The cabin layout is typical of a Volvo and looks similar to the XC40 Recharge’s cabin. To reduce carbon footprint, Volvo’s new philosophy is to use no leather in the cabin. As sacrilege as it may sound for a premium vehicle, the C40 Recharge is entirely leather-free. It continues with a 9.0-inch portrait-style touchscreen with slim AC vents, topography-inspired back-lit ambience light on the dashboard and a 12.3-inch fully digital instrument cluster.

The quality of materials and fit and finish remains as good as you’d expect from Volvo. The infotainment system is Android-based and provides direct access to Google Maps and Assistant, and other apps including the PlayStore. The screen is intuitive and has a crisp resolution but the OS needs to upgrade as it is showing signs of ageing as the latest Android phone OS offers new functions and looks more dynamic. There’s good news for iPhone users as Apple CarPlay is available.
The C40 Recharge comes standard with a fixed panoramic roof which provides UV protection and heat radiation. As we were driving this SUV during monsoon, it would be interesting to see how the roof manages to keep the heat out of the cabin in peak summertime. Apart from this, it comes with wireless phone charging, a 360-degree camera, ADAS tech, powered front seats with driver-side memory function, dual-zone climate control and a 600W 13-speaker Harman Kardon sound system with a subwoofer.
As it’s a coupe, the roofline does shave off some vital headroom. For a 6-foot-tall passenger, he or she will be forced to crouch down. Add to that the rear windows have also shrunk making the rear space feel less spacious than one would have liked. The C40 Recharge has chunky pillars and a narrow rear windshield which results in poor rear vision with the internal rearview mirror.

In terms of comfort, the seats are very supportive and pamper you. The rear passengers may find the under-thigh support a bit underwhelming but there’s enough legroom. It will be a tight squeeze for three adults to sit in the back as the middle seat is narrow and as the C40 Recharge is based on an ICE vehicle, it has a tall transmission tunnel that eats away legroom in the centre.
Volvo C40 Recharge: Driving Experience
Here is why we called the C40 Recharge cheeky as it doesn’t come with a start-stop ignition button. The driver has to simply sit on the seat and slot the gear stick to D and off it goes. Like the XC40 Recharge, the C40 Recharge is powered by twin motors with a power output of 402bhp and 660Nm of torque. Step on the pedal and it drives in a blistering pace like a bat out of the hell. A caution note is that the acceleration is so manic that one can experience a whiplash. Even though I’m smiling from ear to ear, I’ll just give you an idea of how fast the C40 Recharge is. According to Volvo, it does 0-100 kmph in a mere 4.7 seconds, shaming many cars in the ultra-luxury segment.
Watch Video: Top 5 highlights of Volvo C40 Recharge
What is interesting to note is that Volvo has gone old school and has done away with different driving modes. All you need to do is play around with the accelerator. Unlike the XC40 Recharge which has a 50:50 power distribution, the C40 Recharge is rear-wheel bias with a 60:40 ratio.
Though it offers a decent ride, one needs to ease off the pedal on broken roads and potholes as the slight tremors will be felt. As it is set up on the firm side, the C40 Recharge remains predictable while blasting past corners, but the weight and the body roll can be felt. The steering wheel is light and makes driving in the city effortless. One has the option to make it slightly heavier via an infotainment system.
Like the XC40 Recharge, the C40 Recharge is based on the CMA platform (Compact Modular Architecture), but the coupe SUV claims a range of 530km in a single charge on the WLTP cycle, which is over 120 km more than its sibling. The secret behind this success is the much-improved aerodynamics and the new battery technology. With a 150kW DC charger, it can be juiced up from 10-80 per cent in 27 minutes.

Volvo C40 Recharge: Verdict
The C40 Recharge is one of the most gorgeous EV SUVs available in the market. It is pleasing to the eyes and comes with features ADAS suite. When compared to its rivals, the C40 Recharge feels slightly bare as it doesn’t offer all the bells and whistles that are expected from a luxury vehicle including a wireless Apple CarPlay. It does offer one pedal driving that activates the regen feature but the brakes do feel slightly intrusive. In terms of performance, it is the fastest by far and is a treat for enthusiasts. This coupe SUV will be slotted above the XC40 Recharge and could cost under Rs 65 lakh.