Is anyone cancelling their order b/c of reports of relatively low range? I'm think I'm keeping my order, but low range is a weak point...
I just posted a new thread yesterday called Pros and Cons vs competitors so take a look at that to get my perspective, but I agree the range is really disappointing. I have a 2019 Chevy Bolt now and I got an amazing deal on it brand new (13k off MSRP) so to go from a very small car pmt and more range to a bigger pmt and less range is making me meticuloualy weigh out all the pros and cons and if it's worth getting the XC40. For me it comes down to luxury, infotainment and cost. The Volvo will undoubtedly be nicer inside than my Bolt (the Bolt seats are absolutely terrible and uncomfortable for more than an hour in them), and faster, quieter and more comfortable than a Mach E or ID4 based on all early reviews. And having the Google OS, Google Maps, voice control and in general Google at your fingertips without the fuss of Android Auto or Apple CarPlay will be really nice. But I'd be downgrading in range, payment, and even some features that I love...when you put the Bolt in reverse you get both the backup cam and a top down 360 view of the car, which is amazing for parking. The Volvo only gives you the backup cam and this stupid worthless static image of the vehicle from the top down with little sensors that glow if you get close to something. It's a huge miss for Volvo, but something they could fix in software but who knows if they ever will.
Also the charging curve and peak rate on the Volvo in all early reviews is very poor and less than Volvo claims, so in a road trip or long day of driving you'll be stuck at a DC fast charger for much longer than if you have a Tesla or Etron etc.
And as someone who works in software I can tell you NEVER buy a product for what it might have or could have or is promised by the manufacturer, because those things may never come. You have to buy a product for what it has NOW and be ok if it never gets the improvements you want.
So with all that said it's really going to come down to cost for a lease. This is the kind of vehicle one should NEVER purchase outright, for 2 reasons:
1) The resale value will be awful. Between the high price and low range and slow charging, and the many new EVs coming out in the next year or two, the desire for anyone to buy this used will be very low and used prices will be terrible. You'll lose a lot of money reselling this at pretty much any time in the future.
2) Even if you keep this vehicle for many years, battery degradation will only decrease the range over time and in 5 years you'll likely have only 150 miles of total range or less. That's just not worth it for the MSRP of this vehicle.
So I'm waiting patiently for my Volvo dealer to contact me with details about the Recharge I ordered, and give me full details on a 2 and 3 year lease. If I don't like the numbers then I will decline delivery. One bet I'm willing to make is that demand will be low enough that they may offer additional incentives, or I will be able to negotiate with my dealer on the lease terms if I threaten to walk away. They may also wind up with a few Recharges on the lot from declined orders, and will offer incentives or sell those at a lower price and I can pay even less in a few months if I'm just patient and see how sales go. Since I'm not in a hurry and not 100% tied to the car, I have more power than the dealer and will just do what's in my best interest. I can just keep my Bolt and assess other EVs as the year goes on. I'll test drive the Mach E, and see what the new Audi Q5 etron looks like when it debuts later this year, as well as the ID4 and Nissan Ariya. I'll be sad to not have Google OS or the safety of a Volvo but it's just not worth it if the lease isn't good enough. So we'll see what the next couple months bring but I'll definitely post my experience on this forum as it happens.