[westminister]

I have had my XC 40 since December, 2019. There have been recalls and problems but my general
impression is a poorly made car when I had expected excellence.
It's noisy, has a dangerous right side blind spot, rough ride, seats unraveling underneath, cheap cargo cover
and plastic covers, has very poor mileage and on and on. I switched from an Audi which had much better ride,
construction, gas mileage, etc. and did a lot of research before leasing this car. Most reviews were very good
but of all the cars I've owned to date, this model has the poorest quality of interior and worst performance.
If anyone wants one and wishes to take the lease for 2 more years you may have it!!!!

 

[bdalameda]

I guess you should get another Audi. I have been a mechanic for 50 years and I disagree with you completely. My 2019 R-Design has been flawless, solid and reliable, having owned it now since the end of December 2018. My neighbors Audi has been ridiculously expensive to own and plagued with problems. It has had the cylinder head just replaced after 10 mos. of ownership.

 

[Romer]

I've owned a lot of upscale badges. Including Audi, et al. I've always joined these forums for whatever car I've had. And they tend to be magnets for complaints. My last car--2019 Acura RDX--had loads of complaints on the acuralink forums. But surveys showed 84% of owners would buy the car again. So we must be mindful of the self selection that occurs on these sites. That said I really like this XC40. Quiet cabin. Steady ride. Great handling. Sound system upgrade is excellent. Much more.

 

[swesleyc7]

I don't know about all these people complaining with anecdotes. I think they have overblown expectations and I believe they lack the technical familiarity with cars. Frankly, I'll respond with my own: I love my XC40 and really feel it has excellent build quality. I've owned brand new, recent-year Toyotas, Hondas, Subarus, and Fords and Volvo is my favorite overall. I have a friend that owned an Audi and when he needed to have something replaced or fixed, the part $ was exorbitant (eg. the sunroof shade latch was $150). I recently took my XC40 on some SERIOUS 4WD trails in Colorado and had to replace multiple underbody air panels, I ripped out the rear-drivers-side wheel well panel because the mud guard caught the ground, and I bent two underbody steel cross-members because I was bottoming out on rock. I was concerned at the parts cost because I bought it in 2019. Replacement panels, body screws and bolts, and steel crossmembers all told was ~$150.... parts or a brand new MODEL. Frankly, after now having intimate experience looking at the body construction and the engineering insight that went into design (I do my own oil changes as evidence I actually WANT to know and understand my own car), I am confident Volvo's engineering and constructability is far and above the brands I've known. Volvo inherited Ford's constructability when they were owned by them. Volvos look good, use good quality materials (unlike Toyota), and don't overcomplicate design like Audi.

 

[XC40Sven]

Sorry you hate it. I loved my 2019 r-design so much that I turned it in a few months early and leased a 2021 r-design. I used to drive BMW and I love my Volvo. So many great features and fun to drive at a good price.

 

[Jezza]

I definitely don't hate it and would say overall I really like the XC40, but I'm a little disappointed in the build/details quality.

 

[Nanc]

I guess you should get another Audi. I have been a mechanic for 50 years and I disagree with you completely. My 2019 R-Design has been flawless, solid and reliable, having owned it now since the end of December 2018. My neighbors Audi has been ridiculously expensive to own and plagued with problems. It has had the cylinder head just replaced after 10 mos. of ownership.

Sorry guy but the car is not the quality I was expecting from Volvo. My car gas door sometimes doesn’t open, my car floats to the right while driving, the car takes 3 pushes of the start button to shut off, the gas mileage is awful. I only own this xc40 2020 for 3 months. Huge mistake and I’m only happy that I leased it so I can give the inferior car back....

 

[evaNsUls]

I'm not sure I would use the word hate to describe my 2019 XC-40/Momentum- that might be extreme. I would have a hard time recommending it though. It's a fine car and, though I've had more problems then most, much of that is probably attributable to bad luck and/or being one of the first cars off the line (at least among those destined for North America).

One thing that doesn't get enough attention is how different the XC-40 is from the rest of the Volvo lineup in terms of quality. I've driven nearly every Volvo vehicle while my XC-40 was being repaired (most recently a brand new S90 that I returned a few hours ago), and I will say unequivocally that the XC-40 is the lowest quality vehicle that Volvo makes. All the other vehicles have quieter cabins, better audio systems (the audio in the S90 is amazing btw, if that's your thing), and an overall more premium feel, if only slightly. So if you're buying a Volvo and are expecting to get premium features, bear in mind that the XC-40 is something of an outlier in the Volvo lineup. Again, not a bad car and certainly way nicer then a CRV or something of that nature, but not the best of what Volvo has to offer either.

 

[Nanc]

Sooooo true!

 

[Rusty73]

LOL, I think the title of this thread is funny. Even though I don't hate the car, I don't think I will ever buy another Volvo. Anyway, I had my XC40 for about a year now. I thought very highly of Volvo at first, and then I noticed one deficiency after another. The first was the paint job. I first noticed the paint issue under the light in my garage, what I saw was the paint spray pattern or stripes on the hood. The second issue I noticed was when I was washing the car. I found defects in the tint. The defects I found can be best describe as lint getting caught in between the glass and aftermarket tint. I can understand having this issue if I had aftermarket tint done, but this car came straight from the factory. The third issue was with the door mirrors. Leave it to my OCD to find this problem. I notice something was off with my door mirrors when I was standing in front of my car and looking straight at it. The passenger side door mirror was not parallel with the body of the car, it had the appearance that the mirror housing was folded in a little. I was told by the dealership that this is normal and they showed me that all the other xc40's on the lot were designed the same way, however they could not give me an exlplanation to why Volvo designed this car that way. And the fourth issue I'm having is the HVAC system. When I have the blower set to my feet and to my upper body, I get no air coming out of the upper vents and very little air coming out of lower vents. I even had the blower set to the max and still could not feel anything on the upper vent.
I also experienced poor fuel milage with this car, it seems the only way to achieve decent fuel milage is to drive like there is an egg under the gas pedal. The ride comfort I am not impressed with. This car's suspension makes it feel like I'm in a bouncy tent. Any minor rough road surface, you better be holding onto the steering wheel. This was my first Volvo and I believe it will be my last.

 

[Alex_Alb]

I don't really understand some people ... if they are happy with the current car, why change? If you had an AUDI and were happy with it, why change? Just because the neighbor has an XPTO model?

 

[CVOLVO.COM]

LOL, I think the title of this thread is funny. Even though I don't hate the car, I don't think I will ever buy another Volvo. .......This was my first Volvo and I believe it will be my last.

I have owned and driven Volvo cars exclusively since 1969. I will agree the XC40 is radically different in some aspects with any other Volvo I've owned. Personally I like everything about the XC40. It's evolutionary, yet characteristically a Volvo. I guess you either love it or hate it. depending what you've previously owned and liked their quirks. I've never owned a North American or non-European car and cannot understand their design idiosyncrasies , as others may see them as benefits or attractive.

This Swedish expression sums up my opinion: "Jag GÅR hellre än jag kör japanskt "

 

[Jezza]

...I will say unequivocally that the XC-40 is the lowest quality vehicle that Volvo makes. ... So if you're buying a Volvo and are expecting to get premium features, bear in mind that the XC-40 is something of an outlier in the Volvo lineup.

It's also the lowest priced vehicle that Volvo makes, so wouldn't you expect a more expensive car to feel... more expensive? The XC-40 is a small car with a short wheelbase and I think that tends to contribute to a less luxurious sounding and feeling ride compared to the bigger, heavier models. As far as "premium features," my optioned-out XC40 has very nearly all the features of a friend's much more expensive XC90. I do agree that my XC40 (also one of the earliest cars off the line) has a few build quality issues; but, 40k miles and 3 years into it, it is holding up as well as any other car I've bought new.

 

[Alex_Alb]

Let's not compare Volvo S90 with XC40, please! It is the same thing as comparing Mercedes A-Class with Mercedes E-Class or higher.

 

[He Keith]

Sorry guy but the car is not the quality I was expecting from Volvo. My car gas door sometimes doesn’t open, my car floats to the right while driving, the car takes 3 pushes of the start button to shut off, the gas mileage is awful. I only own this xc40 2020 for 3 months. Huge mistake and I’m only happy that I leased it so I can give the inferior car back....

No, offense, but a little research shows Volvo, quality and reliability is meh at best. I will say the XC40 tends to have better numbers than the rest of their line up. If you want quality build and reliability then then Asians are usually better than most. There are exception to that general statement. I have owned numerous Acura’s and all were built well and very reliable. I owed a 2011 I finite M37 which as a year 1 car had a few minor issues, but overall solid car in the 39 months and 43K miles I owed it. I then had an Audi A6and it was built very well and was reliable I. The 3 years I owned that. My wife just bought a 21 XC40 T5 R-Design. We researched it and the XC40 seems to,be decent reviews around quality.

That said, now that we have it I can feel the less than usual tightness in build that I am used to and the rather “lightness” some of the components seem to have vs. the usual solid tightness. That said it seems like a nice car. Time will tell, and the wife wanted it and was happy after doing her research around quality and reliability.

 

[rlboston]

I don't know about all these people complaining with anecdotes. I think they have overblown expectations and I believe they lack the technical familiarity with cars. Frankly, I'll respond with my own: I love my XC40 and really feel it has excellent build quality. I've owned brand new, recent-year Toyotas, Hondas, Subarus, and Fords and Volvo is my favorite overall. I have a friend that owned an Audi and when he needed to have something replaced or fixed, the part $ was exorbitant (eg. the sunroof shade latch was $150). I recently took my XC40 on some SERIOUS 4WD trails in Colorado and had to replace multiple underbody air panels, I ripped out the rear-drivers-side wheel well panel because the mud guard caught the ground, and I bent two underbody steel cross-members because I was bottoming out on rock. I was concerned at the parts cost because I bought it in 2019. Replacement panels, body screws and bolts, and steel crossmembers all told was ~$150.... parts or a brand new MODEL. Frankly, after now having intimate experience looking at the body construction and the engineering insight that went into design (I do my own oil changes as evidence I actually WANT to know and understand my own car), I am confident Volvo's engineering and constructability is far and above the brands I've known. Volvo inherited Ford's constructability when they were owned by them. Volvos look good, use good quality materials (unlike Toyota), and don't overcomplicate design like Audi.

Funny I've been thinking about your post. I traded in a Jeep Wrangler that left me sitting, went through a Mercedes GLA, fine vehicle, yawn, and now own an XC40 Recharge and love, love, love it! The only concern for winter is the ground clearance. Should I think about a lift kit?

 

[He Keith]

The Recharge has at least 7 inches of clearance, probably more than any current EV.

 

[rlboston]

The Recharge has at least 7 inches of clearance, probably more than any current EV.

The Jeep Wrangler has 9.7, I had to look it up. I would think nothing of hopping curbs in it. I wouldn't do that with the Recharge.

 

[He Keith]

And the short sidewall 20s don’t help. 2 different target use cases. I would think the XC40 will be fine in snow, would never go off road as the battery pack is along the bottom, who knows how well it would hold up.