[Sir]

My dilemma is.... I prefer the handling of the R-Design with it's Sport Chassis but prefer the interior, wood inlay and leather seats, on the Inscription.

I'm wondering what effect the Four C Suspension has on both the R-design and Inscription. I like to hear your experience with Four C.

Also, can anyone shed light on the technical differences between the Sport Chassis and the Dynamic Chassis??

Paul

 

[RBEmerson]

Purely an option, but Four C or not, the R and Inscription are aimed at two different market segments. RDesign drivers laugh at a shifter with an Orfors Crystal insert. Wood inlays? Don't make no car go no faster. No doubt Inscription owners sneer at us knuckle draggers who go flying around corners with glee, enjoying our (relatively) minimalist interiors as we go.

Dollars to donuts, the chassis (or whatever the plural of chassis is) are calibrated differently. Four C isn't going to change that.

Having owned leather interiors, leather seats, etc. IMHO it's down to personal preference.

In general, the XC40 RDesign is what I hoped for when I found myself tossed into the market, thanks to a rapidly fading car. The XC40 has a number of quirks. Some are... meh... that's how the game's played, some are worthy of a "Grrr...". See my posts elsewhere for comments on both.

 

[Sir]

Thanks for the response.
Yes, it is all about personal choice, there is no universal right or wrong.

A crystal shifter means nut'n 2 me, however I do like the wood inlays and the full leather seats.
I consider myself a driver but for me it's more about ride/handling then horses, tha why my current car is an S60 T6 R-design, AWD, Polestar. Not a Mustang, Camaro, Challenger, etc.... the XC40 will not have Polestar, it's simply not worth the $$$ to me.

I have an appoint tomorrow at the dealership. Will likely place an order for a Glacier Silver T-5 R-Design , w/20" wheels, Four C, Heated front seats/steering wheel, Advanced Pkg., and Harmon Kardon audio NO polestar it not worth the $$ to me considering the way I drive. Then the looooong wait begins.

I don't drag knuckles but have on occasion, frequently when on the track, dragged my knee. Unfortunately those days are gone. Old age sux!! I still ride almost every day but track days, touring for several weeks, 900 mile days, exploring the remote gravel and Forest Service road are now behind me. Dam it.

Paul

 

[RBEmerson]

IMHO "ride" and "handling" are typically at opposite ends of the scale. Mostly. It hinges on the definition of "ride". Most often, I think it's a word for "soft and cushy". "Handling", in those circumstances, is going to be frustrating at best. Anyway, that's all opinion. [/ grin]

The XC40 is my first step into Volvo-land, coming from "Bring More Wampum" cars. And one bike (K1200RS). Based on my non-existent vast experience, I like your car build. I might have held out for a .'21 but the X3 was threatening to eat its AWD transfer case. $3K for the part, $DontTellMe for labor, and all for a vehicle worth south of $4K. Bye-bye X3, hello XC40 I can drive off the lot today.

Anyway, your build is almost mine less Four C. At the time I bought my little red car, there were three Four C cars to be found. One in FL somewhere, one in "Lost Wages", NV, and one in San Diego. End of list. Oh, and I got fusion red. But no lava interior (some insane voice in my head kept saying "you know you want it").

Soooo... no Four C for me. OTOH, Polestar makes me feel better. Oh my yes it does. No track days (discounting a couple of years of SCCA Solo II - in the days when they were often done Sunday mornings in mall parking lots, or the local community colleges' parking lots - legally), no knee dragging(I love my tender pink bod too much for that!). No heli-skiing to my credit, either. Nudge, nudge.

Still, there are moments of feeling the need for speed (while not going straight). Them shifter paddles and me gots learnin' to do, but a snappy throttle and lots of torque... mmm! Nice thing is, when you realize that maybe Polestar isn't so bad, it can be uploaded any time. 'Course, it's nice to bargain into it with a "c'mon, you're getting all this money, you can come up with a gimme to make me feel better". Worked for me.

 

[Sir]

IMHO "ride" and "handling" are typically at opposite ends of the scale. Mostly. It hinges on the definition of "ride". Most often, I think it's a word for "soft and cushy". "Handling", in those circumstances, is going to be frustrating at best. Anyway, that's all opinion. [/ grin]

The XC40 is my first step into Volvo-land, coming from "Bring More Wampum" cars. And one bike (K1200RS). Based on my non-existent vast experience, I like your car build. I might have held out for a .'21 but the X3 was threatening to eat its AWD transfer case. $3K for the part, $DontTellMe for labor, and all for a vehicle worth south of $4K. Bye-bye X3, hello XC40 I can drive off the lot today.

Anyway, your build is almost mine less Four C. At the time I bought my little red car, there were three Four C cars to be found. One in FL somewhere, one in "Lost Wages", NV, and one in San Diego. End of list. Oh, and I got fusion red. But no lava interior (some insane voice in my head kept saying "you know you want it").

Soooo... no Four C for me. OTOH, Polestar makes me feel better. Oh my yes it does. No track days (discounting a couple of years of SCCA Solo II - in the days when they were often done Sunday mornings in mall parking lots, or the local community colleges' parking lots - legally), no knee dragging(I love my tender pink bod too much for that!). No heli-skiing to my credit, either. Nudge, nudge.

Still, there are moments of feeling the need for speed (while not going straight). Them shifter paddles and me gots learnin' to do, but a snappy throttle and lots of torque... mmm! Nice thing is, when you realize that maybe Polestar isn't so bad, it can be uploaded any time. 'Course, it's nice to bargain into it with a "c'mon, you're getting all this money, you can come up with a gimme to make me feel better". Worked for me.

IMHO "ride" and "handling" are typically at opposite ends of the scale. Mostly. It hinges on the definition of "ride". Most often, I think it's a word for "soft and cushy". "Handling", in those circumstances, is going to be frustrating at best. Anyway, that's all opinion. [/ grin]

The XC40 is my first step into Volvo-land, coming from "Bring More Wampum" cars. And one bike (K1200RS). Based on my non-existent vast experience, I like your car build. I might have held out for a .'21 but the X3 was threatening to eat its AWD transfer case. $3K for the part, $DontTellMe for labor, and all for a vehicle worth south of $4K. Bye-bye X3, hello XC40 I can drive off the lot today.

Anyway, your build is almost mine less Four C. At the time I bought my little red car, there were three Four C cars to be found. One in FL somewhere, one in "Lost Wages", NV, and one in San Diego. End of list. Oh, and I got fusion red. But no lava interior (some insane voice in my head kept saying "you know you want it").

Soooo... no Four C for me. OTOH, Polestar makes me feel better. Oh my yes it does. No track days (discounting a couple of years of SCCA Solo II - in the days when they were often done Sunday mornings in mall parking lots, or the local community colleges' parking lots - legally), no knee dragging(I love my tender pink bod too much for that!). No heli-skiing to

 

[Sir]

When i say ride it's NOT comfort I'm referring to. I want it firm, planted, excellent control, minimal body roll. Sway ba and bushing are big contributors to those characteristics. I wonder if those are some of the differences in the Sport Chassis???

Paul

 

[RBEmerson]

Sorry, that just a generalization on my part.

As far as the XC40 engineering goes, about the best I can do is sort out they did some tweaking to be sporty.

Sway bars I know about... We have a '90 VW Vanagon Westfalia (camper). The stock, "skinny" (19 mm??) sway bar lets the body roll like crazy in tight turns. I moved up to a 25 mm bar (bushings as stiff) and got rid of most of the lean. I left the shocks alone. 12K miles on hard shocks? Nein, danke!

Not sizzling speed, but the turns are tight and getting it wrong doesn't come cheap... IIRC about two and a half minutes in, watch the hang tag on the dash skid left. Woohoo!