[Volvo XC40 News]

At least that’s how MotorTrend describes the new 2019 Volvo XC40 in their review, a “redheaded stepchild” they say. A sibling to the XC60 and XC90, so there are some similarities, but born from another “vixen” of a car.

Well we certainly see the family resemblance in the grille design, which seems to be borrowed from the XC90, and its headlights that are reminiscent of Thor’s hammer. But while the XC40’s larger siblings have a more utilitarian c-pillar, this compact SUV has a pillar so thick it probably doubles as a blind spot.

Perhaps this can be overlooked in light of what the T4 front-wheel drive base model has to offer, a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine with 185 hp and around 195 lb-ft of torque. If that’s not enough, there’s always the range-topping T5 variant, which uses the same turbo engine but tuned to deliver 248 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque.

The guys from MotorTrend were provided with a XC40 T5 for their test drive in Barcelona and they seemed to love how it handled around the twisting Catalonian roads. Because of its more compact and lighter body, thanks to a 600-pound diet, the XC40 felt nimble and quick. Putting the pedal to the metal and drivers will find themselves easily passing slow-moving vehicles.

Their one complaint was of the exhaust note, comparing it to the angry-horseflies buzz. But that’s nothing some Harman Kardon jams on full blast can’t fix.

 

[04cx]

One of the best looking car in the segment IMO. It is within an inch of the X1, Q3, and GLA. They all start $1k - $2k lower, but likely require more options to be competitive. Also, I need to point out that there are no real luxury compact crossovers, premium for sure, but even a loaded GLA or X1 isn't luxurious IMO.

 

[revolvo]

Pillars like those does give off a claustrophobic feel if you sit there long enough, but it's not really a problem for me as the main driver. Most of their complaints for the XC40 aren't anything big and some thinks you can overlook like the exhaust note.