do a test drive and pay attention to any vibration coming through the steering wheel. Its annoying to many of us XC40 drivers, and Vilvo doesn’t admit it exists and can’t seem to fix it. My only gripe with the car.

 

The negatives you list sound like deal breakers. Seems you’ll always resent paying for stuff you don’t like or do not want. Look at other marques. Lots of excellent cars out there. Friend if mine changed from Toyota to H9nda ten years ago. I have the Volvo BEV C40. remarkable car. I knew exactly what I wanted and got it all.

 

i was hoping that going for overseas delivery would give the option to build to our specs but they don't offer any options for building other than as available in the USA.

 

1. I have a C40 and in the BEV versions of the car, this isn't an issue, but I can't speak for the ICE versions.
2. The seat heating controls and temp controls are always visible on the touch screen. I do wish there were hard controls, but you can also use Google voice commands "Hey google, set the passenger temp to 74" or "Hey google, set the driver's side seat heater to 2" work just fine, as does "Hey google, turn off the driver's side seat heater"
3. Again, the BEV doesn't really have this problem. If anything, Volvo's estimates are super conservative on range.

For the sunroof, the C40 has a permanent moonroof but the UV filtering and glass is good enough that the car doesn't get amazingly hot, even in direct Texas sunlight. And there's always preconditioning to make the car more tolerable.

 

Thanks for mentioning that you can use voice to control heating and other systems. I am too old I guess, that never occurred to me.
My wife's sister has an XC60 with a hard cover below the moonroof so we assumed that was standard. When we saw this in the XC40 and asked the dealer, he said they quit doing the solid roof on the XC40. I don't know when they discontinued it or what other models are affected. But, it's good to hear that it works pretty well to keep the heat out.

 

I assume this is for a gas or hybrid model.
EPA ratings are not the most accurate in general. City driving can be very different depending on the city.
I know someone with a gas version and they complain about the AC shutting off. I guess it should fire up the gas engine when it needs to, but can be slow to do that.
My 21 BEV model has a sunshade. Did they remove them in the newer cars?

 

apparently they removed the sunshade in the xc40 but it's still in the xc60. i dunno when they quit including them but we were surprised to see there was only a cloth cover and not a think one at that.

 

Personally I’d keep a rav4 over a gasoline xc40

BEV all the way though

 

And, actually, we're starting to lean toward a 2026 RAV when they come out. BEVs aren't really feasible for us because we live rurally and we are off grid. The solar system I built would need to be expanded to recharge an electric vehicle. Even the PHEVs would stress our system during winter months.
Volvo has bene making gas cars forever. It's been surprising to hear these issues which seem to indicate a lack of engineering or testing. If one person complained about no A/C at stoplights, I'd assume it was a limited, personal problem. But it sounds pretty widespread and I just can't believe there's not a nice engineering solution that should have been incorporated.

 

Hi - I was also shopping for an XC40 in the fall of last year. Ended up getting a 2025 Mini Countryman instead. Spent a while debating both vehicles back and forth. The Mini won out in the end for a few main reasons. I'll address some of your points and add in some of mine:

The XC40 start / stop in the car we tested was really uncomfortable to get accustomed to. Pronounced knocking noise when restarting. Decreased airflow / AC with this was too much. I tried to fiddle with the shifter and pedals to make it less obtrusive, however I realized I shouldn't have to do that in a 40K car. The 2025 Mini Countryman has a start / stop disable button in the menu.

The Mini does have most all settings controlled via the central screen. The OS is super fast like iOS and the screen is OLED however.

I'm averaging 37mpg with my Mini which is more than the EPA stated. I do mostly highway driving. Steering more responsive / firmer with the Mini.

The roof cover in the Mini Countryman blocks out all light from the sunroof.

The Mini had better power delivery and the engine was much better at merging and passing than the Volvo. I believe it might have more torque?

Seats were more comfortable in the Volvo, but that's not to say that the Mini's aren't comfortable.

Headlights at night were much better with the Mini than the Volvo.

The dead pedal in the Volvo is a joke. Not sure who thought it was a good idea to have it mostly made of carpet. The one in the Mini is solid plastic and feels sturdy without fear of it getting worn to shreds over the years.

Both cars have rear power liftgates and storage was similar between the two.

The Volvo looks better than the Mini, but in the end the Mini won for practicality, power delivery, and ultimately the start / stop disable (a must of for us). Mini also just was awarded a Top IIHS Safety Pick for this model - I think the first time ever for them. Might be since it's basically a BMW X1 (made in the same factory in Germany) but at a lower price point.

 

I get your concerns! The AC issue at stoplights can be annoying, and the touch screen controls can be distracting. MPG often falls short of EPA ratings, too. The adaptive cruise being limited to the higher trim is a bummer, but overall, if safety is your priority, the XC40 is a solid choice!