One of the first XC40 reviews from an owners perspective has released, coming from an automotive publication.
Expect follow up reviews. For now here are the current stats on KBB's XC40 and review after
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We're spending 12 months with this Volvo XC40, which wins two KBB Best Buy Awards for 2019, reviewing the full ownership experience with ongoing updates. How impressive is the XC40? It's one of our favorite new models for 2019.
The XC40’s aggravating gear shifter
Overall, every one of our editors who has driven the Volvo XC40 has praised it. We dig it so much, in fact, that it won two KBB Best Buy Awards for 2019, including the prestigious Best New Model.
But despite its general greatness, there is one trait we dislike: the gear shifter’s operation.
The Volvo XC40’s shift lever is a little nub of a thing, cute and minimalistic. It also stands out from many other shifters in that it is not gated. Rather than move up and down on a rail, it sits on a fixed column and moves like a lever on a ball joint. These are not the issues, though.
Our problem with the XC40 shift lever is that it requires two pulls to put it into drive. To get it in reverse, you must perform a similar motion, pushing up on it twice. Both are akin to needing to perform a double tap with a mouse or your finger on a screen every time you want to perform the all-important function of putting the car into drive or reverse (putting it into park is simpler, requiring only the push of the P button near the bottom left of the shifter).
We can’t think of any other vehicle with such a setup, and that has led several of us to miss putting the Volvo into gear. Instead, we’ll pull or push the lever once, and instead of going into drive or reverse, it goes into neutral. That’s a shame, because this is something you need to do literally every time you want to drive.
I’m nearing 10,000 miles in the Volvo, and I still occasionally put the car in neutral because I didn’t perform the double motion. It’s frustrating.
What’s the rationale?
It’s also unnecessary. While yes, the XC40’s gearshift design cleans up space, I’d rather swap that bit of extra room for a standard gear lever. It’s not as though Volvo doesn’t have them.
The larger XC60 has a regular shift lever, as does the 3-row XC90. Heck, even the slick new Volvo S60 sedan we tested this week has one – check out the photo of its shift lever vs. that of the XC40.
I and my fellow KBB editors aren’t the only ones to complain about the XC40’s gear lever. Other reviewers have also called it out. And, anecdotally, so has at least one owner I know. I recommended the XC40 to a friend and he consequently bought one. In most aspects he’s very happy with it. But within the first weeks of ownership he texted me, asking why in the heck does it require a double-tap to get into gear.
For now we’re stuck with this, but who knows? Maybe if Volvo hears enough frustrations from other owners, a redesign will happen.
see the full review here
Expect follow up reviews. For now here are the current stats on KBB's XC40 and review after
- Current Odometer: 8,870 miles
- Latest MPG: 19.9 mpg
- Lifetime MPG: 22.2 mpg
- Maintenance/Service Costs: $0
- Time out of Service: 0 days
We're spending 12 months with this Volvo XC40, which wins two KBB Best Buy Awards for 2019, reviewing the full ownership experience with ongoing updates. How impressive is the XC40? It's one of our favorite new models for 2019.
The XC40’s aggravating gear shifter
Overall, every one of our editors who has driven the Volvo XC40 has praised it. We dig it so much, in fact, that it won two KBB Best Buy Awards for 2019, including the prestigious Best New Model.
But despite its general greatness, there is one trait we dislike: the gear shifter’s operation.
The Volvo XC40’s shift lever is a little nub of a thing, cute and minimalistic. It also stands out from many other shifters in that it is not gated. Rather than move up and down on a rail, it sits on a fixed column and moves like a lever on a ball joint. These are not the issues, though.
Our problem with the XC40 shift lever is that it requires two pulls to put it into drive. To get it in reverse, you must perform a similar motion, pushing up on it twice. Both are akin to needing to perform a double tap with a mouse or your finger on a screen every time you want to perform the all-important function of putting the car into drive or reverse (putting it into park is simpler, requiring only the push of the P button near the bottom left of the shifter).
We can’t think of any other vehicle with such a setup, and that has led several of us to miss putting the Volvo into gear. Instead, we’ll pull or push the lever once, and instead of going into drive or reverse, it goes into neutral. That’s a shame, because this is something you need to do literally every time you want to drive.
I’m nearing 10,000 miles in the Volvo, and I still occasionally put the car in neutral because I didn’t perform the double motion. It’s frustrating.
What’s the rationale?
It’s also unnecessary. While yes, the XC40’s gearshift design cleans up space, I’d rather swap that bit of extra room for a standard gear lever. It’s not as though Volvo doesn’t have them.
The larger XC60 has a regular shift lever, as does the 3-row XC90. Heck, even the slick new Volvo S60 sedan we tested this week has one – check out the photo of its shift lever vs. that of the XC40.
I and my fellow KBB editors aren’t the only ones to complain about the XC40’s gear lever. Other reviewers have also called it out. And, anecdotally, so has at least one owner I know. I recommended the XC40 to a friend and he consequently bought one. In most aspects he’s very happy with it. But within the first weeks of ownership he texted me, asking why in the heck does it require a double-tap to get into gear.
For now we’re stuck with this, but who knows? Maybe if Volvo hears enough frustrations from other owners, a redesign will happen.
see the full review here
