The new baby Volvo XC40 unveiled – comes in Momentum, R-Design & Inscription versions



The highly-anticipated, overly-teased Volvo XC40, the Swedish car maker’s first premium compact SUV has finally been unveiled. It is the first model to be built on the company’s all-new Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform.

They will be powered by Volvo’s efficient Drive-E engines and will be driven by either the front two wheels or all four together. There will be 5 different variants available for now; the 156 hp T3, 190 hp T4 and 247 hp T5 petrols, and 150 hp D3 and 190 hp D4 diesels – all from 2.0-litre four cylinder engines. The T3 comes in front wheel, D3 front or all wheel while the T4, T5 and D4 comes with all-wheel drive.

The XC40 will come in three different trims; the Momentum, R-Design and Inscription. The entry-level Momentum comes with textile and vinyl interior upholstery alongside the option of contrast-coloured roof and door mirrors and alloy wheels. The Momentum XC40’s come with Sensus 9″ touch screen with 3 USB ports, working in tandem with the sophisticated voice-activated control system.

R-Design gets a sportier exterior with dual integrated exhaust pipes. Upgraded sports suspension and 18-inch diamond cut matt black alloy wheels will also be standard. Inside, the R-design gets a leather and nubuck upholstery combination, a perforated leather steering wheel and gear knob, and aluminium dashboard inlays.

Inscription versions offer a touch more luxury with leather-faced upholstery, powered tailgate and driver’s seat, driftwood interior inlays. Automatic variants will come with a crystal gear lever from Swedish crystal maker Orrefors.

Every XC40 comes with the Volvo On Call smartphone app and emergency assistance package. It allows owners to control various functions of the car from a smartphone or smartwatch such as locking and unlocking the doors, starting the engine and even alert emergency services  if the car is involved in an accident using in-built GPS to locate the car.

Also standard are 18-inch wheels, LED headlights, dual-zone climate control with Volvo’s CleanZone, a 12.3-inch active TFT configurable driver’s information display and rear parking sensors. The XC40’s safety features include City Safety, Volvo’s automatic emergency braking system that can detect pedestrians, cyclists and large animals, Oncoming Lane Mitigation that alerts the driver and provide steering assistance if the car is moving in the direction of oncoming traffic.

Each of the Momentum, R-Design and Inscription variants come in Pro form. Momentum Pro gets powered driver’s seat, heated front seats and windscreen, active bending lights with adaptive shadow technology that block out part of the headlights’ beam to avoid dazzling vehicles in front. R-Design Pro benefits from all this, along with 20″ alloy wheels, while Inscription Pro has 19″ wheels and a powered passenger seat.

The optional Xenium package is available across the XC40 range – providing them with powered tilt and slide panoramic glass sunroof, a 360-degree surround view parking camera system, and Park Assist Pilot which includes automatic parallel and 90-degree parking. Pilot Assist is another optional extra, Volvo’s innovative semi-autonomous drive system which assists with steering, acceleration and braking.


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