The Volvo C40 Recharge is a brand new fully electric SUV from the Swedish car-maker and uses an identical powertrain and similar design language as the less expensive Volvo XC40 Recharge. However, what makes it unique is the coupe-like rear quarter, making it stand out among its peers. The cabin is beautiful too, with top-notch material quality, excellent craftsmanship, and backlit dashboard architecture, making it worth the extra premium over the XC40 Recharge.
Available for sale at a base MSRP of $58,750, the 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge offers a comfortable ride quality, a much improved Google-based infotainment system that comes filled with all the relevant features, and a spacious cabin. Safety has always been Volvo's trump card, and that is, of course, the case with the C40 Recharge as well. Competing with the Jaguar I-Pace and Audi e-Tron, here are 10 things you need to know before buying the 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge.
10 Punchy Performance
Coming with dual electric motors that drive both the front and rear wheels, the 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge has peppy performance. The 402 hp powertrain makes sure that the driver never is wanting for more. The 0-60 mph time of 4.3 seconds and the quarter-mile time of 12.9 seconds are better than many of the rivals.
The 487 lb-ft of torque is available the moment you press on the gas pedal, and it is more than enough to overtake fast-moving traffic on the highway. The C40 Recharge is also very smooth and refined at all times, and the eerily silent powertrain makes sure that the drive is not very taxing. The motor comes mated to a single-speed automatic, similar to the Volvo XC40 Recharge, which helps provide smooth power delivery.
9 Quirky Exterior Design
Even though the 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge comes with many shared exterior bits of the XC40 Recharge, it still manages to stand out due to the chopped roof and the subtle changes to the silhouette. The coupe-like roofline makes the car look more elegant than the XC40, and it also adds a tinge of sporty character to the overall design.
This makes the C40 Recharge look like nothing else on the road. Nevertheless, the traditional Volvo touches like the Thor hammer LED DRLs neatly integrated into the headlights, LED taillights, 20" 5-Y spoke alloy wheels, and sharp character lines on the side are onboard. The subtle fender flares and the plastic cladding that goes around the C40 Recharge also make the car look more adventurous.
8 Interior Looks Elegant
The interior is more or less identical to the XC40 Recharge, apart from no leather used anywhere and a backlit trim panel on the dashboard and door cards. The coupe-like roofline is another visual change to the cabin, even though it does have its downsides in the form of slightly less rear-seat headroom and trunk capacity.
We love the elegant cabin of the C40 Recharge, and the premium material selection takes things to the next level. The soft-touch materials are present throughout the cabin and the beautifully crafted AC vents, backlit trim pieces, and the waterfall-like center console add to the elegance of the cabin very well. The infotainment and digital gauge cluster are neatly integrated too.
7 Android-Based Infotainment
Unlike the Sensus Connect infotainment system that still comes with many other models from Volvo's stable, this Google-based infotainment makes the experience feel very similar to the MMI and iDrive infotainments that come in the competition. This is a 12.3" touchscreen infotainment system and the interface and overall user experience are excellent.
The only thing we wish it did better is regarding some of the icons on the display, which were a tad small to our liking. The system also can only be controlled entirely through the touchscreen, which needs a bit of getting used to. However, it comes filled with all the necessary entertainment and connectivity features, and the premium Harmon Kardon audio system offers a great audio experience.
6 Spacious Cabin
Many would think that the space is going to be mediocre, mainly due to the coupe-like roof and the slightly smaller exterior dimensions when compared to the Audi e-tron. But the moment you get into the front seat, all of these notions vanish. The front seat is one of the most comfortable we have encountered in a car from this segment and the side bolstering, under-thigh support, and infinite adjustments make it an utter joy to travel in.
The features like heated seats, automatic climate control, and a wide armrest make the experience even better. The interior has zero flaws in terms of ergonomics, with everything present exactly where it should be. Even though the rear seats' under-thigh support could have been better, we have nothing to complain about it in terms of legroom and shoulder room. Even the headroom is adequate. However, the cargo capacity of 14.6 cu ft is quite low.
5 Not The Best Range
With a 75-kWh battery pack coming with the single trim configuration of the 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge, this compact electric SUV could do 225 miles on a full charge. When it comes to charging, both DC fast charging and normal AC charging are supported, with the fast charging capable of charging from 0 to 80% in just 40 minutes. However, the AC charging is painfully slow.
Even though the MPGe figures haven't been revealed by the EPA yet, we expect it to be in the same ballpark as the Volvo XC40 Recharge, which offers 85 MPGe in the city and 72 MPGe on the highway. In comparison, the Audi e-tron offers superior charging speed, even though the MPGe figures are expected to be very close. The Tesla Model 3 did come out as a superior offering in terms of MPGe figures, however, it is not as feature-packed and is significantly cheaper too.
4 Many Standard Driver-Assistance Features
Being a Volvo, safety is one area they are not going to compromise, and it still holds true in the case of the C40 Recharge. The car comes packed with all the bells and whistles in terms of active and passive safety features. This includes many standard driver-assistance techs including forward-collision warning, automated emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and lane departure warning.
All the basic safety features, such as ABS, airbags, 360-degree camera with parking sensors, side-impact beams, and tire pressure monitoring system, are standard. Even though the NHTSA hasn't crash-tested the C40 Recharge yet, the IIHS gave it the 2022 top safety pick + title with a good rating in all the subsections of the crash test.
3 Sharp Brakes
The C40 Recharge comes with 13.6" front rotors and 13.4" rear rotors. Being an electric SUV, it also gets regenerative braking hardware with multiple levels of configuration. When put to the most intense setting, it does manage to shed the speed very effectively when you take your foot off the gas pedal.
Apart from that, there are other braking features like ABS with EBD, hill hold control, ventilated front rotors, electric parking brake, and brake assist. The initial bite is great, as is the braking progression at any speed. The brake pedal provides decent feedback to the driver, which is not the case in many other electric vehicles with regenerative braking.
2 Composed Ride
Unlike its rivals, the 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge turned out to be a comfortable daily driver. Even though competitors come with a stiffer suspension setup, the C40 Recharge has a neutral suspension tuning, making it a perfect city commuter as well as a highway cruiser. The independent front and rear suspension also help in isolating the imperfections.
The suspension doesn't make any noise when faced with bigger potholes, and there is more than enough suspension travel as well. The car absorbs most of the road imperfections at slow speed, and as the speeds rise, the ride turns out to be completely flat.
1 Great Handling
The strut front suspension and the multi-link rear suspension with coil springs help the C40 Recharge to be a safe and comfortable handler. Drive the car a bit enthusiastically around the twisties, and you would be happy with the below-average body roll and the more than adequate grip levels.
The sticky 235 section front tires and the 255 section rear tires that come wrapped around the 20" wheels do make the car more confidence-inspiring to drive. However, it is not as sharp or poised as the Jaguar I-Pace or the Audi e-tron. We also felt steering to be a letdown in terms of feedback, even though it is very precise and weighs up pretty well.