Volvo XC40 review

As long as your expectations are kept suitably in check then the XC40 is a perfectly acceptable drive – it’s certainly not a barrel of laughs, though. The steering has been given strong anaesthesia, and you won't find much interaction between throttle and cornering line.

But the point is, if you want that sort of tyre-stressing fun, an SUV is the wrong place to find it. You want a car with a lower centre of gravity. An estate (which Volvo doesn’t sell in the UK anymore, of course).

The XC40 instead has a tidy and relaxing chassis that does exactly what a SUV should. It's comfortable to be in and at ease with itself. Acoustic comfort is well taken care of, too. There's little wind noise or racket from the tyres. It's a peaceful cruiser.

Off motorways, and away from roads at all, the XC40 isn't a Land Rover or Jeep, but it does have a useful measure of bad-surface smarts. The tyres are chunkily treaded. Approach and departure angles aren't bad, there's 210mm of ground clearance, and you can switch to an off-road calibration for the powertrain and ESP.

What are the engines like?

Well, technically it’s just the one engine – a 2.0-litre turbocharged 4cyl petrol available with 161bhp or 194bhp. You can get whatever transmission you like (as long as it’s a seven-speed automatic) and the combustion-engined version of the XC40 is front-wheel drive only.

It’s a serviceable motor with no particular character, but that's on par with much of the driving experience here. You’re not here to be wowed by the drive, more soothed by the Swedish ambience. The 0–62mph run takes 8.6 seconds in the B3; 7.6 seconds in the B4. Years ago that would have been fairly rapid, but these days not so much – there’s enough in reserve if you get into trouble and have to mash the throttle, though you’d have to wait for the gearbox to rouse itself from daydreaming.

All the XC40 models are rated at 152g/km CO2 and 42.2mpg. The latter isn’t particularly achievable, expect more like mid-30s over a tank of mixed driving. There’s no diesel available here, so the full EV is your economical option.

Is the XC40 a comfortable car? 

It’s a respectably smooth drive, the XC40. The 19in wheels of the Ultimate trim do hamper that a smidge, but running out through the suburbs, the suspension bears you along in superb repose, with supple springing and quiet tyres.

When you add a bit of speed, the body movements tend towards the floaty. Which makes you expect the whole assembly is going to turn into a flubby mess as soon as you try a bit of brisk cornering, but body roll is kept admirably in check.