Volvo XC40 review

We like that Volvo ploughs its own furrow when it comes to interior design: it’s Scandi cool in here rather than chintzy or fussy. The air vents stand out from the dash and the garnish strips are scalloped out of the main surface. They're also top-lit, and come in chequerboard machined aluminium as an alternative to birch-forest natural-matte wood.

Rather than covering the doors entirely in leather (or fake leather), Volvo wraps a major section of the XC40's door in a fuzzy material colour matched to the carpet. Refreshingly bold or revoltingly barmy? We think the former.

What’s the tech like? 

All versions get a large 9.0-inch central screen with Google Maps, which is nice because you’d probably be using it anyway. You can download other apps like Waze too if you like that sort of thing. There’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto if you insist.

As always with Volvo's touchscreen system (which runs off Google’s Android setup), it's got nice graphics and understandable menus. But easy to fathom isn't the same as easy to use. Many functions demand a series of multiple screen-presses, which is hard to do when you're bouncing down the road.

None of it can be done by haptics alone, so you have to take your eyes off the driving. Changing the aircon settings can get particularly fussy, and more actual switches would help. That said, Google’s voice commands work better than on most other cars’ systems we’ve tried, but they’re still not going to replace good old fashioned finger jabs.

Is the XC40 practical? 

The front seats are decent for long trips, with plenty of adjustability and a nice upright position that gives you a good view over the wide, flat bonnet. Despite the relative size of the XC40 it’s still best suited to carrying four people rather than five. There’s decent legroom in the back, but the middle seat is affected by the raised tunnel moving from front to rear. 

There’s a decent amount of cabin storage and it’s all very thoughtfully put together – you get a nifty little curry hook in the front passenger footwell, for instance. Kids might feel a little short-changed at the stylistic flourish that kicks up the rear window line through the back doors, somewhat cutting off their ability to look out the window.

Out back, you get 443 litres of space in the boot with the seats up and 1,319 litres of space with the seats knocked down. That’s a bit smaller than the BMW X1 and Range Rover Evoque, but on par with the Audi Q3 and Mercedes CLA.

The boot floor does a clever origami up-fold that divides the boot into two, making a deep trough to stop shopping bags toppling. The parcel shelf fits under the floor too. The sort of boring stuff that doesn't sell a car, but does make it easier to live with.