New Volvo XC40 Recharge 2022 single engine review

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No aspect of the XC40 is too bad, but at this price point it has better range and more complete driving dynamics. The XC40 is still a good option in internal combustion engine form, which can be paired with a cheaper facelift, but so far the company has struggled to transition to full electrification.

When we first sampled fully electric XC40 Recharged in 2020, it takes on the flagship P8 dual-motor housing. We thought cheaper, more modest versions would be the pick of the XC40 EV range so now with this new single-engine version, Volvo has its chance.

The dual-motor P8 comes with a 75kWh battery pack with 402bhp and 660Nm, and we found it to be a bit too much on the XC40’s frame, so the Single Engine’s 69kWh capacity battery with 228bhp and 330Nm of torque would be a better fit.

The performance figures for the XC40 Recharge Single Engine look nice enough on paper – a 0-62mph time of 7.0sec would have been hot territory not long ago. However, the 0-62mph time is 7.4 seconds – giving you a hint of the high speeds encountered by the XC40 Single Motor. On the highway, overtaking is never a concern, but you would never call a Monocycle fast. Even when outperforming most EVs, it’s pretty stable.

Sitting on the CMA (Compact Modular Architecture) platform, the XC40 Recharge uses an established passive suspension instead of the adaptive suspension featured on Volvos. The soft chassis means that the Single Engine has a tendency to accelerate under heavy braking and accelerate with a noticeable amount of body rolling in corners. Still, it’s all controllable, and while the steering is a bit vague in the center, it delivers just the right amount of weight in the bends.

The flip side to this is that the XC40 Single Engine works great. The larger 20-inch wheels can cause some unwanted noise in the cabin, but on the 19-inch wheels we tested, the fine-tuning on offer was excellent. At higher speeds there is some wind noise but overall the Single Engine is quite elegant, like the more powerful P8 version.

Volvo has clearly tried to simplify the driving experience of the XC40 Recharge. Like the P8 we drove, there aren’t many drive modes to choose from. In Single Engine you even lose the option to change how aggressive the regenerative braking is. This is a bit unfortunate as some may find the system too engaged – leaving you with no choice but to accept single-pedal driving.

It’s perhaps not surprising that Volvo has taken the brakes quite aggressively, because electric XC40 models wade into EV SUV segmented a bit on the hindfoot compared to the likes of Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5due to the shared platform with the internal combustion engine models – not to mention the more aerodynamic, upright SUV body of the classic.

The Recharge Single Motor has a smaller range of 270 miles than the P8, with a maximum of only 262 miles. An entry-level rear wheel drive Kia EV6 will provide 328 miles and a Ford Mustang Mach-E RWD maxed out at 273 miles.

If you are new to electric cars, the interior of the XC40 Single Motor will have a very conventional feel. It doesn’t have the wow factor of Hyundai Ioniq 5 or one Tesla Model Y but it’s easy to navigate with all the features exactly where you would expect. The fit of the interior components is excellent, but some of the materials used are a bit flimsy, without the panoramic roof, it’s also pretty bleak in there.

As standard, you get a nine-inch central touchscreen and a 12.3-inch driver display. Both screens are intuitive and fast enough but the trademark of expanded use of Google’s infotainment system may improve future iterations.

We tested the Single Engine in the mid-life Plus guise, which adds keyless entry and start, heated front and rear seats, and driver assistance systems like controls adaptive cruise and pilot assist, blind spot warning, lane assist and rear collision warning. The XC40’s visibility is generally good, but when parking, the front sensors tend to go dormant until an object is very close, which isn’t great given the high bonnet level. .

Like the dual-motor P8, the CMA platform allows for seamless integration of battery technology (although we would have liked a larger front-end). Rear passengers won’t complain about the lack of legroom or headroom, and the boot is still enough for most families.

The Single Engine version of the XC40 Recharge starts from £45,750, a significant cost savings over the £57,000 Dual Engine variant. There’s very little between them in terms of range, and you never really miss the extra power provided by the larger battery. However, there was an elephant in the room, with Polestar 2 based on the same platform offering better interiors, more range and at lower prices.

Now read ours list of the best electric SUVs…