2022 Volvo C40 Recharge review: The brand’s first car to go leather free

This European brand has made a bold decision and decided to ditch this much loved feature from its latest car that’ll lead many to rejoice.

2021 Volvo C40 Recharge.

Though the C40 Recharge offers a taste of Volvo’s future, the flavour of this new compact SUV is from the brand’s past.

This sleek but chunky compact SUV is a big deal because it’s the first-ever electric-only model from the Swedish car maker. It will not be produced with an internal-combustion engine, not even as a plug-in hybrid.

The C40 Recharge is the first Volvo to go completely leather free.

It’s basically a swoopy rework of the XC40, the highly rated compact SUV sold in Australia since 2018. Volvo recently added an electric version to the XC40 line-up, and the 2021 shipment was an instant sell out.

The C40 Recharge uses exactly the same motors, battery pack, body structure and chassis hardware as the XC40 Recharge. These are tucked away out of sight, but the pair also share components like instrument panel, steering wheel, door trims and more.

But the C40 Recharge can also claim one big point of difference from the XC40. It’s the first Volvo ever to be completely leather-free. It has the same huge door bins as the XC40, plus plenty of other useful storage spaces. There are multiple USB-C connections, and Volvo’s portrait-oriented central touchscreen is home to one of the easiest to use infotainment systems around.

The C40 is the brand’s first electric-only model.

Towing isn’t a problem with this EV, either. It’s rated to tow up to 1.8 tonnes on a braked trailer and 750kg on an unbraked trailer.

The front seats are very comfortable and, despite the C40 Recharge’s slope-tail silhouette, rear-seat headroom is sufficient even for tall adults. A panoramic glass sunroof is standard, at least in European markets. The cargo area behind the split-folding rear seat backrest is large, and there’s a small 31-litre frunk under the bonnet, perfect for storing charging cables.

It comes with a big 75kWh battery and has a driving range of up to 444km.

Where the exterior design does cause a problem is rearward vision. It’s awful, with the shallow and slanted tailgate glass leaving only a narrow slot visible in the rear-view mirror.

In Europe the C40 Recharge is available only in high-powered Twin form. That name is a reference to the EV’s dual motors. Each of these delivers 150kW and 330Nm and powers an axle, making the Volvo all-wheel-drive … and seriously quick.

Volvo claims the C40 Recharge Twin will accelerate 0-100km/h in 4.7 seconds. This makes it almost as quick as the expensive dual-motor versions of the Tesla Model 3.

Two powerful electric motor pack a mighty punch.

In fact, the C40 Recharge Twin has a little too much power for its own good. It’s high and hefty, factors which handicap its handling agility. The firm-ish shock absorbers struggle to keep things calm, but do succeed in giving the Volvo a jiggly ride.

Future single-motor versions of the C40 Recharge will be less powerful and costly … and very likely nicer to drive than the Twin.

Volvo does give the driver plenty of options when it comes to the way the C40 Recharge drives. A menu easily accessible via the central screen lets the driver select different levels of regenerative braking and steering assistance, for example.

Australians will get Chinese built versions sometime next year.

Because it’s lower and sleeker than the XC40 Recharge, the C40 Recharge is also more energy efficient. Even so, its 444km WLTP-rated driving range from a 75kWh (usable capacity) battery pack isn’t outstanding.

On the other hand, the C40 Recharge is well equipped for charging, with an on-board 11kW AC charger and 150kW DC fast-charging capability (which Volvo engineers say will be improved via OTA software updates).

We drove the new C40 Recharge in Belgium, where it’s already in production for European markets. Australia must wait until sometime in 2022, when a second factory in China comes on stream (Volvo is owned by big-time Chinese maker Geely) to supply the Asia-Pacific region.

In Europe the C40 Recharge is positioned slightly above equivalent versions of the XC40 Recharge, which wears a $77,000 (before on-roads) sticker in Australia. So expect the C40 Recharge to cost around $80,000.

VOLVO C40 RECHARGE TWIN VITALS

Price: $80,000 (est)

Motors: Dual synchronous permanent magnet; 300kW/660Nm

Safety: Auto emergency braking (for vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians and large animals), reversing cross-traffic alert with auto brake, blind-spot assist, lane-keeping assist, 360-degree parking view, active cruise control

Transmission: Single-speed; AWD 

Efficiency: 20.7-22.3kWh/100km (WLTP Europe)

0-100km/h: 4.7 secs