2019 Volvo XC40

Aren’t we full? Do we have the appetite for yet another subcompact luxury crossover SUV? After all, human civilization survived all the way to 2010 without any of these things. By our count, there are more than 10 brands competing in a 160,000-vehicle segment. Yet sales growth is forecast because, to many buyers, the premium badge, design, and high seating position of these small luxury crossovers are far more important considerations than their nonpremium transverse-engine, front-wheel-drive-based powertrains and their compact accommodations.

The new Volvo XC40, on sale in March, doesn’t overtly challenge the class norms. Volvo hasn’t disrupted the segment with a V-12, gullwing doors, or even a longitudinally mounted engine. It’s as conventional as the rest of its ilk, but—and this is a major differentiator—the XC40 isn’t boring. These little vehicles may be useful, inoffensive, and loved by customers, but to those of us who value driving dynamics they’re almost all terminally dull to pilot.

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I, Robot

“Tough little robot” is how Volvo characterizes the XC40’s exterior styling. Unlike the larger XC60and the XC90 that trade on clean, smooth, and aggressive forms, the XC40 is a little goofier, especially when fitted with the available white roof. There’s a clamshell hood with a tiny plastic Swedish flag flapping out from under it, a punched-in grille, scalloped doors, and a kicked-up beltline. The XC40’s design ensures that the small Volvo isn’t simply a homunculus of its larger kin. You can avoid the white roof—the XC40 looks better with a body-colored or black roof—but there’s no removing the elongated rectangular trim piece in the C-pillar that hides the seam between the roof and the rest of the body—or the fact that the rear door appears to have been pulled off a previous-generation Jeep Compass.

The first version of the XC40 to arrive this March will be the T5. Under its aluminum hood is Volvo’s turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four with 248 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. An eight-speed automatic does the shifting and all-wheel drive is standard. A few months after the T5 arrives it will be joined by the T4, which will have a smaller turbo, 184 horsepower, and front-wheel drive. With the 248-hp engine, the T5 punches hard and moves the estimated 3800-pound XC40 along briskly—the claimed, and believable, zero-to-60-mph time is 6.2 seconds. There’s no word yet on fuel economy, but we’d guess that the EPA’s ratings will come in at 24 mpg city and 31 highway.

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Do the Hustle

For our drive, Volvo made available only the XC40 T5 with the R-Design package. The Momentum trim level is standard, as with the XC60 and the XC90. In addition to a black roof and mirrors, R-Design features include a different grille, metallic exhaust tips, slightly stiffer springs, different dampers, thicker anti-roll bars, and standard 19-inch wheels. Our test example wore 20-inch wheels on 245/45R-20 Pirelli P Zero summer tires. With this setup, the XC40 drove like a lifted Volkswagen GTI. Body motions are quickly controlled, there’s no slop in the chassis responses, the quick steering is alive, and the engine—although a bit gritty—pulls hard accelerating out of corners. Volvo will offer an adjustable suspension later in 2018 for $1000, but the R-Design’s setup makes us very happy.

Switch the driving mode from the standard Comfort to Dynamic (there’s also Eco and Off-Road modes, along with a customizable Individual mode) and the throttle response sharpens, the transmission holds gears longer and locks out eighth gear, and the brakes allegedly become more responsive—although we couldn’t feel any difference. The throttle response alone changes the XC40’s attitude and makes you want to hustle it, something that rarely happens when driving anything in the XC40’s competitive set.

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On those sticky Pirellis we even managed to keep an aggressively driven GTI at bay. In the United States, 18- and 19-inch wheels will be available with Michelin MXM4 all-season tires, and both Momentum and R-Design models will have the option of 20-inch wheels with Pirelli Scorpion all-season rubber. Dealers will offer a 21-inch wheel with a summer tire as an accessory option. It remains to be seen how U.S. versions will compare to the summer-tire-shod cars in terms of handling, but we’re assured that the suspension tuning will be identical.

Much of the interior design is shared with Volvo’s larger crossover SUVs. The XC40’s CMA platform isn’t a reference to Garth Brooks’s favorite awards show but rather is Volvo’s Compact Modular Architecture that also will be the basis for the next S40 sedan and V40 wagon. (CMA also will underpin products for Volvo’s Chinese parent company, Geely, such as the new Lynk & Co 01 crossover.) Its narrower width places the front-seat occupants closer together than in the larger Volvos, but much of the look and the vertically oriented 9.0-inch touchscreen are shared with the XC60 and the XC90. We did notice that the seats lacked the supple padding that we’ve come to associate with larger and more expensive Volvos, but the R-Design model does offer optional ($100) Lava Orange carpeting that brings the style of a 1970s fondue party to every drive.

Volvo made it a point to show us the large door pockets made possible by relocating the audio speakers to the top of the dashboard. There’s also a big cubbyhole below the armrest, drawers under the seats, and a removable trash bin behind the shifter. Two USB chargers sit below the touchscreen; one serves as a power source while the other connects to Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Back-seat space is adult friendly, and the rear doors are large and open wide to make loading a child’s car seat easier.

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The hatch can be opened and closed with a quick kick under the rear bumper, and there’s a two-piece floor that can be folded up and integrates grocery-bag holders. Rear seats fold 60/40 and have a small pass-through for long, narrow objects. Removing the parcel shelf is simple, and it can be stored, upside down, under the floor.

Pricing will start at $34,195 for the 184-hp XC40 T4 with front-wheel drive. The more powerful T5 model opens at $36,195 for an all-wheel-drive XC40 Momentum. The top of the range (and the one we drove on the launch program), the T5 AWD R-Design, starts at $38,695. Loaded with options, the Volvo’s price can reach past $45,000. We were charmed by the XC40. Both in design and dynamics, the XC40 is way more fun than we expect from such vehicles—here’s hoping that bodes well for the fortunes of this model and the segment at large.