...having now had my first (c400-mile in a day) long trip in the new XC40, I thought it was time to put a further set of (admittedly subjective) impressions up.
A bit of detail follows but, to cut to the chase, I'm pleased with the car, and it is in many/most respects an improvement on the X1 (though remember, I'm comparing a car that was 5 years old when I last drove it, and the XC40 is new, and a three year younger design with a number of advances).
Before the journey, I nipped back to the dealer to get my (omitted) SIM card. What should have been a two minute set-up in the car took around 45 minutes using my 'phone. (The problem was, I think, that where it was parked had no Vodafone reception, so the SIM couldn't be used to set itself up. It didn't start working for a few minutes after I'd driven off - along with other things, it supports real-time traffic info for the satnav so worth sorting).
First, the small number of downsides:
The Satnav, though entirely adequate, is not as nice to use or view as that in the BMW. TBH, this may simply be a matter of familiarity.
The centre touch-screen display (tablet sized, portrait) is rather bright in normal daylight, and cannot be dimmed. (I now understand the level can be adjusted once it self-dims in low light). It isn't helped by the fact that the satnav maps are displayed during the day with white terrain background - hence in-yer-face "bright".
The controls/settings are not as easy to adjust through the touch-screen as they are with the BMW I-drive (at least on the move; the XC40 is probably easier/quicker to adjust whilst stationary). This was expected, but is less of an issue than one might think, since many/most common (on-road) functions are still available via physical controls. (The test-drive led me to believe this was so, I now know it is).
The fuel consumption is possibly marginally worse (though conditions weren't good on much of the journey, the car should still be a bit "tight", and more of the journey was done on challenging roads than normally (Northumberland CC have seemingly closed half their road network for resurfacing)). Nonetheless, the trip reading was exactly 39.0mpg over best part of 400 miles (not too bad for a 2.0 petrol AWD with the aerodynamics of a brick - Runfer was obviously correct about the advantages of keeping to 40mph all the time ;-)).
Under certain circumstances, the "auto hold" function (which is otherwise great, and absent on the BMW) doesn't play well with the start-stop. When auto-hold is engaged, the engine shouldn't restart until the accelerator is used; under certain circumstances simply removing ones foot from the brake restarts the engine, which is rather annoying (I think this is a bug arising from a settings conflict; I think I know which, and can avoid the issue, but apparently a similar issue has been around for some time, appearing and disappearing after various software upgrades).
Now the good bits:
SWMBO likes it (important ones first)
Though not as "planted as the BMW, the ride/handling balance is, for me, much better. The handling is acceptable (a bit more roll, but the vehicle is higher so that's fairly natural), but the ride is a big improvement (even on 19" wheels). This is accompanied by less wind-noise, and substantially less road-noise/tyre roar.
The impression gained from test-driving that (for me at least) it was very easy to get just the right seating position, with good external visibility and the controls just where you want them, has continued through into ownership. The XC40 has digital instruments which are very clear, and (unlike the BMW, where it was impossible despite any form of adjustment for me to see both the top and bottom of the instruments at the same time - something I've seen criticised in a number of reviews) they are entirely and immediately visible.
And the seats.... I think some of the most comfortable seats I've had in the past were in the V70 20 years ago - these match that. They simply fit!
The audio quality is also rather better than the BMW (which had front speakers in the floor under the front seats! Those in the XC40 are hidden somewhere in the dash - apparently using some of the construction for sound, and are clearer and better directioned.
All that means that, despite a 400-mile round-trip (the return in the dark and driving rain) it was much like driving the lounge up to Northumberland and back. I arrived back rather less fatigued than I normally do.
As an addition (with the minor glitch on the auto-hold), all the toys seem to work well, and generally add some function that might get used regularly (active high-beam, bending headlights, speed limit assist with road-sign recognition, etc. (the latter with added braking, which wasn't on the BMW assist). I've turned a bit of the electro-nag off (lane-keep assist will steer for you, and/or shake the steering wheel - the former is switchable, the latter isn't, but is inhibited by signalling - which I can now do as it is not a BMW ;-) )
Volvo continue to dial-down/remove options (not all of them chip-related - some are bodywork/trim), and there have been some surprising changes (you can't now inhibit start/stop, for instance). I also think I was relatively lucky with the model option I chose; some people who ordered before me have been quoted March for delivery! (I understand mine was a dealer-reserved build slot, and I think the more electricky versions are taking a bigger delay).
Overall, then, a happy bunny.
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