November 14, 2024

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C40 Recharge (Volvo Car Korea)

Simple but sporty is how Volvo’s first all-electric SUV Coupe, the C40 Recharge, can be best described.

The first impression of C40 Recharge is that it looks very similar to the brand’s first pure electric compact SUV XC40 Recharge, both from the outside and inside.

But on a closer look, the C40 Recharge design has added a spoonful of sportiness.

Volvo got rid of XC40’s roof, instead letting the roof line slip toward the back to make it more aerodynamic and energy efficient.

The triangular profile headlamps not only make the design sportier, but also make the car look much bigger at the back.

Although the C40 Recharge is a compact SUV, one would hardly consider it small, with its 20-inch wheels, biggest compact electric SUVs.

The vehicle -- 4,440 millimeters long, 1,875 mm wide and 1,595 mm tall -- also looks spacious inside thanks to its fixed panoramic roof.

There was ample headroom in both the front and back for a 169-centimeter-tall woman, and the legroom in the backseats was quite spacious as well.

But the protruding middle console, due to the T-shaped battery, made moving around inside the car quite inconvenient.

During a test drive of the Volvo C40 Recharge on a 92-kilometer route from Yeouido in Seoul to Paju, Gyeonggi Province, its infotainment system offered a fun and comfortable driving experience.

With the help of SKT’s artificial intelligence assistant in the car’s Tmap infotainment system, it was easy to control the temperature, play music and set destinations. Having a front 9-inch screen that also displays the navigation system could be a plus for a new driver because it would help them keep their eyes on the road instead of having to refer to the center display.

The car’s dual electric motor boasts a maximum 408 horsepower and reaches 100 kilometers per hour from zero in less than five seconds.

The C40 Recharge could effortlessly and quietly gain speed even on bumpy roads and hills, and its balanced weight distributed evenly in the front and back allowed stable and smooth cornering.

Equipped with a 78-kilowatt-hour battery, the vehicle can drive up to 356 kilometers once fully charged.

At the beginning of the test drive, the car was 90 percent charged, and by the end of the 92-kilometer drive it was at 75 percent.

The car is available in five different colors in South Korea, including fjord blue.

Prices start from 63.91 million won ($51,353), which is the lowest price the car is offered at in any country, but still more expensive than the Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2 in the same category.

By Hong Yoo (yoohong@heraldcorp.com)