We were only supposed to catch a brief glimpse of
the 2018 XC40 through a teaser trailer we showed you earlier, ahead of a
full introduction on September 21, but apparently, Volvo Hungary lost the memo.
The firm’s Hungarian arm inadvertently dropped
an uncut version of the same trailer revealing the Swedish manufacturer’s new
compact SUV.
As we suspected after having spotted several XC40
prototypes on the road, the production car closely mirrors the styling
of last year’s Volvo 40.1 Concept, with only a few modifications here and
there. Perhaps the most noticeable change aside from the regular door mirrors
is the use of traditional- instead of the study’s hidden-rear door handles.
Inside, while sharing the same design language as
the XC60 and XC90 with a large touch screen dominating the simplified and
uncluttered center console, the XC40’s cabin gives the impression it’s more
casual than its bigger siblings.
Volvo has previously said that it aims for the
XC40’s available interior space to be vastly practical and functional. As an
example, the Swedes mentioned that in order to provide better storage space in
the doors, designers moved the speakers elsewhere to create enough storage in
the door compartment for a laptop and a tablet, or a couple of water bottles.
The XC40 is the first car based on Volvo's Compact
Modular Architecture which is shared with Volvo’s Chinese owners Geely. While a
detailed list of engines has yet to be announced, Volvo has said that the range
will include the brand’s new 1.5-liter three-cylinder turbo gasoline unit, with
the four-cylinder Drive-E engines powering faster models. A ‘Twin Engine’
plug-in hybrid variant pairing an electric motor to the new 3-cylinder engine
and 7-speed dual-clutch automated transmission will follow too, possibly badged
as the T5. When it goes on sale next
year the XC40 will target crossovers such as the BMW X2 and Audi Q2.
