Author - Kaga User: Ogo who opened the acura
For such a long time, I have written either new cars that have not yet been listed in China, or some personalized models that are not available in China, and this time I want to write about a model that has been on the market for a long time in China - Volvo XC40 Recharge. Why write about this car? Now that electric vehicles are becoming more and more competitive in China, Tesla is undoubtedly the most competitive electric vehicle. So I've always wondered if there are any more competitive pure electric vehicles in the price range similar to Tesla Model 3 and Model Y? From the market level, there may be very few, but from the product strength level, such as the Ford Mustang Mach E, which was previously evaluated, the performance of this car is comparable to that of the Model Y. Recently, I found that Volvo XC40 Recharge is also in the price range of about 300,000 in China, at the same time, Volvo XC40 has also been well received by many media in North America, I wonder if the product power of XC40 Recharge is a certain competitiveness? So I went to test drive a Volvo XC40 Recharge with this question. When I finished experiencing this car, I found that there are many details of this car that are worth sharing, which is why I wanted to write about volvo XC40 Recharge. Let's take a look at how competitive this car is through my detailed review of this car.
The power output level is good, but it can be more delicate
XC40 Recharge is not a purely electrical architecture, it is based on the fuel version of the XC40. For this car, the most fundamental difference with the fuel version of the XC40 is the powertrain, and this part is the part that best represents his pure electrical properties, so I want to describe the powertrain of this car first.
First of all, a brief introduction to the motor, XC40 Recharge front axle and rear axle have two synchronous permanent magnet AC motors with a horsepower of 201 horses, which are combined with 402 horses (it seems that the domestic is 408 horses), which can be said to be very powerful for suvs of this size. In fact, driving up is also the case, this car to give me the subjective power feeling is almost the power is particularly rapid and rapid, not only the power itself is very strong, and the response speed is also very fast, the pedal power will burst out seamlessly, for the case of large power requests, the power system can also figure out the power required by the driver through the pedaling degree, that is to say, the power output can be described as fast and strong and linear, these characteristics are very similar to Tesla Model Y and Model 3, and Ford Mustang Mach E is also very similar, and driving this car does not feel that the power response and power intensity are worse than theirs, they are very good in this regard, which is also due to the working characteristics of the electric motor - the maximum torque can be released in an instant. By the way, compared to the Volvo S60 T8, which is also close to 400 horses, the XC40 Recharge has a much stronger subjective feeling of power, although the S60 T8 is still a bit faster.
In the previous paragraph, I emphasized the premise of "big power request" before describing the powertrain of XC40 Recharge, the reason why I say this is because the excellent powertrain characteristics described above are not global, and I think there will still be flaws in some cases, such as when starting, the power will appear a little lazy, how to understand laziness? First of all, there is no problem with the power response, stepping on the pedal can still be able to output the power without gaps, but the initial power output is not strong, try to step on the pedal a little deeper Power output will not become stronger instantly, at this time will feel a little meaty, wait until the speed comes up will feel that the power output reaches a normal level, which is like the power lag of some fuel vehicles (such as turbo hysteresis or double-clutch transmission multi-piece clutch joint) that feeling. After the end of the big power request, the body will still lean back at the moment of receiving the gas, and it is not in the single pedal mode, which may make the passengers in the car a little uncomfortable. These are the points that I think the XC40 Recharge does not do as well as Tesla and Mach E, and these points make me think that the powertrain of this car can still be a little more delicate.
This car can choose to turn the single pedal mode on or off, and I would like to mention the performance of the single pedal mode of this car in passing. This aspect can give a good review, compared to the previously driven Mach E and Model 3/Y, the single pedal mode of this car is more uniform, mainly reflected in the fact that when I retract the accelerator pedal, the braking rhythm is more linear, that is to say, the brake rhythm is more consistent with the degree of my retraction, and at the same time, if the pedal is suddenly fully retracted at low speed, the braking force will not be too violent. Another point I would like to mention is that in single-pedal mode, the acceleration of the power intensity is not the same as when the single pedal mode is closed, mainly reflected in the rapid acceleration of the power strength is not as strong as the off the single pedal mode.
Finally, this car does not have a driving mode adjustment, that is to say, unlike most cars now that offer comfort mode and sport mode, I flipped through the menu of the central control, there is no similar option in it, I only saw an off-road mode, what kind of difference it will be I don't know, because as long as the speed is higher, this mode will turn off, so I didn't experience much. But what I want to say is that if the car can be divided into comfort and sport mode, it would be better, and the current state is set to comfort mode, so that the starting rhythm of this car may eliminate the lazy characteristics in sports mode.
The steering feel provides a handy handling experience
The establishment of the steering feel gives absolute praise, and I can hardly fault it, which is almost exactly the same as the good steering feel I expected. The steering feel of this car is very smooth, there is no sense of jerkiness, and the positive torque performance is also very natural, which makes people feel that this car is very smooth to handle. In addition to smoothness, lightness is also the characteristic of the steering feel of this car, and this lightness is not a lightness without a sense of feedback, which also benefits from the very uniform steering damping with angle gain characteristics, giving people the most intuitive feeling is that it is very easy to drive, and the damping sense reveals flexibility.
Here can be briefly mentioned, the weight of the steering of this car can be adjusted, divided into light and heavy two gears, I don't know if the domestic version has this setting. However, I personally think that whether adjusted to light or heavy, the establishment of the steering feel is very good, with the speed and with the angle gain characteristics are very logical, after lighting will not feel that the high speed is more floating, the weight will not feel that the low speed is not light enough, like what kind of mode purely depends on personal preferences.
Equally outstanding is steering directivity. First of all, I hardly felt any vacancy from this car, combined with the excellent steering feel, which made the driver feel very calm when driving at high speeds. The body change rhythm is also flexible and calm. Therefore, the car's extremely easy handling experience not only comes from the establishment of steering feel, but also the contribution of good body following, which is very competent for a family SUV.
The chassis has a strong sense of isolation and is full of high-end feeling
The driving quality of the XC40 Recharge also deserves its home SUV status, and it can also be praised almost all the time. First of all, the first impression of the chassis of the XC40 Recharge is that the sense of isolation is very strong, especially when passing through the gap in the road surface at medium speed, the vibration is almost completely absorbed, and I can only experience some sporadic feedback. Even if the sense of feedback is so slight, I can feel the flexibility that emanates from the chassis. That is to say, the car is like a flying carpet suspended on the road, this extremely soft feeling provides passengers with a particularly comfortable driving experience. When the speed gradually increases, the feedback of the chassis increases, but in general, the intensity is still very slight, and the whole filter will only last for a short time, compared to the low-speed is only more tenacious, and it is still full of high-end feeling as the sense of feedback at low speed. I personally agree with the vibration feedback gain characteristics of the XC40 Recharge, which can give a richer sense of the road when the speed is faster, and the driver can also communicate with the road surface, and it is less likely to make the driver feel floating.
It is not enough to rely on excellent feedback texture, XC40 Recharge can have such a comfortable driving quality is inseparable from the good body posture inhibition of this car. First of all, the chassis of this car feels very stable to me, and his front and back swing amplitude is extremely slight, which is relatively rare in SUVs. In addition, his performance of the front suspension and the back suspension are very consistent, and he will not be as calm as some cars, and the front suspension will not be significantly shaken at almost any time. Although the texture of the chassis of this car makes people feel soft, the posture has always been very firm, there is no shaking in all dimensions, and the vibration can be filtered very simply.
The car is equipped with Michelin Xice Snow winter tires, and I'm not sure if it's the original tires, but in any case, this tire provides very good road surface tranquility for the XC40 Recharge. In addition, the other aspects of the car's sound insulation level is also very good, and the more difficult point is that the trunk of this car does not produce a lot of SUV or MPV like a windbox roar. Combined with excellent driving quality, the quietness of the car further provides a comfortable ride for the occupants.
Therefore, the chassis tuning of XC40 Recharge is really amazing, the comfort is absolutely excellent, and at the same time, it does not sacrifice the dynamic level, and the dynamic and comfort are highly taken into account, in fact, not only the chassis is so, but also the steering calibration introduced in the previous section, XC40 Recharge can be described as stunning in both aspects.
Endurance performance is not competitive
Volvo XC40 Recharge's mechanical quality analysis is almost complete, the chassis and steering performance is very perfect, the powertrain is flawed, but also very good, these characteristics are enough to make his comprehensive mechanical quality in the same level to reach the top level. It's just a pity that the XC40 Recharge's endurance level can be described as no advantage, the maximum battery life of the one I drive is less than 400Km, and it seems that the domestic version is only 420Km. This level is very far from the Tesla Model Y and Ford Mustang Mach E that I analyzed earlier, after all, the latter two can at least last more than 500Km. I think this question may be in vain all the excellent features described above, and many consumers will stop thinking about buying this car, so I think the most fatal problem of volvo XC40 Recharge is the level of battery life.
Ergonomics needs to be improved
First of all, starting from the seat, the front seat performance is acceptable, but the rear seat is not very good, the problem is that the seat itself is relatively hard, the backrest angle is relatively steep (can not be adjusted to a slower angle), the seat cushion is short and the seat cushion itself is relatively thin, and then because of the design of the rear window of this car, the area of the rear window is relatively small, so the rear seat riding experience of this car is more uncomfortable, and the field of vision is also more depressed.
The overall style of the interior is similar to that of Volvo in this era, but there are still some changes in some details, such as the design of the steering wheel is not the same as that of some other Volvo models (such as S60), the steering wheel of the XC40 Recharge is more full of grips than the steering wheel, and the steering wheel of some Volvo models that have been driven before is relatively thin and not so full to hold. Then the logic of the gear lever is not as anti-human as the electronic gear lever of some previous Volvo models, such as the Volvo S60 T8 I drove before, if the vehicle is in D gear at this time, you have to push the gear lever forward twice in a row to enter the R gear, a similar experience will also happen on some models of Lynk & Co, but XC40 Recharge can push the gear from the D gear to the R gear at one time, and this optimization can be praised.
The layout of the LCD dashboard is also different from the previous Volvo, in addition to the typography, the biggest change is that the map is added to the center of the dashboard. Overall, it is still very intuitive, and the fly in the ointment is that some fonts are still relatively small.
The XC40 Recharge's engine system has also been redesigned, which is not the same as the previous Volvo model. First of all, the optimization part, compared to the previous car machine, the initial menu integrates more common software, such as maps, players and Bluetooth. However, when I carefully experienced it, I found that this new car machine is still not easy to use, and even some places are not as good as the previous car machine.
The adjustment of the air conditioner still has to enter the secondary menu, although the interface is more beautiful, but the logic is not more clear and intuitive than before, especially the wind speed and seat to add adjustment, after entering this interface will also pop out a window, in the driving process adjustment will be more distracting.
More distracting is the driving mode adjustment interface, which is not as set up as the previous car machine. To enter this interface to enter the secondary menu twice, as shown in the following figure, first of all, in the initial interface to click the setting key, after entering the secondary menu to click another secondary menu (Driving), and then the adjustment of the driving mode, and this interface options are very many, almost the driving mode, driving assistance and single pedal switch are all integrated in it, want to adjust some settings also have to slide the screen down. This is probably the most complicated car I've ever used to adjust the driving mode, and it's too easy to distract from controlling this interface while driving, and I even think this setting is not safe.
XC40 Recharge car has no start switch, as long as with the key, hang up the D stop car can go, after parking after hanging on the P gear, open the door of the whole car will automatically power off, it is said that only the Recharge version of XC40 has this design, I think it is still very convenient to use.
The savings space in the car is still relatively good, in addition to the more spacious trunk, there is also a part of the savings space under the front cover of the car, but this piece of space is not very large, probably can put down a takeaway space!
The side of the window control area is a curved design, I think this design is not particularly good, when adjusting the window, the arm will feel a little suffocated.
Another point to mention is that this car is not equipped with Volvo's famous BAUER audio, but Harman Karton audio, the overall sound quality is still very good, but compared with Baohua is still almost meaningless, the degree of delicacy is not as high as Baohua.
Appearance brief review
As for the specific design elements, I don't want to analyze them in detail, I just want to talk about the overall visual effect. In fact, whether it is the appearance or the interior, XC40 and this era of Volvo are very consistent, but the final visual effect is not the same as other Volvo models, his headlights are larger, the silhouette is more rounded, in layman's terms, XC40's appearance is more cute, may be loved by more female masses.
Is this a car recognized by the masses?
By my standards, the XC40 Recharge is a very finished car, but do consumers think so? I can't see it. We can briefly review this car, his biggest highlight is the steering and chassis tuning, the powertrain is also very good, but compared with his new energy at the same price point is still slightly inferior, in this price range, I have the right to speak only Mach E and Model 3/Y, I dare to say very responsibly, compared with these cars, XC40 Recharge is not inferior at all in terms of comprehensive mechanical quality, maybe his ergonomics is not so good, But at the workmanship level, it is better than these opponents, after all, Volvo is also a luxury brand, only the gap between the mileage and these opponents is too obvious, as I said before, this problem is a very fatal problem for XC40 Recharge, a large part of the masses who buy pure electric vehicles come from limited license cities, if they need a car immediately, they can only choose to buy a pure electric car, so for them, the battery life is the first element they consider. After all, it is very likely that these families are buying the only car in the whole family, and no battery life advantage will greatly reduce the convenience of travel.
At the same time that I recognized the XC40 Recharge, I also felt some regrets about this car, the product force is competitive enough, but it is a very big loss in the endurance. As far as I know, the visibility of this car in China is also very low, and I think the endurance is definitely one of the main problems. Some people may ask me if it is because the price is too expensive, I think the price of XC40 Recharge in China is really not expensive, although it can not be regarded as a great value, but combined with Volvo's luxury added value, there is a very considerable performance, and the degree of completion of the mechanical quality is very high, I think his price is still very reasonable, and we also know that the price of this car in Canada is not cheaper than the domestic, and even with the gasoline version of the XC40 to produce a cliff-like price gap. So if this car can upgrade the range to a competitive level in the future, I think the XC40 Recharge will be a recommended performance source product.