2022 Volvo C40 First Drive Review: Style Over Substance

Even Volvo could no longer resist the lure of the coupe-over.

The 2022 Volvo C40 is not, as its badge might suggest, a car. It is however, much like the C30 and C70 that came before, a style-first model. The difference is that nobody buys cars anymore. So Volvo has taken its ice-cool design language and applied it to a that most contradictory of segments: the less-practical utility vehicle.

During a recent event, I got the chance to get behind the wheel of Volvo’s rakish SUV. I found a charming, likeable electric eye-catcher, but one that already feels behind the EV curve in some tough-to-overlook ways.

Editor’s Note: Instead of a traditional automaker-organized first drive event, we drove the Volvo C40 as part of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada’s (AJAC) annual EcoRun, which collects many of the market’s most fuel-efficient vehicles for a long-distance road trip. Stay tuned for more coverage from EcoRun.

The C40 rides atop the same CMA platform that underpins the XC40, not to mention the Polestar 2. It has the same 106.4-inch (2,702-millimeter) wheelbase as its XC sibling, too, and is just as wide. From dead on, it’s practically identical, especially since the XC40 has adopted the C40’s slightly pinched headlights for 2022. The filled-in grille, the Y-shaped intakes at the corners of the bumper, the clamshell hood—it’s all here. Heck, other than a bright red, even the C40’s available exterior colors are all available on its upright sibling.

Walk around to the side of the C40 and the changes become obvious. The window line traces a more graceful line towards the tail, peaking just before the B-pillar before heading south. Combined with the lack of roof rails, the C40 is three inches shorter overall.

Move around back, and the C40’s pinched tail is unlike anything else. A twin-fairing roof spoiler sits over the tiny rear window, with another spoiler perched atop the hatch lip. The taillights are very cool, with thin LED strips climbing the rear pillars. As far as coupe-overs go, the C40 is an attractive shape, and Thor’s Hammer headlights aside, does without the OTT aggression so common in the segment.

Like its siblings, the C40 employs a 78.0-kWh battery pack lining the floor. That feeds into a pair of electric motors, one at each axle for effective all-wheel drive. The motors spit out 201 horsepower and 243 pound-feet of torque apiece, for a total of 402 hp and 486 lb-ft. Volvo has announced that, like the Polestar 2, a single-motor, front-drive variant will be available in the future.

That feeling of familiarity continues inside. There’s no other way to say it: from the front seats, this is the XC40—okay, with a little less headroom. Not a problem; the C40’s interior is a smart, comfortable space to spend time. It’s also very blue, which I’m more than okay with. More color in interiors, always. A unique, topograhy-inspired trim inlay on the dash adds a unique feel, especially when back-lit at night.

All of the major touch points feel like quality items, and clever touches like the built-in trash receptacle remain. My only criticism of the interior design is the oddly cheap-looking protuberance housing the buttons just below the infotainment screen. It looks like the sort of plastic-fantastic interior design detail we expected of domestic automakers in the ’90s.

The front seats are supremely supportive, with a good range of motion ensuring that’s the case for a wide swath of folks. Naturally second-row airspace is compromised by that stylish roofline, and sticking folks back there makes the letterbox view out the rearview even smaller. It’s fine if you’re under six-foot, and legroom is still adult-friendly. The seatbacks are slightly flat, but the combo of vegan leather and suede makes them nearly as comfortable as the front thrones, and they hold you in place well. A standard panoramic moonroof ditches the dividing bar found in the XC40, resulting in lots of natural light flooding the interior.

Trunk space is comparatively tiny, because just look at the C40. Still, 14.6 cubic feet (413 liters) is plenty for the weekly grocery run, and the 60/40 folding second row expands that to 42.6 cubes (1,206 L).

Over a year ago, I drove the XC40 Recharge. That model, just like the C40, used Volvo’s new Android Automotive infotainment system. It didn’t support Apple CarPlay at launch, but word was that it’d show up in an over-the-air (OTA) update soon.

Dear reader, it still hasn’t arrived.

So what if I can’t hook up my non-Googlonian smartphone? Well, using the native system has its perks, like a quick-reacting main menu that’s all too easy to navigate. There’s native app support for things like Spotify, too. You’ll have to log into your Google account to unlock most of the features, however, and you’ll need a digital services subscription to do that. It’s included at purchase, but that’s something to keep in mind down the road.

Native Google Maps support allows for navigation right in the instrument panel, a feature that’s still rare on many cars. Not only that, it can provide real-time route alterations based on remaining charge and available stations en route. And trust me, you’ll want that in the C40 (more on that later).

The C40 comes in one well-equipped form, including a Harman/Kardon sound system, heated seats front and back, the fully digital instrument panel, and a well-rounded suite of driver assists—the 360-degree camera in particular coming in handy. You won’t find cool gee-whiz features like a head-up display or digital key, however. Like other Volvo electric models, the C40 doesn’t have an on/off button; you just walk away from it, like a Tesla. Personally, I’m not a fan, though I realize a lot of that comes down to the rather unique requirements of the job. Like, well, taking photos of a stationary car.

First, the good news: like the XC40 and Polestar 2, the C40’s low center of gravity and instant-access power make it a fun little cute-ute to point and shoot around corners. It’s very quick, with sharp (if light) steering that quickly builds driver confidence. When you ease off and get ready for some cruising, the C40 responds in kind, with a hushed, well-damped ride. It was a miserable rainy day during my time with the car, but the Volvo’s calm demeanor meant the weather couldn’t dampen my spirits.

The range sure did, though. The C40 is quoted at 226 miles (364 kilometers), which would suggest an efficiency rating of roughly 21.4 kWh per 100 km (a little under 3 miles per kWh). Now admittedly, the C40 had to contend with almost exclusively highway miles during our test, which are notoriously tough on electric car range. It was raining too, don’t forget. Yet even as I coasted along in the right lane, as comfortably below the limit as I could manage without pissing off other road users, I couldn’t best 27.4 kWh/100 km. That’s about two-and-a-quarter miles per kilowatt-hour, which suggests an effective range of only around 180 miles (290 km). Oof.

The mostly-straight drive route did give me plenty of time to experiment with the one-pedal drive mode. Volvo’s version of aggressive regenerative braking is one of the most forceful out there, though to me that’s a positive. It takes a little bit of mental recalibration, but becomes second nature before long.

Like other CMA-platform cars, the C40 is capable of charging at an 150-kW DC fast charger. Here, in ideal settings, it can pull an 80-percent charge in 40 minutes. Hook the 11-kW on-board charger up to a 220-volt wall outlet, and a full battery takes around eight hours.

With the only option being the cool Fjord Blue metallic paint ($695 / $900 CAD), this C40 Recharge rang up at $60,540 ($75,815 CAD).

In terms of direct competition, well, there isn’t much. The likes of the Tesla Model Y and Ford Mustang Mach-E are larger, and more practically-shaped. The new Genesis GV60 is perhaps closest, as a style-first, premium EV crossover. Its starting price is ever so slightly below that of the Volvo, while the Performance model commands a premium of a few grand. For the extra outlay, the Genesis brings more comfort and convenience features to the table, not to mention more power.

The 2022 C40 has a lot going for it. It looks cool as can be, that non-threatening Swedish design putting it over the mean-faced German options in these eyes. It’s fun to drive when you want to push it, and comfortable when you don’t. Folks embedded within the Google ecosystem will dig the infotainment, too.

There’s a big trade-off for all that cool factor, though. The C40 has yet again shown us that Volvo’s EVs are lacking the real-world range that buyers—rightly or wrongly—demand. It might do better in an ideal setting, but we haven’t needed that for other electric cars. It would work very well as a short-range second car, but as the main event, the C40 might be missing lasting appeal.