Volvo's First Electric Crossover Is Just The Start | 2022 Volvo XC40 Recharge 

Great review. We bought an XC40 Recharge EV several months ago over the Model Y, Mustang Mach-e, and Polestar 2. We've owned a Model 3 for three years, and found the Model Y to share the same drawbacks - noisy, rough ride, no 360-degree parking cam, no rear cross-traffic braking, subpar blindspot warning. The Polestar was too cramped, and the Mach-e too midwestern. We recently took the XC40 on a 900-mile trip, choosing it over the Model 3, because it is so much more comfortable and quiet to drive, a pleasure. Charger availability isn't quite up to Tesla's supercharging network, but it was fine - most Electrify America 150kW/350kW charging stalls were open at each stop, and we always hit about 150kW.

"You don't compare a Fiat 500 to a BMW 5 series just because they both use gasoline" THANK YOU ALEX! This is my number one gripe about people like Sandy who spent all his time complaining that an electric mini cooper wasn't like a Tesla Model Y.

I love your videos, your style, and sincerity. I am speaking only for myself here when I say that I much prefer having a POV like view on the big section than the outside camera that is on the side of the vehicle. A camera that is mounted to the sunroof, looking ahead to the road is something I much prefer than the outside side camera. I feel like I am seeing mostly the body panel of the car. Thanks for your hard work. I enjoy your videos.

Like you, I also really prefer two pedal driving. Not because it's traditional, but because it makes more sense to me to dedicate one pedal to going and one pedal to stopping, rather than having both pedals' operation affect deceleration in different ways. When I owned an e-Golf, I turned off the coasting regen because that made it much easier to purely coast; and done properly, coasting maximizes efficiency (as opposed to regen braking and then accelerating again). Also, thank you for properly explaining the difference between blended braking and Teslas' regen braking! Many folks don't seem to understand the nuances of how different automakers incorporate regen braking in different ways.

Thanks! It's so nice to have this reviewed from a american standpoint. I really appreciate the size, power and range comparisons. In the old days ( 10 years ago) a price hike of 30000 dollars for this higher performance wouldn't raise an eye brow (BMW 3 series 316-M3) Now some people compare performance cars (Tesla) with anti cars ;) (Nissan Leaf) just because they are electric. No car magazine would think of doing these comparisons with gas cars. -Strange I say. Keep up your excellent work.

Alex - Please add a category to compare cars by how sophisticated the driver assist features are. This WILL become a critical part of the buying choice in the future.

I remember you asking me “You use the radio? You know it's the 21st century, right?” Well Alex using your own words, let me ask you, “You listen to satellite radio? You know it’s the 21st century right?” We have our phones for that LOL 😆

I think I'd go for ID.4. Slightly less luxurious and a bit slower but $10K less. Or maybe Mach-E.

Thanks Alex. Today, in Ontario, my wife and tried to check out the Audio Q4 E-Tron but none are available to look at. You're right, you have to keep adding and lot things to get it up to a car like a TMY - came out to about $10K CDN less then a TMY LR here. Checked out the Volvo XC40 Recharge. We liked it more than the Audi. The Google car thing was great for navigation. But, it was sadly limited in terms of apps and the driver's display. Quite impressed overall. Peak in windows of the Ioniq 5. Not as luxurious than these 2 and the trendy style won't age well. So, Volvo XC40 Recharge would be our pick of these. Now to check out a Mustang Mach-E (good luck!) and the Tesla Model Y soon.

You are a scholar and a gentleman. You are a trustworthy source of information - not a common trait in the twenty-first century. Thank you for your work. I bought a Model Y LR last year and I'm reasonably happy with it. I dislike every control being on the touch screen, and boy does the Model Y eat tires even though I drive it modestly (I am expecting a 15K mile life on the OEM tires), these are my main complaints, but if I needed to travel a few hundred miles, the Tesla charging network is vastly superior whereas the CCS network is significantly slower (often less than 62 KW in my area) but this may change. My wife does not care for the looks of the Tesla so we are looking at alternatives.

Great review! Thank you. Would like to see an update to 2022 specs to all related vehicles.

Did he really say you shouldn’t compare this to a Model Y and then compare it to a BMW iX 😂

First of all great review, regarding the infotainment system for those that dont own a XC40 EV there is way more options, and just recently they introduced "Range optimizer" a much apriciated feature to tell you the range, and helps you get better range performancee. The google integration also can do more than just turn up the heat in the car, just give it the right command and you can turn on the heat in your seat or the passenger seat, tell how much range you have left in KM and much more... Alex do you at some point plan to do a deeper dive into the infontainment system ?

I love one pedal driving...it's less wear & tear on my knee ...(maybe I should sit correctly in the seat)

Love that color. Looks sick.

Under almost under all braking situations Volvo engages the physical brakes a bit to help clean the rotors and pads.

Beautiful, good car for sure!

I like it and I love that color. Volvo will be a tough competitor in the years to come.

Love the look! R design look is nice! Too bad Google doesn't offer more adjustment yet.....

I have had my XC40 Recharge for about 3 months so far and I really enjoy it. I got a fairly good lease deal on it and yes I wish I did more research before jumping into a fully electric car but overall it hasn’t been horrible. The Car has had some issues but the OTA update fixed some but it still has some issues. I am not very happy with the Dealer I got it from or even my local dealer. The Volvo dealer experience so far is definitely not as good as Infiniti or Audi.

If you have build quality issues with panel fit then there's safe to say there's a higher risk there's problems with more vital parts, now or in the future. If you plan to be eco friendly and actually own your car for a long time, low build quality could mean a money pit further down the road....

Love the design of this, don’t love the efficiency and price.

Any idea on the minimum and maximum miles before you need a new battery?

Little bit insulted for heat pump being a part of the $3000 package. It's a decent package overall, but I wish they included heat pump as a standard on all trims. They did the same thing on Polestar 2 btw.

The Kia EV6. Or the Genesis GV60. Hand for the cohesiveness of design, range and overall specialness of them.

@Alex +1 on the comment to please include some review or opinion of any available driver assistance features, and safety features. Notably the XC40 Recharge includes a nice 360-degree parking camera, rear cross-traffic braking, and blind spot warning in the side view mirrors, none of which are available on Tesla's Model Y. The XC40 also has a decent traffic-aware cruise control and automatic lane-keeping, filling the same need for us as Tesla's much-hyped "Autopilot".

So what kind of range degradation is expected in winter? If we’re talking down to 130-150 miles in a subzero climate that could be a deal breaker for many

What is the meaning of the round dots shown when you describe the lenght of the vehicle? Is each one representing an inch?

How is air conditioner performance on these EV's? And can you turn the radio up loud? And in May of 2022, why are there no XC40 Recharges for sale? I found two used ones online and that's it.

GReat video is great as usual, build for the prices on these cars, build quality is very important. Even Volvo while built well, is not on par with the Japan brands, but is leaps ahead of Tesla. To me a sloppy built car is an indication of future reliability issues.

Think it compares nicely to the q4 etron. A bit small for me but nice car. Love to see a full electric xc90. See there might be one soon but it has a weird design.

Anyone else notice the distinct gap difference between the hood and the bumper trim on the passenger side vs. the driver's side (above the headlight and grill)?

Would anyone recommend this over the hybrid xc60?

I'm in the market for a crossover/suv type full electric and I am majority highway driving 3 days a week (90 miles round-trip per day) which modes would you recommend to get the most range efficiency per charge?

I'm not a fan of the huge c-pillars. I guess outward visibility is not a priority unless you are star gazing.

Love the intro

IMHO, iX is definitely priced higher than the others but I think there’s some significant justification: better suspension, great backseat leg and headroom, much longer range, much better sound system (std and upgrade), awesome new sunroof tech, and better interior design (and options).

13:28 When I test drove the XC40 Recharge, the salesman said the reason for the hump is that it's used for the driveline on the ICE vehicle and the floor-pan is common between the two. So looks like Volvo used the space for cable routing, but it's there for the ICE driveline.

Does this car is sold in Australia as well?

Do yourself a favor: book a test drive and punch that thing. It's qay quicker and faster than it needs to be. Very comfortable, great fit and finish, excellent styling inside and outside. It checks a ton a boxes. No, no the best range. But it charges like a boss if you can find a 100 ou 150 KW charging station.

I don’t really care much about build quality as long as the materials are nice and nothing breaks out of warranty. A rear door on my Model 3 had to be realigned because it took more effort than necessary to close it. I didn’t care because I noticed it when I took delivery. I waited an hour and it was done. Other than that, it has been pretty good and the materials in the interior are nice where material quality matters. Also, I have a car that has CarPlay and I have the Model 3. The Model 3 infotainment is just as easy to use. It syncs with the calendar and iMessage on my iPhone, including all my contacts. To respond to a text, I don’t even have to take my hand off the steering wheel. It also shows the actual text on the screen unlike CarPlay, which only reads texts.

Thank you for the awesome review! I have been watching for this one. I own the xc40. I was looking to swap to this EV option. I went and test drove the EV and it was a lot of fun. I just wish it had better range or was $5k less and I would have likely made the switch. I am still thinking about it and appreciate the excellent review.

Alex, all displays look big when the camera you use is placed (THAT) close to the screens!!!!

Do you know how much the battery replacement costs?

as a primary car, gotta go MY. secondary, volvo looks like competition is coming!

For those who purchased, how are you liking it? I've heard of some software issues and wanted to confirm as I have this and MY on my list.

Has that OTA update come for Android Auto and CarPlay? I know it has NOT for Polestar 2.

Why do different size tires ? No rotation and a heavier car = $. You had me looking up to that point.

wow... this has the same maximum ground clearance as the Taycan Cross Turismo (wagon BEV) ...

Inches of battery packs under the floor doesn’t seem to do much to control road noise on most Teslas.

love my XC40 ICE. When EV is mainstream then yes I will get one

I love the ipace but I’ve never seen one in the wild that wasn’t broken down

When buying an electric vehicle do you have to get the additional evse charger from the cars manufacturer? Or are aftermarket chargers better?

This is a great comparison. I have driven the xc40 and for me it’s too small. I agree that it shouldn’t be compared to the model Y. After looking at all the cars I ordered a model Y. I know the Mach e and id4 aren’t really mentioned here but I drive them as well. I felt the id4 was the nicest but it felt like a Nissan Quest to me. The model Y has this magic of being huge on the inside but feeling sporty and not as big on the outside. I also know from driving an ev for 5 years prior that range above 200 realistically is enough for everyday use. I don’t drive more than 6 hours in a day for a “long” trip anything longer and I am flying. I really wanted to like the Volvo or polestar but they feel cramped to me. I will wait for the xc60 recharge for my wife

Did anyone else know the massive panel gap of the hood? The left side is noticeably higher than the right side of the hood.

Spent my money on the 2021 version of this exact car. It being available to purchase and deliver in one week was one feature that was important. The infotainment system is wonky for sure, auto headlights and rear child locks randomly are unavailable, the entire system had to be rebooted one day into taking possession, which included a 350 mile round trip drive to the dealer. Amazing car, amazing acceleration, pretty decent in the curves. Everything about the car is amazing except the range. It says 208 miles but aggressive highway driving (90mph lots of passing) in the mountains only gets you 130 miles mostly uphill and 160 miles downhill. Charges like the comments state, 150kW until 50%, 50kW unto 80% and then 15kW to 90%.

I dont own a Electric car yet but i agree with you Alex...I wish at this point everyone would stop comparing every car to a Tesla.

Love the XC40 and I was super excited for this, but the lower ground clearance is tragic IMO. The platform can't have been all that well designed for EV duty if that's the compromise. If it was a few tenths of an inch that would be one thing.

Apple Carplay arrived in July, 2022, in the v2.2 software update.

Waiting on the Audi. I think it;s a good value,. I still must do a test drive and compare it with the ID 4.

It drives and handles better than the Polestar 2.

Visited local Volvo dealership yesterday (while waiting for my 2019 Toyota C-HR to have its 4th free bumper-2-bumper service). WOW Sticker price --> $60,000+ USD. This is about 10K+ too much. Gonna be hard to go "green". Toyota Hybrid (HEV) or PHEV seem to be the way "normal" people will HAVE to go, $$$$

Enjoy everything bout all the XC 40s except the tight door frames.

Why would anyone want a vehicle that only has, at most, a 200 mile range!!! I drove my gas powered Volvo XC60 this past weekend 460 miles round trip on 15 gallons of gas. No stops for fuel and definitely didn't have to recharge at least 2 times, both of which would have occured before reaching my desitnation in each direction.

How do you get these 0-60 numbers? Fastest I find is 4.7 sec.

Really need to start see at least mention the "actual" peak DC charging rate and to stop posting it as "fuel economy".... when other channels are doing DC (and sometimes AC) charging tests and show the full charging curves... IMHO..

Why/how would you have paddle shifters in a battery car??

This car, the upcoming C40, and the Polestar-2 share a lot of components and are within a reasonable price window of each other. Which is the best implementation given all the shared parts? It sounds like the XC40 software is lagging behind the Polestar version. How differently are the driving dynamics tuned?

iX is unfortunately in a different price range than ones you mentioned. I’d live to stick to around $60K for a SUV EV, but the iX has too many better designed features, and BMW quality is assumed. Plus the R1S delivery isn’t available till mid ‘23. So, I’m saving up for an iX. The others are sone good lower priced options, but I’m retired and want to get this ultra nice ev while I can enjoy it.

The ipad in the centre with vert a/c vents that Volvo does looked terrible from the start and it looks ridiculous now.

My question ....Why a jack and tire iron but no spare tire .... Wasted space if you aren't going to have a spare tire.

i wish these supposedly commute focused cars would have a commute focused price tag. 58k for this?

I ordered a VW ID.4 AWD Pro S last month - I'll stick with it vs. The Volvo.

Hi Alex, please…do review the S60 B5 AWD if available! That’s a highly anticipated model for most sedan/Volvo lovers!

This is what I expected the Ford electric Mustang to look like.

Where is the logic of providing a jack … but not a spare tire ?

WTF does anyone need with 400hp? 🤭🤭

Thank goodness Volvo didn’t make this as a front wheel drive only cuv. It will be interesting to see what they do with all electric versions of the V60 and V90. I’d certainly consider a V90 electric wagon ahead of any Tesla if pricing and performance are similar.

Putting a swedish flag on these seats for a car made in Belgium is kinda funny. I know I wouldn't recognize the Belgium flag.

I am just constantly frustrated by the inefficiency of these larger EVs. Obviously, I don't expect crossovers and SUVs to have the same kind of efficiency as small 4-seater EVs. But it seems like something in the range of 3.5 mi/kWh combined should be more than achievable for all but the most absurdly oversized SUVs. Then these new cars are constantly clocking in just beneath 3 mi/kWh. So, they just slap bigger and bigger batteries in them (which further degrades their efficiency...) and it just seems like the focus has been in the wrong place.

Always appreciate the complete reviews. Y if you have the $$$$

Gotta get the price down to ~35k fully loaded after credits. You can't force someone to buy at these high prices in the future if ice is abolished.

1000% better looking than a tesla.

I traded my model Y after several issues for a mach E. I really really like it but that audi is a sexier looking vehicle. I think if I had to do it all over again though, id buy the GT Mach E in grabber blue

thanks for this won’t be going for the Volvo saved my cash

Why the constant mention of CarPlay, when similar number of Android phones are sold? Internationally, Android outsells Apple about 3 to 1, so it makes sense to address Android Auto first.

Does this need Android Auto for maps since it has google maps as default navigation?

I think one reason that this is compared to larger cars is that it doesn't have many of the benefits of a smaller car. A subcompact SUV is usually cheaper and/or more fun than a compact SUV. Let's say Mazda CX-30 vs CX-5. The base price of the CX-30 is 12% lower, and reviews say it's more fun. Including tax credits, the XC40 recharge is only 8% cheaper than a Model Y, and in a price range where that doesn't matter to most shoppers. It actually weighs more than a Model Y, so it's unlikely to be more fun, and it doesn't seem like it is. Especially in the US, very few people are shopping for a subcompact SUV just because they cannot fit a compact SUV into their life. With those things in mind, the XC40 isn't fundamentally different than the Model Y, so they get compared. Batteries dominate the weight of an electric car, so making the car a 10% shorter isn't going to reduce the weight by 10%, or even 1%. They also dominate the price of the car, so making a 10% smaller car doesn't make it 10% cheaper either. It might be that the subcompact segment isn't ready to be fully electric until efficiency or battery tech improves another 10 to 20 percent. Hybrids and plug-in hybrids might be solution for this segment, for now. Another reason is that charging infrastructure matters a lot to people, maybe more than it should. So every electric car gets compared to the nearest Tesla, because they currently have the best charging options. Random idea: it might be interesting if you compared the XC40 to the RAV4 prime.They have pretty similar exterior dimensions and the same MPGe rating when the RAV4 is operating on electricity.

I need the xc90 to go full ev, then I am in

Build quality of Tesla hahahah, Alex you nailed it

While larger the hyundai ionic 5 and kia ev6 are still looking like the better option.

The progression to full electric through plug-in hybrids makes so much more sense to me.

The build quality in Tesla should be better especially for what they cost.

I miss the C30 and the wagon styling. These just look like every other crossover SUV that's going electric to me... oh well... At these prices they are a total pass anyway.

They don't look the same to me, unless they refreshed the XC-40.

I like the look and function of this car, but the efficiency is unacceptably poor. 223 miles on a 75kWh is a bit under 3mi/kWh, which is really poor for a sub-compact crossover EV. Larger crossover EVs like the Mach E and Model Y get the same or better efficiency with more interior room. Other sub-compact EVs get much better real world efficiency. Maybe Volvo has rated their efficiency numbers for Nordic winters.

Attractive styling. Bmw? You must be joking?

I would have compared XC40 to BMW's iX3, not iX

Alex, I thought Google / Apple carplay was all done electronically, cordless? You just log in with your Google email address account and everything is on your car you don't need your phone in your car is what we were told on our test drive and experienced with the polestar? Am I missing what you mean by the car having Android auto and Apple carplay?

Where do you need Android Auto when the whole system is google?