It would appear that questions of the style “Volvo’s XC40 or XC60?” are becoming harder to answer as the years go by and automakers keep building subcompact models that truly excel with regards to practicality while offering very similar space.
The Volvo XC40 is one such car. Relatively small on the outside, spacious on the inside, frugal, well-built and techy. The XC40 is also the reigning 2018 European car of the year, as well as Lara Croft’s new ride in the latest Tomb Raider movie. Now all it needs is an entourage.
Park it next to an XC60 and you’ll need to fill out the backseat with three adults in order to crown the latter as a decisive winner, according to Carwow. Although, the XC60’s size does come in handy in more ways than just one.
For example, it feels “more substantial and solid” to drive, which in turn will make road trips more comfortable. It’s pretty much the classic way in which larger cars tend to one-up smaller ones.
As for overall quality, the interior of the XC40 is indeed a little more simplistic than the XC60’s, as the latter does a good job at mirroring the XC90 flagship. This means less scratchy plastics, a more sophisticated atmosphere and improved comfort.
In the end, if you’re trying to decide which one to buy and you’ve got a bag full of money on you, the XC40 will be the cheaper alternative. If you’re going for a monthly payment plan however, you might find that the XC60 is the better value option – but this depends on a series of factors.
Do you really need that extra bit of room? That’s probably the main question you should ask yourself when it comes to these two crossovers. If not, then maybe you’ll be just as happy in the smaller, and a bit quirky, Volvo XC40.