Among the extremely stylish and safe vehicles designed by Volvo as of late is this, the XC40, which despite its perhaps unconventional appearance, has managed to ace pretty much every review it’s been a part of.
This one is no different, as Doug DeMuro was extremely impressed with it, even though by his own admission, he’s not that used to reviewing small crossovers.
In fact, he gave it a better score than he did the XC90 Excellence, although we have yet to see him rate the regular XC90 – or the XC60, for that matter.
So then what’s there to like about the XC40? According to this reviewer, quite a lot, starting with its styling, on-board tech, build quality, practicality and surprisingly high levels of comfort.
We also get to learn about some of the XC40’s very interesting quirks, things we reckon not a lot of people know, such as how the upper diagonal stripe of the grille’s badge points directly to the hood’s latch mechanism, so that you know where to reach.
Another really neat touch is the engine cover, which, unlike with most cars, is made out of foam instead of plastic. Then there are features like the Air Woofer, the removable center console trash bin or the complementary cloth for cleaning the infotainment screen (with instructions on it).
As for how it drives, terms such as smooth were used, as DeMuro says that the XC40 feels “nicer than an entry-level luxury SUV”, which is high praise indeed.