Volvo XC40 EV

Now THAT looks like a Leaf SUV.

Does it really use some sort of satellite phone communication, or is that just bogus ad footage?

LeftieBiker said:

Now THAT looks like a Leaf SUV.

Click to expand...

I was about to say the same thing :lol: Down to the wheels and everything, I thought maybe they used a Leaf protocol by accident in the commercial. :shock:

I've now had my XC40 for four months and can give a little more perspective on it. The short version is that I really, really like it but it's not quite ready for prime time on the software side. In terms of handling, comfort, luxury, and auto features, it's great. It's what I was hoping for. It has great pickup and I've already made good use of the extra storage space to move borrowed baby items for my granddaughter's visit. The moon roof is unique and particularly well designed with a black fabric panel and sliding glass panel/vent combination. Little features mean a lot, like being able to fold down the rear headrests for better visibility at the touch of a button and being able to choose firm steering or soft, one pedal driving or regular, etc. Lane assist and blind spot warning and collision avoidance have all worked perfectly. The climate control system works great and can be controlled by voice with Google Assistant. I've tried charging with the CCS DC fast charge and it works well, although it's not as fast as Chademo or Tesla. The AWD gives me a sense of comfort when I'm geocaching and driving or parking on the shoulder of mountain roads, etc.

@jlv Yes it uses over-the-air (OTA) software updates through the phone system, although I don't think it involves satellites, just the regular cell system. I've already had at least one software upgrade that way and didn't even know it until I noticed a change in one of the displays. It all happens invisibly to you while you're driving around. You don't have to go in for service.

The software has been glitchy and is certainly incomplete. Ads touted the Google infotainment system, but things that were advertised are not there yet. For example, Pandora is not in the Volvo/Google Play store although it was advertised as already installed. Spotify is there. You can't plug in a USB drive to play mp3s even though the USB ports are marked just like other Volvo models where you can. Volvo hasn't installed a native music player. The biggest fail is the Volvo On Call (VOC) app, which is changing its name, I hear. That's the app that allows remote starting of heat or A/C, checking the state of charge, setting a charging schedule, etc. It simply hasn't been installed in the U.S. cars yet. I believe it's there in Europe. That's related to another complete bungle Volvo made with the keys. VOC is available as an app for the phone and many U.S. owners have it and have paired their phone app with the car, although the app doesn't have many functions yet. However, the app requires that all the keys be present in the car to pair the car, keys, and phone and activate the app. But Volvo dealers have been giving out three keys to some buyers and only two to others like me. I got one black key and one orange "care key" which is limited in that it can't have a profile in the car; it's sort of like a valet key, but more robust than that. Some dealers are keeping the care key and delivering two black; some are keeping one black; some like mine, claim they only received one black and one orange and aren't keeping anything. My car expects three keys to be present for the pairing. I complained and they finally gave me a second black key, but now the car expects four keys to be present. The black key they originally gave me is recognized by the car as "key 2" and the new one as "key 4". The care key is Key 3. There is no key1. There are others like me. The uneven key distribution policy is totally inexplicable. The sales and service people at the dealership are clueless about this and almost everything related to the car. For now, I can't set charging timing. I have to wait until the rates are low and manually plug in the car at home late in the evening. I have a Blink EVSE which could be programmed, but the charge speed is too slow, so I use the Volvo EVSE/cable. I really don't worry about the remote starting of the heat/AC because the A/C works great and so does the heater (and heated seats). VOC is supposed to be fully operable in the U.S. by July and I'm confident that Google will bring the infotainment package up to snuff in due time. In the meantime I can play my mp3s via Bluetooth from my phone and the speakers are much better than the Leaf's. I am enjoying the car despite these minor irritants on the software roll-out.

cwerdna said:

Update: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/OoKX/volvo-xc40-recharge-turn-up-the-heat-song-by-new-order-t1 is the shorter US audience version I saw.

Click to expand...

I've been seeing these in TV ads a bunch. I stopped to watch one of them on CNBC and it was the above. I then realized that some of the features they were touting were likely aimed at people considering Teslas. Some of the features they touted are ones that Teslas don't have like Google assistant, 360-degree birds eye camera view, blind spot monitoring lights in the mirrors, and cross-traffic alert.

Not sure if we want a separate topic for the C40. GCR:

First drive review: 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge trades function for style

Click to expand...

https://www.greencarreports.com/new...-volvo-c40-recharge-trades-function-for-style

. . . The C40 Recharge isn’t the automaker’s first electric car, but it’s the first model to be sold solely as an EV. There will be no gas-powered equivalent of the C40 Recharge. And it’ll only be sold online.

When the fastback electric crossover arrives from Ghent, Belgium in the first quarter of 2022 its biggest competitor might just be sitting across the showroom, for a similar price—in the form of the somewhat taller, boxier, more practical but more mundane looking, XC40 Recharge. Fashion and style is rarely clear cut. . . .

Click to expand...