Volvo XC40 Compact SUV Release Date, Price & Specs News: The Small Car That's Big On Safety
The Volvo XC40 is the grand finale to the Swedish automaker's SUV trilogy which began with the XC90 back in 2015. While the compact SUV is the smallest of its siblings, it doesn't sacrifice any of their safety features to accommodate its size.
According to the automaker, the car is its first ever premium compact SUV. The Range Rover Evoque, Mercedes-Benz GLA, and Audi Q3 are probably the closest when it comes to the car's rivals although it boasts better aesthetics. The vehicle is aimed primarily at urban drivers able to navigate busy streets with ease.
Volvo is known for its high-end estate cars and more recently, its XC90 and XC60 SUVs. It's the latter two that the Volvo XC40 bear a striking resemblance not just in design but in functionality as well. It is equipped with the same technology that sets them apart from their rivals such as Volvo's City Safety system to identify pedestrians, cyclists, cars, and even large animals and automatically slams the breaks if needed.
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Two diesel engines and three gasoline engines are available ranging 150hp to 250hp, and all except the entry-level 156hp T3 gasoline engine are available with all-wheel-drive. A hybrid version is expected to come out soon given Volvo's commitment to its electric ambitions announced earlier in the year.
The standard 9-inch touchscreen, sat-nav, Spotify, and a mobile phone app also come with the car with the app allowing owners to remotely control certain features of the car such as the heater. Additional options include Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as well as a 13-speaker Harman Kardon sound system.
The question of comfort is still up for debate although it is reported that it resembles the more expensive and larger XC90 in terms of comfort and quality rather than the XC60. For convenience, the vehicle also comes with Volvo's Pilot Assist which combines adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping technologies.
The 2019 Volvo XC40 T5 will come out first at a base price of $35,200. The slightly cheaper XC40 T4, on the other hand, will appear next summer with prices starting at $33,200.
