By Alex Forrest
Anyone who’s been watching Volvo’s steady revival back to become a more viable contender in the premium European car market will know their SUVs are the main reason for that.
The XC40, Volvo’s compact SUV which competes with the BMW X1, Audi Q2, Mercedes GLA and Jaguar E-Pace, is the latest of Volvo’s SUVs, having arrived in Australia in March 2018.
More recently, it’s proved so popular that Volvo has expanded the XC40 range to include this mid-spec model called the Inscription. It fits between the base model T4 Momentum and the range-topping T5 R-Design.
The most significant addition to the XC40 Inscription is all wheel drive, which isn’t available in the Momentum. The Inscription is still only available with the 2.0-litre turbo petrol, which is fine because it has 140kW and a gutsy 300Nm of torque starting from way down at 1,400rpm.
The XC40’s interior is elegant in both its design and the high-quality materials used, and touchpoints like the volume control and air vents have a firmness and precision that inherently communicate high quality.
Without a doubt, the large rectangular touchscreen in the centre console is the interior’s dominant feature.
It looks great, but scrolling through screens to adjust the ventilation or radio band, when a couple of dials or switches would suffice, can be frustrating.
After our week with the XC40, this did become a faster operation, but it could be made better with physical switches which give you the feedback that they have been pressed, rather than waiting to check the changes have happened on a screen.
As an owner, the screen could well become even more seamless to operate.
One other pitfall of the XC40 is its servicing costs, which are higher than many of its competitors. Buyers may want to negotiate a deal on a servicing package at the time of purchase.
Accept these and the XC40 Inscription is a very convincing proposition. The Inscription brings extras such as leather seats, a beautiful crystal gear knob and bending LED headlights, all without having to stump up another $5000 for the R-Design.
Plus, it’s still rare and is dripping in Scandinavian cool.
Volvo XC40 Specifications:
| Price (drive away) as tested: | From $59,257 |
| Engine: | 2.0-litre petrol turbo |
| Power: | 140kW @ 4700rpm |
| Torque: | 350Nm @ 1400-4000rpm |
| Claimed fuel economy: | 7.4L/100km |
| ANCAP Rating: | 5 stars |
