With the arrival of the 2022 C40 Recharge, Volvo has truly begun to lay the foundation for the future after the internal combustion engine.

The C40 Recharge is not the first electric car from a car manufacturer, but it is the first model sold only as an electric car. There will be no gasoline power equivalent to the C40 Recharge. And it will only be sold online.

When the fastback electric crossover arrives from Ghent, Belgium in the first quarter of 2022, its biggest competitor may just sit across from the showroom, with similar prices—higher form, more boxy, and more practical but The more ordinary-looking XC40 is charged. Fashion and style are rarely clear.

I flew to Brussels, ate some delicious fries, and spent some time driving the 2022 C40 Recharge to understand the difference between it and the competition, including its XC40 Recharge brother.

In short, C40 Recharge is a fashion statement. The slanted windshield, low, fast roofline and fastback hatch distinguish this EV from its more upright counterparts.

The front bumper has been adjusted with slightly different aerodynamics and unique headlights, while the rear has a fast back design. The wind deflector dragged from the roof is not just to make the C40 Recharge look better. It hides the hinges of the tailgate to prevent them from intruding into the interior and further cutting into the already meager rear head space. The rear spoiler is fully functional and helps control the airflow at the rear.

But it was C40 Recharge's dramatic performance of Volvo's taillights that grabbed the limelight with an animated start sequence, which starts from the bottom and pulls to the top of the lightning element when the crossover is unlocked. Anders Gunnarson, C40 Recharge's exterior design director, told The Green Car Report that he is still frustrated that the taillights cannot be seamlessly connected to a light-emitting element and a piece of plastic. During the development process, the plastic lens broke due to excessive tension. Gunnarson said this resulted in a gap in the vertical part of the taillight, because "a gap seems to be broken."

The inside of the dashboard is almost the same as the XC40 Recharge, equipped with a 12.3-inch digital dashboard and a 9.0-inch touch screen infotainment system. The obvious difference is that C40 Recharge can choose to use recycled plastic on the floor and door to make an excellent blue (charcoal color is the standard color), and no one ounce of leather is found. In fact, leather is not an option. Textured terrain decoration that glows at night (although it can be turned off) is a new change in the ambient lighting in the car, and is the standard configuration of the C40 Recharge.

C40 Recharge is no surprise. It feels and drives like XC40 Recharge, and even similar to Polestar 2 dual motors. This means that the ride is firm and fastened, but never harsh even on the cobblestone roads of Ghent, despite the standard 20-inch wheels. Road and wind noise are silent; it has less wind noise on the highway than Mustang Mach-E. The real surprise is the well-weighted steering that does not feel overly aggravated in low-speed parking situations. Having a "sturdy" setting will introduce too much artificial weight, but the normal setting is the perfect weight, allowing the C40 Recharge to track well on the highway without the need for input correction.

In C40 Recharge, the single-pedal drive is easy to use, and you can switch settings in the "Drive Settings" panel. After turning off this function, C40 Recharge can crawl forward from parking like a gasoline-powered vehicle. Releasing the throttle basically allows the cross-border electric vehicle to coast. In single-pedal mode, C40 Recharge has powerful regenerative braking, which can suddenly push the occupant forward if it is not adjusted, especially on highways. During the two days of driving, I rarely touched the brakes and found that the single-pedal setting was ideal for all situations except panic.

If this sounds familiar, it's because it is. As confirmed by Volvo’s head of product strategy, Jonas Engström, there is no change between XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge, not even the ride height or suspension adjustment.

Each C40 Recharge is powered by a 78 kWh lithium-ion battery pack and two electric motors (one for each shaft) for a total output of 402 horsepower and 486 pound-feet. Volvo stated that the C40 Recharge can sprint at a speed of 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds.

According to Volvo, on a 150-kilowatt DC fast charger, C40 Recharge should be able to charge from 10% to 80% in 37 minutes, while on an AC charger, 0-100% will take 8 hours. We have no chance to test the charging function of any crossover.

Volvo expects C40 Recharge's EPA estimated cruising range to be 225 miles, slightly higher than XC40 Recharge. reason? The efficiency of C40 Recharge is increased by 6% due to the slippery. The rear end design accounted for 4% of this change, with the remaining 2% coming from the 2.2-inch lower roofline and smaller frontal area. The heat pump is the standard configuration of the C40 Recharge, and it is part of the XC40 Recharge optional package. In the Belgian test, including urban driving and European highway driving, the speed was somewhat similar to that of the southern United States. I observed that Volvo's mileage estimate was quite accurate. According to my experience, when driving on a highway, the mileage in the real world may be close to 200 miles.

As for whether there will be a front-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive single-motor C40 Recharge, Volvo spokesperson Russell Datz told GCR, "To be determined."

The appearance is as good as the C40 Recharge, its packaging and some functions have been affected. Some of them will be fixed over time, but other bits are a simple trade-off of the form.

There is plenty of room in front for people 6 feet tall, but the standard panoramic glass roof takes up the headroom around the mounting and safety hardware pillars. In the back, the occupant is sitting on a two-layer battery module because the EV is still riding on an ICE-based CMA platform like the Polestar 2, creating a stadium seating setup. Coupled with the tall seat bottoms and fast roofline, I am 5 feet 10 inches tall and my hair almost brushes over the roof. The taller occupant will have to sit in the front.

Although the upright seat position and the high-mounted front seats provide a good front view, the rear view of the driver's seat is severely restricted due to the thick C-pillar and the small tilted rear window. I found myself constantly looking down at what was behind me.

Just like XC40 Recharge, the 9.0-inch touch screen infotainment operating system is based on Android. Although the home screen skin looks like the familiar Volvo interface, it is functionally cut off at the knee. The previous Volvo car running the Sensus system can handle multiple tasks at the same time and display Apple CarPlay and car navigation system, or display two functions at the same time, and in the new Android-based system, any running application will occupy the entire screen.

Anna Arasa Gaspar, Volvo's UX design manager, told GCR that this is not a functional limitation of Android, but a conscious design decision made by the Volvo team based on customer feedback and the desire for full-screen applications. The old system provided options for both, and there is no longer a multitasking option. In fact, there was no Apple CarPlay at the time of launch. This will be achieved through wireless software updates at an uncertain point in time. Whether XM satellite broadcasting will appear at launch remains to be determined. And there is no AM radio, sorry sports fans.

When it arrives in the first quarter of 2022, C40 Recharge will face competition from outside its siblings from the Volvo showroom, from Mercedes-Benz EQB electric cars and Audi Q4 E-Tron Sportback to Genesis GV60, and of course, also There is Tesla Model Y. Both Y and Q4 E-Tron are already on sale and sold at dealerships, while GV60 and EQB electric vehicles are still pending when they are launched in the United States. EQB Electric and Q4 E-Tron are both slower and less powerful than C40 Recharge, but Audi’s cruising range is expected to be slightly higher than Volvo. Both GV60 and Y will be the best choice for Volvo's product range and packaging, although both are difficult to call beautiful compared to the Swedes.

The 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge is priced at $59,845, which is actually $1,190 less than the XC40 Recharge with the same configuration, because it comes standard with everything from the heat pump to the Harman Kardon audio system and heated rear seats. It is part of the XC40 Ultimate kit for charging. Despite this, the basic XC40 Recharge has fewer features than its swoopier counterparts, but it is still $4,760 lower than the C40 Recharge.

Buying the C40 Recharge will actually change the way you buy Volvo: it is only sold online. Datz did confirm to GCR that although C40 Recharges will not be stocked at the dealership and must be ordered online, if customers want to touch and drive one before clicking the order button, at least one will be tested at the dealership. Yes , Customers can order them at the dealer, but it will be ordered through the webpage you ordered when you re-viewed the office on the sofa at home.

For those who do not plan to use the back seat often and are willing to give up a bit of the optional XC40 Recharge in the name of fashion, the C40 Recharge provides a compelling argument for themselves with its chic design.

Volvo flew me to Brussels, Belgium, and then asked me to change hotels 3 times in three days so that we could bring you the first driving review.

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