Tees Life Tees Life Issue 5 | Page 35

MOTORING It’s official. The launch of the new XC40 has been Volvo’s most successful in the UK…ever. Tees Life’s motor man Graham Courtney tells us more MEET THE CAR V olvo’s new compact SUV is selling at an average of 2,000 cars a month and has already racked-up a host of top awards including being named European Car of the Year and What Car? Car of the Year. Those remarkable sales figures are especially significant because the XC40 is Volvo’s first ever compact SUV, and it is already stealing sales from other premium brands. There are three levels of trim: Momentum, Inscription and R-Design. Prices start at £27,610. You can also get Pro Edition models of each trim which add extra goodies. Our favourite is the R-Design. To be honest, R-Design is our favourite across most of the Volvo range. You get a stylish, sporty body kit which makes the car really stand out. There are smart alloy wheels, sports suspension, leather upholstery, folding mirrors and parking sensors. This is on top of a really good level of standard equipment. Every XC40 comes with sat nav, air con, DAB radio, auto wipers and lights, electric windows and, of course, a fabulous level of safety equipment which of the YEAR makes it one of the safest cars in the world. The interior is really smart with some neat, funky touches around the cabin. Everything is solid and feels good. Outside, the XC40 is very, well, un-Volvo. OUR CHOICE Best model XC40 R-Design - from £29,460 Best engine D4 AWD 2.0 litre auto (£34,970) Power 190hp 0-60 7.5 seconds Top speed 130 mph MPG 56.5 mpg It stands out on its own and doesn’t look as though it morphed from the bigger XC60/ XC90 models. It’s a handsome animal. Roomy, too. It’s also incredibly good to drive. Apart from the entry level models, you get AWD as standard. This makes the XC40 feel wonderfully surefooted. It’s a car that will happily trundle around town, blast along the motorway or enjoy being hustled along country lanes. Engines are familiar to any Volvo fans with a mixture of punchy D3 and D4 diesels and smooth T3, T4 and T5 turbo petrol units. Volvo was a late arrival into the small SUV market in the UK. They’ve plainly taken advantage of looking at the competition and making sure they hit the bullseye with their new baby. If you want a premium, compact SUV, the Volvo XC40 is the one to go for. It’s brilliant. FACTFILE PRICES for XC40 R-Design models Petrol T3 Manual £29,460 T4 AWD auto £33,920 T5 AWD auto £35,420 Diesel D3 manual D3 auto D3 AWD auto D4 AWD auto £30,860 £32,410 £34,120 £34,970 35