2022 Volvo C40 Recharge Review: Style Matters (But So Does Substance)
Auto123 reviews the 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge.
Volvo already had a small all-electric SUV in its lineup. Why another? Well, for one thing, it, like all automakers or just about, has committed to electrification and thus needs bodies to fill out its roster. SUV-shaped bodies. But also, there are folks who might find the existing XC40 Recharge BEV a trifle… conventional, at least in its looks if not in its way of propelling itself forward. Enter the C40, a sportier variant than aims to make being seen in a Volvo SUV a more exciting prospect.
In the eye of the beholder
Looks-wise, thus, the C40 is basically the butchier sibling of the XC40, the coupe-style equivalent to that rectangular small SUV. Think BMW’s X1 and X2 duo. The front ends of the two Volvos are pretty much the same – look at the two side by side from the front and you’re looking at two electric peas in a pod - but the C40’s roofline is lower to the ground and drops as you track back towards the rear. The floating roof back there and the sharper LED taillights give the C a more aggressive demeanour than the X.
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The styling differences do affect visibility out the back for drivers, as well as the head space available to rear-seat passengers. I’m also torn regarding the overall look of the thing. Yes, its cut is more aggressive than the XC40’s, but even with the sloping roofline there’s still something stumpy about the body of the C40; it’s as if it could use a little stretching horizontally to make it perfectly proportioned. I also get when looking at its profile the same vaguely mushroom-like vibe I get from the bigger BMW and Mercedes coupe-crossover-SUVs. You like it or you don’t, I guess.
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