Historically noted for larger vehicles, the XC40 is Volvo’s first leap into the highly competitive compact SUV arena.
What the Volvo does well is span the divide between the perceived volume and premium sectors, cutting the mustard equally against rivals from Ford, Volkswagen and Peugeot as well as those from Mercedes, BMW and Lexus.
The designers have taken the trouble to come up with some new lines to differentiate it from the larger XC60 and XC90
What the judges liked is that while the XC40 bears the Volvo family resemblance, the designers have taken the trouble to come up with some new lines to differentiate it from the larger XC60 and XC90.
All versions get both a full-size centre-dash connected screen with fully traffic-aware navigation, and a full-TFT driver display. The Volvo touchscreen system has nice graphics and understandable menus.
There is some clever cabin storage and the boot cleverly divides into two, forming a pit to stop shopping bags toppling. The parcel shelf fits under the floor too, a nice touch.