2019 Volvo XC40 T5 R-Design

MSRP: Starting at $33,700

Engine: 2.0 liter Turbo

Horsepower and Torque: 248//258

MPG: 25 as observed

Text: Yousef Alvi // Photography: Geoff Dennis

The compact crossover market is the new catalyst for success for an automaker. Either you thrive in the market or you don’t and see your stock price plummet. So to say the market is getting saturated with competitive vehicles is an understatement. To get noticed by the masses you need to have style, substance and personality. The 2019 Volvo XC40 has all of that in spades.  

The XC40 is the newest offering from Volvo.  Our tester was powered by a 2.0 liter turbo 4 making 248 and 258 ft/lbs of torque bolted to a 8 speed automatic.  Our vehicle was also equipped with AWD and the R Design trim as well. Overall the specs may read boring…but my God just look at it.  The XC40 is truly a beautiful vehicle inside and out. It’s tight proportions and the two toned interior is an exercise of automotive design and style.  

The interior is a masterpiece in tech, comfort and roominess.  It may look small on the outside but somehow Volvo carved out generous room in the 2nd row along with generous cargo room in the hatch  The XC40 has the interior dimensions bordering on a midsize SUV size for not for a midsize SUV price.

On the performance end of the spectrum, the drivetrain defaults to the standard Comfort setting.  Which gives one a cushy ride, cushy steering and cushy drivetrain. Hit the switch to Dynamic though and the entire thing becomes alive.  Dynamic mode turns up the boost and truly transforms the experience behind the wheel. Instead of a cushy response...it becomes a boosty little sucker around town and it’s a hoot!  Handling is still dialed to more comfort than sport but overall...it’s fantastic fun!

It being a Volvo it’s laden with tech and safety. It’s also equipped with Pilot Assist which is Volvo’s pseudo autonomic driving aid. Whereas most systems nowadays are good…this is great. The seamless hand over of the controls is faultless and in traffic, it is a digital angel with its ability of stopping completely and following the curves ahead.

So how do I sum up the 2019 Volvo XC40?  It is, hands-down, the best in its class.