First Volvo, my XC40

All Volvo XC40 related discussions
mark77
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed May 15, 2019 6:47 am

Post by mark77 »

Hello everyone,

It finally arrived! I picked up my Volvo XC40 on the weekend!

I ordered it back in early April, so quite a long wait. Care-by-Volvo wasn't available in Canada at the time, so this was a straight purchase. I'm upgrading from a 2012 Subaru Forester XT.

I love my Volvo! It's a fantastic car. Many of the reviews noted the entertainment system was slow to boot and had a difficult learning curve, but I haven't found this at all. The system starts booting as soon as you enter the car, before you power on the system, so it's ready before I am.

I got the momentum trim, the lowest level. I added the Momentum Plus package. That got leather seats and in my opinion, is a must. The textile/vinyl seats are perfectly serviceable but the leather seats are comfortable.

I grabbed the Vision Package. Compared to my Subaru, the visibility isn't quite as good so the blind-spot system really helps there. I'm also terrible at parallel parking, so the park assist was a win for me. I know a lot of vehicles now come with 360-degree cameras and I understand how they work, but I still think these are magical.

I added the climate package. Nice addition for winters in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. And the convenience package, largely for the pilot assist. I've tried this out both on the highway and in city driving. It's pretty impressive. It works well in stop-and-go traffic, but takes a bit of getting used to. Worth noting, it'll disengage without really notifying you. This wasn't a problem for me, I find it encourages me to keep paying active attention and you notice the wheel has stopped making minor corrections. Still, I'd like to have seen more notice when this happens. I'm looking forward to trying this on a longer highway trip.

I also picked up the nav system. Most people will be happy using their cell phones for this, given that the car integrates with Android or iOS devices. I'm not convinced this was worthwhile (heck, I could have bought a new iPhone for the price of this system), but for me, this was kind of a no-compromises thing.

Had the 2019 Subaru Forester come with turbo, I'm not sure I'd have looked at another brand. But I'm glad I did. The Volvo is a significant step up in interior design, comfort, and functionality. And I care deeply about the numerous safety features.

Thank you!

Silver Moose
Posts: 344
Joined: Wed Dec 26, 2018 9:10 am

Post by Silver Moose »

Welcome Mark. Sounds like a nice spec you've been able to choose. The UK packages/options are way different.

A quick note on the no notification of Pilot Assist disconnect, do you not get notified via a steering wheel vibration? This should be a feature from the April Sensus update:

https://www.volvocars.com/uk/support/ar ... 515970036d
Real name Carl
T4 Inscription Pro ordered 13/12/2018 - collected 30/3/2019
Bright Silver/Charcoal
Convenience pack, Intellisafe Pro, 360 camera
senwar
Posts: 290
Joined: Thu Feb 22, 2018 1:58 pm

Post by senwar »

Nice one re: new car.

But - quite a long wait? Early April???
XC40 FE | D4 | Osmium Grey |19" wheels
Deleted User 1945

Post by Deleted User 1945 »

Hello Mark, Glad you like your new Volvo - I was a convert from Audi and BMW a few years ago with the V90 and haven't regretted it one bit! I think Volvo is massively underrated car brand, it doesn't help that they are very poor at advertising / marketing, I believe they would sell a lot more if they spent a little bit more on advertising.
DB2k
Posts: 72
Joined: Tue Nov 13, 2018 2:28 pm

Post by DB2k »

senwar wrote: Wed May 15, 2019 10:58 am Nice one re: new car.

But - quite a long wait? Early April???
this also made me laugh!! I think we ordered in october and I got it in March
XC40 R-Design Pro T5 AWD
VeeTee55
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Dec 26, 2020 11:47 am

Post by VeeTee55 »

Hi all,

I just read mark77's post and thought I should register and reply. I too have just bought my first Volvo, a White XC40 Inscription. Like mark77 I was also stepping up from a Subaru Forester, mine a bulletproof MY2000 manual with 290,000 trouble-free kms on the clock. I'm still getting the hang of all the electronics in the Volvo, and I hope it proves to be as reliable as the Subie was.

First impressions are very good. Build quality seems to be OK (mine is a Chinese-build) and the car is very, very comfortable. Visibility isn't as good as the Subaru but that comment would apply to many modern vehicles with high sill lines and big C-pillars. I really appreciate all the safety kit but hope I never need it. The only disappointing thing in the car is - NO AM RADIO!! I'm in Australia, which is a big country; AM travels over distance better than FM or digital; digital even drops out in some areas in Sydney. This is straight penny-pinching, something I never even thought to ask about when I ordered the car. It's akin to the deletion of the rear roof light in some UK models I've read about. Why does Volvo do that?? And the reversing light is a bit of a joke - the Subaru was a whole lot brighter (again, not something that one generally checks when test driving a vehicle). Fuel consumption is a bit higher than some of the car's competitors, but it is a reasonably heavy car, so it's obviously related to all the safety gear on board.

I'll look forward to checking out more of the posts.

Thanks!
jamie307
Posts: 367
Joined: Mon Apr 15, 2019 8:01 am

Post by jamie307 »

As far as I know the lack of AM radio is a known problem on some MY21 cars which is fixed by a software update - ask your dealer.
T3 Momentum Pro Auto MY20 - Thunder Grey - Intellisafe Surround - Winter Plus - 360 Camera - Tinted Windows - City Map inlays - Spare Wheel
Salmonfisher
Posts: 152
Joined: Sat Jan 05, 2019 4:58 pm

Post by Salmonfisher »

Didn't know any cars still came with AM. Is it an Australian thing?
Father Xc40
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Dec 26, 2020 9:39 pm

Post by Father Xc40 »

Here in the UK my MY2020 XC40 came complete with DAB, FM and AM radio.

I haven't tried FM or AM and suspect I never will.
jamie307
Posts: 367
Joined: Mon Apr 15, 2019 8:01 am

Post by jamie307 »

Father Xc40 wrote: Sat Dec 26, 2020 9:43 pm Here in the UK my MY2020 XC40 came complete with DAB, FM and AM radio.

I haven't tried FM or AM and suspect I never will.
The DAB eats a lot of battery so FM/AM is useful if you're sat parked for a loooong time.
T3 Momentum Pro Auto MY20 - Thunder Grey - Intellisafe Surround - Winter Plus - 360 Camera - Tinted Windows - City Map inlays - Spare Wheel
Post Reply