T3 or T4

All Volvo XC40 related discussions
gamation
Posts: 10
Joined: Mon Dec 02, 2019 11:56 am

Post by gamation »

gt40 wrote: Mon Dec 02, 2019 6:01 pm Pedro,

I have the T4 but in my humble opinion, and understanding your reasons, I would suggest you go with the T3 with all the goodies. It'll be a lovely car to sit in every day.
yes! I think that will be the way! lovely car indeed!

Thanks!
PG

stu22
Posts: 260
Joined: Mon Mar 04, 2019 12:36 pm
Location: Colchester

Post by stu22 »

The T3 is a great engine, I was very surprised at its refinement and performance in what is a pretty big body.
My wife, who drives it 99% of the time, was sceptical having came from a diesel Tiguan about how it would perform as she is a lazy driver who will happily let the engine labour but even she's admitted she's more than happy with the engine choice.
I'd try and test both side by side - we did that but T3 vs T5 and we took a T3. Price wasn't an issue for us either so high praise on the engine.
emporiky
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue Jul 16, 2019 9:34 pm

Post by emporiky »

I ordered my XC40 in June and for about 3 weeks after that I couldn’t decide whether to stay with my initial choice - a T3 engine, or change to a T4. I ended up having 3 test drives with a T3 engine (the only available car for a test drive) until I finally found a T4 and took it for a drive. Below is partly an opinion that I posted several months ago, but still accurately reflects my opinion.

The power gain between the two is not that significant (it is definitely there though) - in fact I don’t think I would consider T4 over T3 because of power alone (especially the geartronic version). However, refinement is definitely a step up - mainly at low speeds and most noticeably when the car is stopped and the engine is working - I noticed quite a bit of vibration on the T3 and none on the T4. There is also almost no turbo ‘whistle’ on the T4 (which I actually liked on the T3, but for many is annoying) and the T4 it is a slightly louder engine in general.

Mainly because of the refinement aspect, but also resale value, I changed my order to a T4 engine. If budget is a concern, and you are not bothered by a bit more vibrations in low speeds, I think that T3 is definitely a good choice - as good as a three cylinder engine can be. It’s also an important consideration whether you would be using the car mainly in the city or on longer journeys - on the highways you would appreciate the additional power :)

The question is also what options and how many of them would you have to drop for the T4 engine? Here in Belgium, the T4 increased the overall price significantly - 3000-4000 EUR in price of the car and 1500 EUR in additional taxes because of the emissions. For me it was still worth it though and I ended up keeping all the options I initially selected :mrgreen:

Regarding fuel economy - yes, the T3 is more economical, but not by much, also since it is less powerful it needs to be working harder most of the time, which is not great for fuel economy. I would guess in the real world the difference is less than half a litre per 100 km which is negligible.
Current car: XC40 T4, Momentum Pro, Fusion Red
Premium Audio, Intelisafe, Park Assist 360, Versatility, Xenium, Winter packs

Previous car: Volvo V40 T3 Inscription
jamie307
Posts: 367
Joined: Mon Apr 15, 2019 8:01 am

Post by jamie307 »

For those who have tried both, how does refinement compare at motorway speeds? Is the T3 quieter when cruising?
T3 Momentum Pro Auto MY20 - Thunder Grey - Intellisafe Surround - Winter Plus - 360 Camera - Tinted Windows - City Map inlays - Spare Wheel
emporiky
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue Jul 16, 2019 9:34 pm

Post by emporiky »

jamie307 wrote: Tue Dec 03, 2019 8:51 am For those who have tried both, how does refinement compare at motorway speeds? Is the T3 quieter when cruising?
Cruising on the highway both are very quiet, at least to me. Perhaps the T3 being ever so slightly quieter. Keep in mind, however, that since the T3 is less powerful, it will kick down to a lower gear more often, which increases the noise level when accelerating. All in all the differences in noise level are small.
To sum up the differences: T4 gives you more refinement, less vibration and less noise at small speeds in town, and more power on motorways.
Current car: XC40 T4, Momentum Pro, Fusion Red
Premium Audio, Intelisafe, Park Assist 360, Versatility, Xenium, Winter packs

Previous car: Volvo V40 T3 Inscription
kivapin
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Dec 06, 2019 8:54 pm
Location: Portugal

Post by kivapin »

Olá Pedro,

I'm also from Portugal and I just ordered a T5 Twin Engine.
I understand your valid concerns about charging points.
In my case it won't be a problem since I'll be able to charge at home every night and my daily commute is about 50 km.
But one of the reasons I chose the hybrid is because the taxes are a lot less, meaning that a T5 hybrid is actually less expensive than a similar T3!
And if you can buy through a company then you get a further 10k euro rebate because the IVA (sales tax) is deductible.
If I understood correctly the combustion engine is similar to the T3 but with 180 hp (plus 82 hp from the electric for a total of 262 hp).
Maybe you're aware of these numbers but I just thought to raise the point because the fiscal part really makes a difference!

Abraço,
Francisco
T5 TwE R-Design Black - BusinessPro, VersatilityPro, Xenium, Rear Camera, Spare - Ordered: 20 November 2019, Delivered: 17 March 2020
lfpcorreia
Posts: 99
Joined: Thu Aug 01, 2019 11:53 am

Post by lfpcorreia »

Viva Pedro,

I do around 15 to 20km a day and also started by looking at the T3 RD manual, that with the the xenium, versatility pro, park with 360 and metallic paint would cost me around 45k. So I’m wondering how could you spec it additionally up to 52k?!

I wouldn’t consider the base T4 over the spec’ed T3 for mainly city driving. The T3 has more than good enough engine for that purpose (I tested them both including manual versus auto).

After ordering I found out that I would actually save money going with the t5 twin engine momentum pro with the same specs and additional 19” rims. So I changed my order to that config that costed me an extra 4k (49k in the end).

Isn’t there really a way you could install a power outlet in the shared garage? Portugal’s law has evolved to support installing power outlets for phev in shared garages. Maybe you could consider it..

I’m also wondering from where in Portugal you are cuz for the quote you got you could easily make your order at “my dealership”, even if it involves traveling, and save some money! Let me know!

Anyways I hope you end up with the new car you want!

Regards,
Luís
T5 Twin-engine Momentum Plus
Jandm
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun May 06, 2018 7:37 am

Post by Jandm »

Does anyone know where we can try a T3 geartronic XC40. We live Lincolnshire and to date have not yet been able to find a dealer with a T3 in any form. Many thanks.
Skyrimmer
Posts: 248
Joined: Fri Jun 07, 2019 3:14 pm
Location: Norfolk

Post by Skyrimmer »

Autotrader shows some available in Peterborough and Grantham if that's any good.
XC40 Bright Silver T3 Momentum pro with just about every option plus mud flaps and sunglasses holder.
Jandm
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun May 06, 2018 7:37 am

Post by Jandm »

Thank you. I will keep looking. Again many thanks.
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