AIR CON

All Volvo XC40 related discussions
Post Reply
DADDY KOOL
Posts: 29
Joined: Thu Aug 19, 2021 9:07 pm

Post by DADDY KOOL »

What is the Aircon like on xc40 , is it really good or feeble as somebody mentioned on another thread ?
And if buying again would you get a PHEV over a standard engine!

Joss
Posts: 72
Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2021 9:24 pm

Post by Joss »

Hi had my xc40 nearly a week now and can say the Air con is the best I have had in any car as to the hybrid not sure yet went for a 40 mile drive Thursday and averaged 68mpg goes like a rocket if you put your foot down but uses a lot of battery. The jury is still out on that one but a lovely car to drive.
2021 P8 recharge Sage Green
eugen61
Posts: 1211
Joined: Sun May 10, 2020 7:33 am

Post by eugen61 »

The objective answer for PHEV over standard engine comes from taking into consideration purchase/lease price, environmental bonuses, tax and insurance cost, miles driven a day and how long will the car be kept. In my specific situation, the higher PHEV price would be offset by its lower fuel cost (better mileage) only after driving it 50.000 miles. If I kept the car that long, I might have gone for it, but changing it after 3 years with 30.000 miles on board proved to be more expensive than the standard petrol engine.

There’s also an unknown factor for the PHEV, degradation of its hybrid battery. When new, the car returns 24 miles on pure electric and to my knowledge there’s no data yet on how much will the range decrease after 1000 charging cycles, or roughly 3 years of usage. The battery is classical Lithium Ion with a cooling management system and Volvo is stating “the capacity of the hybrid battery diminishes with age and use, which may result in increased use of the internal combustion engine and, as a consequence, reduced fuel economy and reduced range during electric operation”. One more observation, there’s no long term warranty on that hybrid battery.
Last edited by eugen61 on Sun Sep 19, 2021 5:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
bba
Posts: 102
Joined: Mon Apr 19, 2021 9:12 am
Location: Fairford, UK

Post by bba »

The aircon is excellent in mine, the control system is well calibrated and responsive so there is no need to change the automatically controlled fan speed and particularly not the temperature settings - they can stay as they are. The only thing we change is the dash air vents. It is true the aircon becomes a bit 'feeble' when you run the car in Pure mode - but that is clearly by design to save energy. On mine, the range indicator shows 24 miles in hybrid mode when fully charged but increases to 27 miles in Pure, so there is an upside of the 'feebleness'.

The reason I chose a PHEV over a pure electric is that we have made and plan to make several long (500 - 1,000+ miles) journeys every year that would not be enjoyable in a pure EV due to the challenges with charging - so far. Also, I simply prefer a PHEV over an ICE-only and not necessarily for reasons to do with money. If money is your primary consideration there are much better choices than a Volvo SUV, or any SUV for that matter. I am so far on my third PHEV (BMW and Kia) and I simply prefer the overall experience over an ICE. I am highly likely to change cars before the ICE/PHEV ban in 2030 if the government of the days sticks to that and it is virtually certain I will be getting PHEVs unless there are dramatic improvements to the charging infrastructure where we would need it.
Used to have an XC40 T5 Recharge Inscription Pro MY21 with Polestar and useless Pilot Assist
DADDY KOOL
Posts: 29
Joined: Thu Aug 19, 2021 9:07 pm

Post by DADDY KOOL »

Thanks for your great constructive replies!
Been thinking of buying a xc40 ,but have had vertigo for 6 months so haven't had the opportunity to test drive yet, hence the questions.
Hopefully I will be able to drive one soon, but it's great to get feedback .
Would you go for the better sound system or is the standard one good ?
Cheers guys and thanks again!
Joss
Posts: 72
Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2021 9:24 pm

Post by Joss »

Hi just changed my older xc40 for a newer one the old one had the standard sound system and this one has the Harmon Kardon upgrade which is much better more base and clearer. Hope you are soon able to drive again 😊
2021 P8 recharge Sage Green
Post Reply