Updated on 14th June 2013
Volvo Cars India has launched the Volvo V40 Cross Country in India. The crossover will be competing against the Mercede-Benz A-Class, the BMW X1 and the Audi Q3. The brand may not have the presence of the other brands but its products sure do put a good punch in terms of value for money.
The V40 is no different, it is loaded to the brim with features which are new to the segment and has Volvo’s legendary safety features list.
Price
The Volvo V40 has been priced at Rs. 28.5 Lakh, ex-showroom Delhi. Only one variant of the car will be available.
Colours
The Volvo V40 Cross Country will be offered with six paint options, four metallic and two non-metallic:
- Misty Blue
- Electric Silver (Metallic)
- Biarritz Blue (Metallic)
- Passion Red
- Raw Copper (Metallic)
- Black Sapphire (Metallic)
Customers will have a choice of three interior trims to choose from:
- Leather Charcoal in Charcoal
- Leather Blond in Blond
- Leather Hazel in Charcoal
Exterior Design
At the front what catches your eyes are the sharp, stretched headlamps which have got Volvo’s new signature look. The prominent matt black honeycomb grill with chrome surround and the prominent Volvo logo also looka appealing. The bumper contains a matt black honeycomb air dam, LED daytime running lamps at both ends and a silver coloured skidplate. You can trace a line from the side of the grill, to the side of the front windshield, which then flows onto the roof and roof rails and ends at the sharply curved tail-lamps. There is also another strong character line going all the way from the headlight to the tail-lamp which is another signature Volvo design element also found on the S60, S80, XC60 and the XC80.
From the side, the 17” Larenta alloy wheels stand out, the side scuff plate finished in silver continues the rugged theme started by the scuff plate at the front. The wheel arches protrude outward giving the car a powerful, tensed-muscle like look. The line that starts from the end of headlamp continues by the side and becomes prominent after the rear door handles, by the time it joins at the middle of the tail-lamps, it gives the car prominent haunches.
The styling gets most interesting at the back, the two lines we talked about in the previous paragraphs give the car a very curvy look at the back. The design looks a bit busy if looked at dead-straight from the back; beacuse of a mixture of the body coloured surfaces, the black bumper and a silver accent just below the hatch and a piano black element below the rear windshield. The best way to appreciate the design is to see its rear-three quarters, the prominent haunches, the curvy tail-lamps (with LED units inside) are exciting to look at.
Interior Design
Sit on the drivers seat and the first thing that strikes you is how comfortable the seat is. Swathed in leather, the seat gets heating/cooling, it has got electric motors for moving the seat back and forth or for moving the seat back. The drivers seat also gets a memory function, with the option of storing up to three settings. You also notice the steering wheel, which is good to hold and has buttons to control the multimedia player, and a button to go to the cruise control settings. The steering wheel can be adjusted from rake but not for reach. The stalk behind the wheel feel well built and have a weighted feel when you use them. There is frame less rear-view mirror, which looks cool.
Volvo feels proud of the dials in the V40, the digital dials change colour and show different hings to correspond to your driving style. In the Elegance mode, the display remains simple showing only the speedometer, the Eco mode includes an Eco meter which encourages economical driving. When in the Performance mode, the dials turn red, the centre dial shows the tachometer needle instead of the speedometer needle and the readouts show the power being used and power available
Moving onto the centre console, the design here mirrors the one found in other Volvo cars. The design is pretty simple, with very few buttons, a few knobs- for controlling the volume, A/C settings , the seat cooling/heating and the media player etc. Move down and you see the illuminated gear lever, a small storage area with a cigarette lighter/ash holder, beside which you’d find a chunky hand-brake lever.The glove-box compartment is pretty spacious, it can hold quite a bit of stuff and is illuminated for better visibility in low light conditions.
It feels good to run your hand over the surfaces inside, there are no hard plastics, the leather trim makes the car feel very luxurious and the contrast leather trim in the show car at the launch made the cabin a very happy place to be in. The V40 Cross Country will be available with customisable ambient lighting, with seven ‘mood’ themes/colours.
Seating at the back is at best for two people, and might be a bit of a squeeze for a third person. On top of that there is a pull down arm-rest and pull out cup holders which when closed make sitting in the centre seat not so comfortable. Look up and you see that there is panoramic sunroof, this is tinted so that the harsh Indian sun does not heat up the interiors while you enjoy the view. There is an electric blinder which, when closing, rolls from the front to the back unlike many cars.
Features
Comfort
- Electronic climate control with air quality system
- leather seats
- Front powered seats, driver seat memory function
- Heated/cooled front seats
- Armrest, sliding one the front, tumble down fixed at the rear
- Cruise control
- Park Assist (Automatically parallel parks the car if the system finds a suitable parking spot)
- Keyless entry and go
Security
- Key integrated central locking
- Security system with interior movement sensor
Entertainment
- 4x45W, 8 speaker system
- Single DVD, Aux, USB, Bluetooth player
- remote control for media player
Safety
- Dual headlights with turn-with-steering lights – the active light bending system allows for better visibilty around corners, the lights can turn up to 15 degrees in either direction.
- Laser assisted automatic braking – Up to 50 KMPH, the car can pre-charge the brakes if it sense a collision for better braking, and it can brake by itself if the driver does not take action.
- Front airbags
- Side impact airbags
- Option for disabling front passenger airbags (for times when children are seated in the front passenger seat)
- Knee airbag for the driver
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Rear camera
- Anti-lock Braking System (prevents brakes from locking up under hard braking, prevents skidding), Electronic Brake Distribution and Dynamic Stability and Traction Control (prevents the car from losing traction/stability by cutting power or applying the brakes if the car senses the car losing grip or whe it senses the car rolling too much.
Efficiency
- Start-stop technology – Switches off the engine when the transmission is put in neutral position, saves up to 8% fuel as compared to normal driving in city start-stop conditions
- Engine brake energy regenration – Whenevr the driver lifts off the accelerator or the brake, the little energy generated is fed back to the battery. Increases the fuel efficiency of the car.
Engine and Transmission
The Volvo V40 is powered by Volvo’s D3, 2-litre, 5-cylinder, turbocharged diesel engine, which produces 150 BHP of power and 350 Nm of torque. This engine is mated to a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission which transmits the power to all four wheels. The top speed is limited to 205 KMPH.
Brochure
Updated on 13th June 2013
The Volvo V40 Cross Country will be launched in India on 14th June 2013. Expected to be priced around Rs. 28 Lakh, the car would be competing against cars like the Mercedes-Benz A-Class luxury hatchback and compact luxury SUVs like the BMW X1 and Audi Q3. Below we speculate on some features that Volvo might offer in the V40 Cross Country in India.
Volvo has high hopes that the V40 Cross Country will help it achieve a sales target of 1200 units this financial year as compared to the 800 units it sold last year. Which is a big boost for the company who has not got a great foothold in the country, and lags far behind the other luxury car manufacturers present here.
What Will The V40 Cross Country Offer?
Features
- Start-stop technology
- Panoramic Sunroof
- A/C with clean filter technology, this system insures that the passengers are not only getting cool air but also getting clean air free of particulates which can be detrimental to their health
- Leather seats, with heating and cooling and memory settings for the driver seat
- Cruise control
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Customisable digital instrument cluster with three modes – Elegance, where the display remains simple, Eco mode includes an Eco meter which encourages economical driving and the Performance mode the dials turn red, the centre dial shows the tachometer needle instead of the speedometer needle and the readouts show the power being used and power available
- Parking Pilot – this self parallel-parking system scans the parking space available, alerts the driver if there is a space available and helps park the car perfectly. The driver needs to modulate the accelerator and the brakes and the cars steers itself.
- Hill Descent Control
Colours
Exterior Paint:
- Misty Blue
- Passion Red
- Raw Copper (The colour shown in these pictures)
- Silver Metallic
Safety
Volvo is known about it obsession with safety, and the V40 will be available with many new safety features.
- Front airbags
- Knee airbags
- Curtain airbags on the sides
- Reversing camera
- Front seats with whiplash protection
- City Safety Tech – A world-first technology this system can sense an impending collision, make systems like the brakes ready for emergency action by the driver and if the drive fails, take necessary action like applying the brakes and cutting the throttle by itself. This system can reduce the impact of a crash though it may not be able to stop from happening every time.
Engine and Transmission
The Volvo V40 will most likely be powered by Volvo’s D3 – 2 litre, five cylinder, turbo diesel engine, which produces 130 BHP of power and 350 Nm of torque. This engine will be paired with a six-speed Powershift dual-clutch automatic or a five-speed manual. There is a chance that the engine may be tuned down for the Indian market, which we hope doesn’t happen, we’ll have to wait and watch.
