LIFE BEGINS AT 40?(some text hidden)

By Jonathan Crouch

Ten Second Review word count: 83

Volvo knows it needs more SUVs. And it needs more electric vehicles. This EC40 model, originally known as the C40 Recharge, delivers both in one package and shows clearly the direction the brand is heading in the future. There's a base rear-driven version. And a state-of-the-art fully-electric all-wheel-drive powertrain that offers a WLTP-rated range of 274 miles on a single charge and an output of 408hp. The drawback is premium pricing but otherwise, a lot of boxes seem to have been ticked here.

Background word count: 168

Given that Volvo's been making overt noises about full electrification for a decade now, it's something of a surprise to realise that at its launch in 2022, the model we're looking at here introduced the company's very first exclusively electric model line. Back then, it was called the C40 Recharge, a car substantially updated in 2023, then renamed the EC40 in early 2024. As you might expect, the EC40 borrows everything that matters from Volvo's very first all-electric model, the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric (now known as the EX40). But clothes that powertrain with more unique styling and a more swept-back coupe-style silhouette. Think of the two models as something akin to what Audi already offers in this segment with its Q4 e-tron and Q4 Sportback e-tron SUVs and you'll be somewhere close to what Volvo is trying to do here. Like the EX40, the EC40 will be sold primarily online. And, as with that car, it rolls down the production lines of Volvo's Belgium factory in Ghent.

Driving Experience word count: 374

As with the EX40, there are three flavours of EC40 on offer. Most customers will opt for the 69kWh 'Single Motor' version, which was once (in this car's original C40 Recharge form) front-driven, but the Swedish maker's now moved the e-motor to the rear axle and slightly uprated its output to 238hp. Without any real impact on performance - rest to 62mph is dispatched in 7.3s on the way to the 112mph top speed that all Volvos these days share. EV driving range is WLTP-rated at up to 299 miles (four miles further than the equivalent base EX40). Ideally though, you'd want to stretch at least as far as the mid-level 'Single Motor 'Extended Range' mid-level rear-driven model we tried, which has 252hp and uses a larger 78kWh battery providing for a 345 mile range (2 miles further than its EX40 equivalent). The faster EC40 alternative is the 'Twin Motor' AWD variant, which uses a larger 82kWh battery pack and twin electric motor set-up that has adopted different front and rear e-motors, with 150hp and 258hp respectively. These provide for a prodigious 408hp total power output figure in the standard Twin Motor model, but if for some unfathomable reason that's not enough, you can boost it further to 442hp with the optional 'Performance' software upgrade that comes included with the two added 'Black Edition' trim grades; this upgrade was one of the few changes introduced as part of this design's transition to 'EC40' status. Even with a standard Twin Motor EC40 variant, performance is startling, a massive 670Nm of torque (at which point the main motor is spinning at a heady 14,000rpm), catapulting the car to 62mph in just 4.7s. EV range with a Twin Motor EC40 is up to 340 miles (8 miles further than the equivalent EX40), with a 337 mile figure claimed for the Twin Motor Performance version. Whatever kind of EC40 you choose, to get the kind of range figure that Volvo claims, you'll need to engage what the Swedish maker calls 'One Pedal Drive', selectable from the 'Driving' menu provided on this centre-dash screen. This dramatically increases the regenerative braking effect when you come off the throttle, to the point where the brake pedal will hardly ever be needed.