Next-Gen 2023 Volvo XC40 Incredibly Review

2023 Volvo XC40 the dashing little brother in Volvo’s lineup is the 2023 XC40 SUV, which blends Volvo’s safety-first ethos and high-end vibe with a more youthful character. The XC40’s cabin is practical and well-trimmed, and its seating position is significantly higher than that of rivals such as the BMW X1 and the Mercedes-Benz GLA class. A number of technological features are also on the cards, including Volvo’s advanced driver assistance technologies and a new Google-based infotainment system.

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Two four-cylinder powertrains are available both with a 48-volt hybrid system but only the more powerful of the two has all-wheel drive. An electric version is also available if you’re looking for a greener option, but we reviewed the 2023 Volvo XC40 rechargeable separately.

The 2023 XC40 not only adopts Volvo’s new Core, Plus, and Ultimate trim levels but also replace the T4 and T5 four-cylinder powertrains with the new B4 and B5 featuring a 48-volt hybrid system. To mark the occasion, Volvo has given the 2023 Volvo XC40 a mild exterior styling refresh that includes revised headlamps, an updated front bumper and grille, and a new alloy wheel design.

Three new colors Bright Dusk Metallic, Platinum Gray Metallic, and Silver Dawn Metallicare available, as is a new City Block textile upholstery option. Inside, the 2023 Volvo XC40 transitions to Volvo’s newer Google-based infotainment system but retains the same 9.0-inch touchscreen display.

2023 Volvo XC40 Review

The 2023 Volvo XC40 has impressed us since its debut for the 2019 model year. Not only was it a finalist in our SUV of the Year competition, it also won a comparison test against one of its closest competitors, the Audi Q3. We were blown away by its unique style and clever interior packagings such as a built-in trash can and a door pocket that accommodates a 15-inch laptop.

The interior of the Volvo XC40 is well-designed, although we would have preferred more luxurious materials to have been used to give the space a more luxurious feel. The cabin also gets loud at speed, further affecting the vehicle’s premium aspirations.

However, safety technologies abound, and Volvo offers additional equipment including Pilot Assist semi-autonomous driving technology on higher trim levels. The Google-based infotainment system is now standard as well, and while it’s an upgrade over the old Census user interface, it could use some tweaks.

A new mild-hybrid powertrain joins the lineup for 2023. Volvo’s B4 FWD and B5 AWD likely won’t make the 2023 Volvo XC40 feel like a sports car masquerading as a luxury SUV but may improve off-the-line response in the same way the new B6 drivetrain does. did with the XC60 and V90 Cross Country. Finally, the new trim and cosmetic equipment structure open up even more customization options, which should make this funky SUV even easier to personalize. The XC40 has a lot to offer when shopping for a compact, compact luxury SUV.

Cute and stylish exterior design
Nice interior packaging
Very good safety rating

Distinctive styling, a strong safety score, and unique interior features make the 2023 Volvo XC40 an attractive subcompact luxury SUV. Offered as a mild hybrid and the all-electric XC40 Recharge, practicality, and efficiency are hallmarks of the model range. Competitors include the BMW X1, Audi Q3, and Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class.

What New Volvo XC40 2023

When the Volvo XC40 debuted in 2019, it created a lot of attention with its cool and funky Scandinavian design that stood out from the rest of the subcompact luxury SUV class. In the following years, newer and fresher rivals have pushed the XC40 off its top spot in the Edmunds rankings. The 2023 Volvo XC40 has undergone a series of changes that may see it once again compete for class-leading status.

Pleasant interior with premium materials
A smart small goods storage and cargo solution
Many safety features are standard and available
New B4 and B5 mild hybrid drivetrain
Google-based infotainment system
The front fascia matches that of the C40 Recharge, and the grille sports new Volvo badges
Updated overhead console
Standard two-zone climate control
A pair of USB-C ports replace the USB-A port
Trim was renamed Core, Plus, and Ultimate
Exterior styling accents are now offered separately from trims, with Basic, Light, and Dark themes available
New interior upholstery, City Block textile in Gray Melange
Updated paint color
Leather upholstery is discontinued
Wireless charging is no longer available

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2023 Volvo XC40 SUV

One of Volvo’s strong sellers, the 2023 Volvo XC40 is a good size for city life, but still roomy enough for an average-sized family moving out of the metropolis. This broad appeal is backed by the highest safety scores in crash tests. Hipsters, commuters, or parents we all want to feel protected.

Among the main changes for the 2023 Volvo XC40 is a new Google-based infotainment system. Don’t worry, iPhone users, Apple CarPlay is part of the package. There’s also the addition of a mild hybrid setup under the hood, as part of Volvo’s push to have some electrification elements in every of its new 2023 vehicles.

MSRP: From $36,350
Dimensions: 175″ L x 75″ W x 65″ H
Engine: 2.0 L 4-cylinder
Cargo volume: 16 ft³, 57.5 ft³ with seat area
Horsepower: 194 to 247 hp
MPG: Up to 24 city / 32 highway

2023 Volvo XC40 Exterior

Volvo has made some minor revisions to the exterior of the 2023 XC40. However, it may take the keenest eye to spot the differences. Look at the “Thor’s Hammer” headlights.

The top two trims now come with a choice of Bright or Dark exterior treatment. Identical price. No major facelift is needed. The 2023 Volvo XC40 made its debut for the 2019 model year and the shape has been widely accepted as a successful design.

2023 Volvo XC40 Interior, Comfort, and Cargo

For a subcompact SUV, luxury or otherwise, the 2023 Volvo XC40 is broad. The cabin is also well designed, packed with quality materials, and equipped with a vertically oriented 9-inch infotainment touchscreen.

Volvo’s front seats are renowned for their comfort and the company doesn’t skimp here, even though the 2023 Volvo XC40 is Volvo’s most affordable SUV yet. Rear passengers can also feel comfortable with 36.1 inches of rear legroom.

The cargo space behind the rear seats measures 16 cubic feet. Folding it yields 46.9 cubic feet. It’s the same whether the 2023 Volvo XC40 has front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. If there are any complaints, it’s that the Core trim has cloth upholstery instead of simulated leather.

The boxy Volvo XC40 has a decent interior volume, falling short of the Audi Q3 but trumping the cargo space of the Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class. Standard front and rear legroom for this segment.

Contemporary Swedish styling meets fun and functional design inside the 2023 Volvo XC40. The bright and airy cabin ambiance gives off a truly high-end vibe even in the base Core trim. Spacious passenger space in both the front and rear seats. As is the case with its more expensive stablemates the XC60 and XC90 the XC40 is functional inside, well-built, and beautifully designed if not overly glitzy and luxurious.

Volvo designers took the opportunity to incorporate younger trimmings in the Plus trim cabin, such as textured metallic trim instead of traditional wood inlays and rectilinear vents with floating chrome regulators. The top-of-the-line Ultimate model sports a classier look, with driftwood trim and shift knob crafted from Orrefors crystal. In our baggage test, the 2023 Volvo XC40 managed to accommodate 23 carry-on cases with the rear seats folded.

Additionally, Volvo has integrated a number of inventive cargo storage features throughout the XC40’s interior, such as a glove box-opening latch for storing take-away bags, dividers for the cargo area, and a removable trash can with a hinged door on the center console.

Infotainment and Connectivity

From its prominent position in the center of the XC40’s dashboard, the Google Volvo-based infotainment system projects brightly on the 9.0-inch touchscreen. Nearly everything in the cabin is controlled via this screen, but there are very few physical buttons.

The system’s usability is a mixed bag: The main menu is intuitively organized, but the on-screen icons are too small, which makes it finicky to use on the go.

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Technology

Volvo equips each 2023 Volvo XC40 with a fully digital 12.3-inch instrument cluster and a 9.0-inch infotainment screen running a Google-based operating system. Capabilities include Apple CarPlay, Google Maps navigation, the Google Play app store, Google Assistant voice commands, and over-the-air update capabilities.

Two front USB-C ports are standard, though wireless charging was discontinued for the 2023 model year. An eight-speaker audio system is standard, and a premium 14-speaker Harman Kardon setup is available.

2023 Volvo XC40 Driving

There’s an elevated driving position and an 8-way power-adjustable driver’s seat that are standard in the 2023 XC40 SUV lineup. So being comfortable and confident is achieved effortlessly. The whole driving experience is easy. For better or for worse, the 2023 Volvo XC40 isn’t one of those vehicles that demand concentration but rewards with thrills. On the contrary, there is a pleasant ease about it.

Naturally, the 247 horsepower engine that comes with all-wheel drive is more attractive than the front-drive model’s 194 horsepower unit. But city dwellers won’t notice much of a difference and probably don’t care. Potential buyers who live in areas where heavy coats and woolen hats are pulled out of the closet every year will want all-wheel drive. And they’ll appreciate the 8.3 inches of ground clearance when the snow piles up. They may also want a heated steering wheel and heated rear seats offered as optional packages in the top two trims.

2023 Volvo XC40 Engine and Performance

Under the hood of every 2023 Volvo XC40 is a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder powertrain that produces 194 horsepower in B4 form or 247 horsepower in B5 form. Both feature a 48-volt hybrid system. The more powerful B5 is paired exclusively with all-wheel drive while the entry-level B4 only comes with front-wheel drive. On our test track, the all-wheel drive B5 model hit 60 mph in 6.1 seconds, which is slightly faster than the old T5 version, which accelerated to 60 mph in 6.2 seconds.

The eight-speed automatic transmission handles gear changes without delay and sends no violence to the cabin in doing so. Our only complaint is the grunt the engine makes under heavy throttle. The XC40’s towing capacity a rarity among subcompact-luxury crossovers—remains a solid 3,500 pounds.

Transmission

The number of driven wheels determines the drivetrain on the 2023 XC40 SUV. The B4 setup has front-wheel drive and the B5 alternative has an all-wheel drive. Both use a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged engine and an 8-speed automatic transmission.

The B4 version develops 194 horsepower and 221 lb-ft of torque. The B5 produces 247 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. Both engines require premium gasoline.

This year saw a name change, as they were previously known as T4 and T5. Volvo made a change as every new 2023 XC40 is now augmented with a mild hybrid system. This helps the engine achieve peak output with greater efficiency and smoothens fuel-efficient stop/restart actions, but doesn’t increase fuel economy by more than one mile per gallon in city driving.

2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 (B4)
194 horsepower @ 4,700 rpm
Torsi 221 lb-ft @ 1.400 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 24/32 mpg

2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 (B5)
247 horsepower @ 5500 rpm
Torsi 258 lb-ft @1.800 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 23/30 mpg

2023 Volvo XC40 MPG and Fuel Savings

The 2023 Volvo XC40 ‘s EPA fuel economy ratings are competitive at 24 mpg city and 32 mpg highway for the B4 model and 23 mpg city and 30 mpg highway for the B5. On our 75 mph highway fuel-saving route, the all-wheel drive XC40 B5 produced only 27 mpg.

That’s not a great result considering it’s up against the more efficient Mercedes-Benz GLB250, which produced 32 mpg in our test. For more information on the XC40’s fuel economy, visit the EPA website.

Performance and Fuel Efficiency

Volvo updated the XC40’s familiar T4 and T5 powertrains with an integrated starter generator. Now called the B4 and B5, the new mild hybrid system returns slightly better fuel economy than its predecessor.

The B4 unit uses a turbocharged inline four-cylinder and produces 194 hp and 221 lb-ft of torque. It sends power to the front wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. When equipped with this setup, the 2023 Volvo XC40 returns 24/32 mpg city/highway according to the EPA.

Although the B5’s setup also uses a turbo-four, it produces a boost of 247 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. This engine is also mated to an eight-speed automatic, but all-wheel drive is standard. With the increased power and weight of the AWD system, the EPA rates fuel economy at 23/30 mpg, slightly reduced compared to the FWD XC40 model.

XC40 Gasoline Refill vs XC40

The petrol version of the 2023 Volvo XC40 shares the same platform as the XC40 Recharge, but there are key differences between the two. Most notably, Volvo outfitted a distinct front fascia on the XC40 Recharge; for 2023 it’s the same grille-free maw as the C40 Recharge. Wheel options and exterior trim also differ.

The biggest difference is the powertrain; The Recharge variant uses a dual-motor all-wheel drive system as standard and develops 402 hp and 486 lb-ft of torque, a sharp rise over the XC40 petrol B4 and B5 drivetrains. Pricing is also a huge differentiator; base XC40 refills start at about $17,000 more than the base petrol XC40 and about $7,000 more than the top-spec XC40 Ultimate B5 AWD.

2023 Volvo XC40 Safety

Volvo offers many driver assistance technologies as standard, including automatic emergency braking. However, more advanced features including a semi-autonomous driving mode are optional.

For more information on the 2023 Volvo XC40 crash test results, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) websites. Key security features include:

Standard automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection
Standard lane departure alerts with lane maintenance assistance
There is adaptive cruise control with a semi-autonomous driving mode

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2023 Volvo XC40 Models

The 2023 Volvo XC40 is a subcompact luxury SUV available in three trim levels: Core, Plus, and Ultimate. In this trim level, you can choose between two engines. The base B4 is a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder (194 horsepower, 221 lb-ft of torque) paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission that drives the front wheels.

The B5’s engine produces more power (247 hp, 258 lb-ft) and is equipped with all-wheel drive. Feature highlights include:

Core

The entry-level core trim gives you a number of good features for the money:

18-inch rims
LED exterior lighting
roof rails
Auto-dimming mirror
Dual-zone automatic climate control
Power adjustable driver’s seat
Synthetic leather upholstery
The 9-inch center touchscreen with a Google-based operating system
Apple CarPlay smartphone integration
Digital instrument cluster
Eight-speaker audio system
Satellite Radio

Standard driver assistance features include:

Forward collision mitigation (warns you of an impending collision and brakes in certain scenarios)
Lane-keeping assistance (makes minor steering corrections to help keep the vehicle in its lane)
Blind spot warning with a rear cross-traffic warning (warns you if a vehicle is in your blind spot when changing lanes or when reversing)
Automatic reverse braking (applies the brakes automatically to avoid an imminent collision with an object behind the vehicle)
Rear parking sensor (warns you of obstacles that may not be visible behind the vehicle when parking)
Drowsy driver monitor (issues a warning if the sensor determines you are getting tired)
Traffic sign reader

Plus

Trim Plus offers a choice between Light and Dark exterior themes that come with chrome or black trim, respectively. In addition to the Core features, you get:

LED fog light
Sunroof panorama
Keyless entry
Multipurpose floor/luggage partition
Leather seats
Power-adjustable front passenger seat
Power folding rear headrest
Wireless smartphone charger
Universal garage door opener
Front and rear parking sensors

Ultimate

The top Ultimate trim is also offered in a Light or Dark theme and adds:

19-inch wheels
Air purification filters
Audio premium Harman Kardon
Surround-view camera system
Adaptive cruise control (adjusts speed to maintain a constant distance between the vehicle and the car in front)
Pilot Assist (combines adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist to reduce driver fatigue)

Several features are available on the supporting trim as options, along with larger 20-inch wheels, a hands-free liftgate, and adaptive headlights (turn when you turn the steering wheel for better lighting in corners).

2023 Volvo XC40 Trim

We recommend buying the 2023 Volvo XC40 in the mid-level Plus trim equipped with the B5 AWD powertrain. Not only does the more powerful engine provide quicker acceleration and added capability, but it’s near as fuel efficient as the basic B4 FWD setup.

Trim Plus features the XC40 with front and rear parking sensors, fog lights, glossy exterior trim, panoramic moonroof with electric sunshade, improved ambient lighting, aluminum tread plates, collapsible cargo floor with cargo divider and grocery bag holder, keyless entry, power outlet in the cargo compartment, puddle lighting, power passenger seat, power-folding rear head restraints, and front row manual cushion extender.

2023 Volvo XC40 Feature

1. Google Built-In

This is the new operating system for the infotainment settings in every 2023 Volvo XC40, which includes Google Maps. More apps can be added via the Google Play store. It can be voice controlled, and activated by saying, “Hey, Google.” Other aspects include an over-the-air update, plus a pair of front and rear USB-C ports.

2. Digital driver information display

Many manufacturers, especially luxury marques, install 12.3-inch screens that fit where the old dials used to be. But it’s still nice to see it here, contributing to the high-tech aspect of the 2023 XC40’s cabin.

3. Pilot Assist

As part of the adaptive cruise control feature, Pilot Assist adds steering corrections to keep the XC40 SUV on track. It’s not a hands-free system, but it takes the fatigue out of long journeys. Pilot Assist/adaptive cruise control is offered as an option in the Plus trim, or is included as standard equipment in the Ultimate version.

4. Harman Kardon 13-speaker/600-watt premium sound system

Other attributes are optional in Plus and standard in Ultimate. Harman Kardon is a well-known and respected maker of great-sounding audio systems.

5. Detachable/foldable weight floor

This handy item can cover a small storage area underneath. And when one section is folded, it forms multiple grocery bag holders. While this may seem a bit mundane, of course, we’d much rather this than groceries (or worse, takeaway) zooming all over the cargo area. Appears on the XC40 Plus trim level.

6. Headlights with pixel technology with active bend lights

Only available as an option with Ultimate trim, these headlights feature multiple LEDs for optimal lighting without dazzling others. The active bending light follows the steering direction.

2023 Volvo XC40 Price

Pricing information on KBB explains the 2023 XC40 small luxury SUV has a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $36,350, plus a destination fee. That’s for the base Core trim with front-wheel drive. Subsequent Plus versions start at $40,750. The aptly named Ultimate trim is priced at $44.5K. All-wheel drive in any trim is an extra $2,000, but it also makes a lot more power. Many options can take the top Ultimate version close to $49K.

By comparison, the Audi Q3, Lexus UX, and Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class (winner of last year’s KBB Best Buy Award for the class) are all in the region of $36K. The new BMW X1 for 2023 starts at $38.6K. Before buying the new 2023 Volvo XC40 luxury SUV, check KBB.com’s Fair Buying Price to see what others in your area are paying for them. As for resale value, the XC40’s performance is similar to that of its German rival.

We chose the B5 because it has a more powerful 247-hp engine and offers all-wheel drive. We’ll go for the mid-range Plus trim, as it comes standard with a panoramic sunroof, leather seats, LED fog lights, power-folding rear seats, and a crystal gear selector.