Volvo XC40 gets powertrain & equipment upgrades

Volvo has given its top-selling compact SUV yet another big dose of upgrades; the updated range is currently on sale in the United Kingdom.

Volvo just can't seem to stop improving its already top-selling compact SUV, the XC40. This time around, the upgrades have been made to the XC40's existing petrol powertrains, exterior colour options & equipment list. In August 2018, Volvo had added its first-ever three-cylinder T3 petrol motor to the XC40 line-up. However, at that time, the option had been released with only a six-speed manual transmission. Now though, the 1.5-litre T3 motor is also available with an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The T3 motor also benefits from increased power output, up from 154bhp to 161bhp.

Meanwhile, the 2.0-litre four-cylinder T4 petrol motor, earlier available only with All-Wheel Drive (AWD), now gets a Front-Wheel Drive (FWD) derivative as well. As a result, the T4 FWD variant becomes more affordable and more economic (higher fuel efficiency). To add further convenience, all XC40 models equipped with automatic transmission will now come with paddle shift as standard.

Coming to the upgraded equipment list, the XC40 now gets auto-folding door mirrors, a 12V power socket in the boot, a lockable glove box & load protection net. These features have been added over & above the standard kit which includes sat-nav, dual-zone climate control, rear parking sensors, etc. Volvo has also introduced an updated Blind Spot Information system (optional), which gets a Steer Assist function. With the Steer Assist, the XC40 can steer itself back into its lane through corrective steering, in order to avoid collision with a vehicle in its blind spot.

As mentioned above, the XC40 also gets three new exterior colour choices: Thunder Grey, Glacier Silver & Pebble Grey. However, this is not the end of the XC40's updates. Volvo will soon introduce another variant in the compact SUV's line-up, a T5 Twin Engine petrol-electric plug-in hybrid, details of which will be released in the coming months.

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