Volvo XC40 Recharge: 3yr Owner's Review

[@sethemerson885]

Can you put the wipers into service position to lift them and clean under them? As in "kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZnjQkJlomLuWrrc". Not perfect, but. . . .

[@thenetworkarchitectchannel]

Ahh, interesting. Thx! Gonna try that out.

[@Yanquetino]

Glad to see you're still enjoying your Volvo XC40, Walter! Far too many consumers swallow the Fossil Fool-Aid and believe the petrolganda against EVs. You certainly have disproven such FUD in this 3-year report. In my previous EV, the battery capacity had dropped to 94.35% after nearly 6 years and 78,737 miles. I've had my current EV for 10 months and 10,316 miles, and it still has 100% capacity. I can understand you wanting to disable that automated braking and warning rather than needing to do so every time you are backing up. Similarly, I wish I could permanently set i-Pedal in my EV. It's irksome to have to manually set it every time I put the car in drive.

[@thenetworkarchitectchannel]

Thank you for the kind words. The nanny safety watch which works its way into a few of the features, the back up breaking being one, is a bit of a down side. However, I was once told it was confirmed no one ever died in a Volvo XC90, the ICE version. They are a brand who prides themselves on driver safety, so I guess a bit bleed over is to be expected. Glad you too saw good battery range. I think my result was mostly due to the perfect weather we had last week and I am guessing in actuality I am somewhere around 3%-4% less then delivery, but I am not sure there is any way to know for sure. It was a fun test to do. I had been looking forward to doing so for my own interest in how the car is doing over time. Thx for watching.

[@davidcarroll8735]

Nice 30 second summary! Still watching the rest 😉

[@thenetworkarchitectchannel]

Awesome, thank you!

[@SteveBirkett]

Other than a few holdovers from its combustion sibling, I enjoyed spending a week with the XC40 Recharge and can see why you enjoy it. Appreciate you building a real-world range check into the review as well. Great stuff, thanks.

[@thenetworkarchitectchannel]

Glad you enjoyed. It was a fun video to make that I had been looking forward to the content creation process. Have a good weekend.

[@DYT-jx4jp]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. This vehicle has been one I've kept on my shortlist of EVs I would be game to own. One of the bonuses following your channel is you include it from time to time in your videos :-)

[@newscoulomb3705]

Thanks for the review, Walter!

[@thenetworkarchitectchannel]

Any time!

[@BensEcoAdvntr]

Glad you’re still enjoying the car. I really like the size and style of the XC40

[@thenetworkarchitectchannel]

Thx. I feel fortunate to be able to drive it. I really like the car.

[@plugandplayEV]

I only watch the first 10 seconds of videos... I'm assuming the battery has had to be replaced once a year and you've been stranded on every trip longer than 100 miles. Great review!

[@thenetworkarchitectchannel]

Spot on. No need to go deep. Title screen is enough. ;-)

[@accountability2000]

Great review, Walter! I've owned a used Volvo Ultimate C40 2023 for a year now; I would definitely repurchase it. A couple of minor comments. 1) Knock on wood, but I've never dealt with the abrupt breaking when backing up. I know other Volvo owners have mentioned this but I have yet to experience it. 2) Compared to other EVs this is one of the best cars to get if you're transitioning from a gas car. It embodies the Swedish simplicity of design and styling. There is no way my partner would have ever dealt with something as complex as a Tesla or Rivian. 😅 For example, this car has profiles for up to two users, which means really helps us since we're a one car family. She hates one pedal driving and I love it, but it's never an issue because of the profiles. 3) This is one of the few EVs on the market that allow for Apple CarPlay, which my partner thoroughly enjoys. To add, the built-in Android Automotive is fantastic, especially Google Maps. 4) My understanding, compared to other people I know who have driven multiple brands of EVs, is that Volvo probably does the best when it comes to one-pedal driving. I absolutely love it!! 4) The only major issues with this car based on the forums and FG Groups, are the slight vibration in the steering wheel when going around 60 mph, some suspension knocking that's covered by warranty, and the infotainment can be buggy at times but recent updates have really helped. PS - There is a button to service the wipers within the infotainment center. I think somebody else beat me to that comment.

[@thenetworkarchitectchannel]

I agree. The EX40 is by all appearances a car, not an EV. I like that too. Nothing really different bout it. I have not had the shimmy on the steering, except for lane keep assist, which is disabled from a turn signal. Another nanny safety thing, but I do not mind that one. Thx for the wiper svc mode. I found that the other day when someone else also mentioned it. I never knew. Gonna use the heck out of that. Thx for watching.

[@mikeharpist]

Thanks for this review. There are a few used C40s and XC40s near me and I am thinking I will check them out. I guess the short range compared to other cars has led to some serious depreciation on these cars. 2023 models are selling for less than half the original MSRP.

[@thenetworkarchitectchannel]

Glad it was helpful. Have a good weekend. Stay safe.

[@robertstillmaker5193]

My Nissan LEAF's all 3 of them were near zero maintenance 1 set of wiper blades and windshield washer fluid and one set of tires on the used 2011 model I purchased when my wife took over my 2015 LEAF.

[@thenetworkarchitectchannel]

Right? It is crazy. Not sure why it is not more commonly know. Everyone is latched on to a bunch of other stuff. It is a car that doesn't break down or need any routine maintenance. I mean......

[@robertstillmaker5193]

Whoo Hoo, nice review of the XC 40 recharge.

[@ronnelson06824]

I watch your entire KZbin videos and sometimes I watch them twice. But good for you to get the most important part out early, I would’ve thought zero battery degradation and no maintenance would be what I would say in 30 seconds but OK. I believe my car’s battery (I assume CATL) has zero degradation and 71,000+ miles and coming up on three full years. I wish we could get on Fox News and spit out the facts instead of everybody needs a $25,000 battery pack every year if they buy any EV blah blah blah. It’s so wonderful to hear about your church activities…. You are obviously a giving person. Did the car ever have to have recall work at the dealership or did you have any issues with the car that had to go back to the dealership?, it sounds like no. And that is awesome and a testament to Chinese EVs!!!!! My 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 will be three years old in the end of January 2025……. The car has been in the dealership for the last week and probably will be there for another week, I’m not sure…… I’ve had two other instances of three weeks the first time and two weeks the second time. 12 V battery issues the first two times although I believe the ICCU integrated charging control unit is giving out and that’s part of the problem. They are replacing my ICCU this current long visit at the dealership. I really do hate going to the gas station, but they have given me three loaners for these three issues and two of those times I got a Dino sucking ice car. I guess the most important thing is that I get a free loaner while they figure these things out and that I did. I am on my third 12 V battery and I had to buy the first one with the car obviously and I had to buy the third one for $275 from the dealership and the second one was given to me, Free. I don’t believe I’ve ever needed a new 12 V battery before, in my ices, a full three years of ownership I am pushing Hyundai to return my $275 because I believe the ICCU failure killed my 12v. Obviously Hyundai has a problem using the incorrect 12 V battery for the work that a 12 V battery must do in an EV. I clearly am so not technical. Hyundai has a huge problem with charging speed and overheating of the AC charging inlet, mine gets to 240°F at 9.2 KW lickety-split. I am pushing Hyundai for a new AC charging inlet so that I can continue to charge at 9.2 KW and not overheat or not overheat and then Hyundai forces a current reduction to make up for their failures. This car should be charging level two at over 11 KW, that’s how it was sold to us. For my use case I could care less, I could probably use level one at home and be fine except for the 21% losses versus the 8% losses at level two charging and that makes me have nightmares. I don’t need more nightmares right now, I have plenty. Right now I’m also begging and pleading for battery heating or battery preconditioning because winter road trips charge a maximum of 40 kW instead of 256 kW and that’s no good. I am begging for them to come out with some sort of kit that does this and I would even pay for it. I believe in July 2022 Hyundai never ever again built an EV, at least on the E - GMP platform, Without battery preconditioning and preheating. Their rear wheel drive single motor units manufactured in 2021 and up to July 20 22 are never/will never be able to precondition or preheat the battery to get lightning fast charges on the road at a 350 KW charger in the winter, and that even equates to six months a year in some locals and certainly my locale in Connecticut. BTW: my whole life I’ve never backed into a parking space or my garage, but that’s just me so my rear cross traffic and rear sensors and rear camera blah blah blah go off like freaking ambulance sirens but I’ve gotten used to it and I feel that the safety trumps the slight annoyance. Again by the way: my wipers do the same irritating thing and I guess they’re just trying to keep them out of the way and maybe protected whilst driving and not using them. I guess there is some kind of mode where I can make them stop where they are completely cleared from hitting the hood when I bend the arm to clear clean underneath or clean the wiper blade itself. It is so super interesting that EV drivers like you could care less on your daily drive grind how much range there is as long as you have 30 or 40 miles of range every day. Thank you, Walter

[@thenetworkarchitectchannel]

Concerning degradation, I can not say what exists. I suspect it is somewhere around 3%, dispite this test drive over 7 days. The conditions were ideal with most days not running the HVAC. I am pretty sure I remember being over 240 when I first got it, but I have nothing to compare. Regardless, as you say, it is not like I am loosing 300 miles or range. Yes, the car has been at the dealership. We had an onboard charger issue early on, which was replaced FOC. Otherwise, I brought it in for the regular svc and each was comp'ed since they did nothing. I did also buy a new set of 4 tires at 50k+, but as those are consumables I did not mentioned. Just calling out the lack of repair and routine maintenance. I 4 sure am a back in guy. I like being able to see cross traffic when I go to pull out. I am type-A so likely a result of that somehow. Glad you enjoyed the video. Thx for watching and taking the time to share a kind & informative comment. Have a good weekend.

[@MrElderon]

This is a great car. My brother has one but I think we need to be more realistic with the degradation calculations. Usage of range results is not accurate and can vary widely. Based on your results in driving down to 2% at a consumption rate of 292 watt hours/mile, you used 68.9 kWh to go 235.9 miles and consumed 98% of the battery pack (292*235.9). Actual battery capacity based on this experiment is 70.3 kWh ((68.9/98)*100). Assuming no vampire drain over the course of this test and no losses due to hard acceleration or extended high speed highway driving, the degradation appears to be 8.7% which is not bad for 3 years. This is how Bjorn Nyland does his degradation tests and calculations. Given that most degradation for Lithium Ion batteries occurs in the first year I would expect very little additional degradation over time. If I made any mistakes in the assumptions/calculations above, please feel free to correct my errors.

[@thenetworkarchitectchannel]

I agree. I suspect I have lost 3%. The 100-0 was just a real world due diligence effort. I agree it is not scientific. Thx 4 watching and sharing the well written comment

[@thenetworkarchitectchannel]

I wanted to reply again. Your comment deserves a better response. I agree your math is accurate. What is missing is an exact replication at the date of delivery. I respect TB and his method, but the evaluation of loss absent controlled testing at both points in time is only general guide. I know in first 50k miles, most loss is seen. I expect I have loss despite what number I ended up with. As an owner for three years, I am guessing about 3%. Maybe as much as 5%. However, I respect this is likely subjective, but I think this to be more accurate then the method you are using. However, I respect the method you and TB use. Thx again for the well worded comment.

[@MrElderon]

@ I think the takeaway for me is that degradation regardless of the number doesn’t necessarily impact usability. I’m coming up on 3 years with my EV6 in March and my perception is similar to yours. There is likely some degradation but it is so minimal that is not really noticeable. I’m currently on a 1500 mile road trip from PA to the bourbon trail areas of Kentucky. Never have range anxiety and am confident I’ll always make it where I need to go with a little planning. Thanks for the responses and the charging network updates!

[@robertstillmaker5193]

I looked at it briefly when I was looking for a replacement for my Kia Soul EV but I ended up waiting until I got a 2023 VW ID.4 RWD as the newer model Soul EV was never released in the US market. Perhaps a Kia EV3 might be in my future after my ID.4 although the Honda Prelude EV and Kia Niro EV I sat in tonight at the Seattle International Auto Show were pretty nice.

[@thenetworkarchitectchannel]

both are nice. Auto show's don't normally let you sit in them. cool it was on option there, cause I agree. There is nothing like sitting in a car to see what it is like. Best wishes.

[@emrimbiemri3211]

My car also has anxiety with rear cross traffic. It will stomp on the brake while you are backing out. The steering wheel vibrates and the driver's cluster is flashing red. Meanwhile the psngr is 30ft+ away.

[@thenetworkarchitectchannel]

Right? My wife's LYRIQ can't backup during a rain event. Luckily it has an off switch for that feature. No love on the Volvo. thx 4 watching.

[@psubo3b]

Looks relatively warm at your location - Impact of colder ambient temperature?

[@thenetworkarchitectchannel]

4 Sure. Norway though is EV everywhere. They seem to make out okay? During my test, it was near perfect weather. I find I loose range when I need to push through rain resistance and using the wipers. I did not at all and the temp was low sixties as a high. Thx for watching.

[@diydrivenGA]

Picked mine up earlier this year for a great price. Love the car but here are my complaints: 1) efficiency but given it's shape I understand. 2) infotainment: USB support nonexistent and third party apps require approval every time you get in. If you miss that message you'll have to disconnect and reconnect your USB drive. 3) seats: while comfortable, these are the first seats I've ever used where I feel like I'm constantly updating my presets because they don't feel right the next time I drive. 4) lack of aftermarket support: for now that's parts but my dealership experience at 2 dealers hasn't been encouraging and independent shops are leery of EVs. That's it. Love the car overall and so glad I went EV. Nervous about EV registration taxes going forward as they are not calculated fairly.

[@thenetworkarchitectchannel]

I agree about the dealership expirence. Mine too is just "okay", which is being a bit generous. For my roof rails, I did get from Volvo at the dealership I like the aero design instead of just a metal tube others use, but they cost a bit more. For my music, I use an iPhone tethered via USB-c. The Bluetooth annoys me where it grabs my audio every time I get in even when I don't want that, so I like to be able to choose with a tether. Enjoy. I think you will find it a reliable car.

[@forevertool]

Good afternoon to everyone here in the comments,English is not my primary language so I do my best,I read most of the comments and I bought my in wife a 2023 c40 ultimate twin,the reverse brake problem that is very annoying stoping out of nowhere what I do is as soon I put the car in reverse it appear a message in the screen that saids if you want to turn it off so I do it every time,the thing is you have to do that every time you put the car in reversed I hope I explain my self,I would like to tell you that I am about to purchase a 2024 xc40 recharge for my son, I wanted a 2024 Tesla model y in the new quicksilver color but my wife and son keep saying NO NO NO Can someone Please provide the link for the adapter so I can use the Tesla superchargers.