Our dealer in Mission Viejo had two of them. The other one was spoken for and the buyer of the one we got bowed out, which is why it was available.

This was a shocking find as I didn't even know there were any C40's on our shores yet and I thought they were only going to be sold online.

Our first impressions with the car is that's even smoother than our XC40, while providing most all the benefits we are accustomed to on the XC40.

I've had so many reservations for EV's so I jumped on this one vs. having to wait maybe 9+ months for any of the others. The ADM was also reasonable in the current market. Certainly better than what VW, Kia and Audi have quoted us.

I will be putting it thru its paces more over the coming days and this will be my car (my wife drives the XC40). Some initial comments on the C40 vs the XC40:

1. There's no shade for the glass roof and the glass roof doesn't open. The glass roof has a different shape as well, so I will have to do some thinking on how to make a shade for it. In Winter, it's not going to be an issue, but for the Summer drives to Palm Desert, I'm sure I will need something. I would have been happy for a metal roof, but that's not an option.
2. There's only 1 trim level here in the US, the Ultimate, so no worries about not getting Pro Pilot Assist (something our XC40, sadly, lacks) and other features. It's AWD as well, called "Twin" now for some reason.
3. Charge port is in the back left as before. I'd prefer the front middle, but back left should make our cars more compatible with Tesla SC's if they ever open up to us here in the US.
4. The frunk has the same hump in the middle as the XC40. I still scratch my head as to why. It should be flat.
5. It still has the same hump in the middle of the back seats. I'd prefer it didn't for more cargo, but alas.
6. As noted above, it drives as you would expect and even a bit better than the XC40.
7. I will check the efficiency, but we expect it to be as good as the XC40, which I know isn't "Leaf" efficient, but it's no Leaf.
8. CS charging got up to 128kW on the first try and was pleased with how fast it charged. The dealer only gave it to us at 20%... which is what happened with the XC40 as well.
9. The back looks more stylish but lacks a rear wiper. I hope that won't be an issue.
10. The front looks a bit better than the XC40 and should be easier to clean.
11. I had an issue trying to charge on L2 AC at home where the current was limited to just 6A vs. 20+. This was at 17% SOC. After doing the EA DCFC session however (to 73% SOC), I was able to get 20A to 90%. I will try higher speeds later.
12. L1 charging totally failed! Also tried it at 17%. I will test again later at various %'s. I didn't try it at 73% last night.

Yes, I know, where are the pics?? I will take some today.

...And there's no C40 prefix on this forum. Time to add one?

 

Attached is a picture of my new arrival. I have had a couple problems of it, with the driver instrument cluster map not working. The dealer fixed it, but I have a more vexing problem now.

The AC doesn't work half the time and with the current heat wave, that's not a good thing. I'm taking it back in again tomorrow to have it looked at. I will post a video showing the problem on the next post.

 

Check this out as re the AC problem. With a trip to Palm Desert coming up on Saturday, I hope they can figure it out tomorrow!


It worked fine at lunch today, but just like yesterday it didn't when I went home from work. I joked to my wife that maybe it's time sensitive AC and that it must be saving energy as part of SoCal Edison's 4-9pm peak rates.

 

My C40 is in the shop and I might get it back by Tuesday at this rate. I have a loaner S90 right now (fossil only), but it's certainly not the car for me. I can't wait to get my C40 back, but they need to give me something that works.

Supposedly the AC doesn't work at higher temps as it wasn't supplied with enough refrigerant. "Lovely"

Also, I got a warning when taking the car to service that the collision avoidance system wasn't reliable and needed service, so that's being fixed too. See pic below.

 

My car has been in the shop since Friday morning due to the failing AC and collision avoidance system issues. They are waiting for parts. Not a good start for a brand new car!

There's "hope" I could get it back by tomorrow. "lovely"

I had hoped that Volvo would be better at the electric car thing and have fewer problems than we did with the XC40 back in June, but it seems they are moving backwards. All electric in just over a handful of years? Seems there's still a lot more work to do, though these problems aren't related to the electric plant of the car, thankfully.

 

Yes, Volvo has a *lot* to do to get its PHEVs and BEVs working properly, and it's rather scary that they still are having problems after quite some years now making plug-in vehicles. I test-drove an XC60 T8 PHEV today (first time in several years, the last time being with the 10-kWh battery pack, this time with the 11.8-kWh battery pack) because I'm considering buying the new "Extended Range" (18.8-kWh battery pack) XC60 T8 when it arrives in America in a few months, following a raving review by Kyle O'Conner (Out of Spec Reviews) on YouTube last October from his test drive of a prototype version in Belgium. But the XC60 that I drove today was absolutely horrible; in "Pure" (all-electric) mode, it had almost no power accelerating from stop at a traffic light and also merging onto an expressway (something like 30 seconds from 0 to 60 mph). And the infotainment system is dreadfully bad -- so many things buried in menus on the infotainment screen (like the drive mode -- when I was trying desperately to change from Pure to Hybrid or Sport or Charge mode with a truck bearing down on my bumper as I couldn't accelerate when getting on the expressway). I can't believe they're even selling a car like this. In seeing your photo of your C40's instrument panel, it looks just like the XC60 T8's instrument panel that I drove today -- again, mind-boggling crazy, without an odometer visible.

Is your wife's XC40 an ICEV or a BEV? You didn't say in your post above. I'm guessing BEV, given how you're comparing it to your new C40. And, yes, this forum is like Swedespeed in that the forum moderators/administrators seem to be "behind the times" in realizing that Volvo is going electric, quickly -- in the way that they are so slow to provide proper forum sections for PHEVs and BEVs (both of which deserve to be separated from ICEVs, with the absurd new Volvo "mild hybrid B" models being glorified ICEVs, not EVs in the slightest).

I'd love to get a BEV now, but I don't like Tesla *at all*, and all the others (save for jokes like the Leaf) are new to the game. So I'm sitting out the "beta" development with PHEVs as I watch people like you (cheering you on, of course!) take the plunge with these new, untested BEVs -- with many thanks! ... We also do long road trips across the US every year to see family, and taking family on 6000-mile road trips with a BEV in this early stage of BEV adoption just doesn't work (most family members don't have the patience to deal with dodgy, unreliable public-charging stations and risking getting really low on a charge as you go miles out of your way to hopefully find a working station). Volvo needs larger battery packs, 800-volt architecture (for 350-kW fast charging on road trips), and to get their software fixed *yesterday*... I hope that Volvo survives the transition; their only saving grace is being owned by Geely, I think -- and Geely will keep throwing money at Volvo in ways that Ford would never have done.

Your own troubles with the C40 are not at all surprising to me; I suspect that they are not that surprising to you, either, though nonetheless frustrating.
Please keep posting your photos and experiences; I, for one, will eagerly read them! The C40 greatly interests me. I've test driven an XC40 BEV and a couple of Polestar 2 sedans. As a continuous Volvo ICEV owner for decades, I have Volvo loyalty, but I'm being drawn much more to vehicles like the Kia EV6 and the Taycan Cross Turismo now.
What do you think about the ground clearance of the C40, and how does it compare to the ground clearance of your XC40? I am somewhat concerned about ground clearance. I hope that your charging problems are resolved. I don't understand why your C40 won't charge off level-one 120-volt outlets; does the dealership know why?

 

Yes, my wife's XC40 is a BEV. It's a P8 Recharge. It hasn't had the level of problems as the C40 has had, but Volvo really needs to up its game BIG TIME as respects the software. The PHEV you drove has better software and HD Radio, most likely. AFAIK only the BEV's have the super laggy Google interface. I wish it had the same as the PHEV/ICE cars.

I stopped by the dealer last night and saw my car, but my service rep is in Jury duty now and they don't have the parts they need from Volvo yet. What's more curious is that the other C40 (the one we test drove) is still sitting in the dealership after the owner who reserved it declined to buy it (opting for a P*2 instead). They also have an XC40 in stock but it doesn't have the pilot assist or I would have bought it.

The ground clearance seems to be the same as the XC40, which is good. I've had a Tesla MYLR, briefly, and sold it (didn't like it - the seat really hurt my back and there was nothing I could do). I also tried a Nissan Leaf (SL+) and liked it a LOT, but I couldn't get over the thought of paying $40k for it. It was a 30-day trial with CarMax.

My annoyance is reaching the point that I've asked the dealer to give me back the $4k ADM and/or buy the car back from me. I'm starting to think it might be an "L" word car. Let's see how they react to this.

 

Yes, please keep us posted here on your travails with your C40. I would not say that the infotainment in any current Volvo (PHEV or BEV, or the Polestar 2) is very good. The question for me is: can I drive the car ok, *despite* the bad infotainment? I'm more into driving dynamics, having a plug-in vehicle for all my local driving (at least), and seat comfort (like you, I have back problems). Our RAV4 Prime is a fabulous local driver, getting 50+ EV miles in the summer and 40+ miles in the winter, but we both have gotten lower back pain from long road trips, as the seats in Toyotas are nothing like those in our Volvos and Porsches. And, yes, ACC is vital to me for long road trips, also.

I did not recall the Google Maps interface being super-laggy in either of the two Polestar 2 sedans or the XC40 BEV that I test-drove last year, but then I was focusing on other things, like how readable the maps are. In my test-drive yesterday of the XC60 PHEV, I hated that the Google Maps kept re-setting to a wide-out view (perhaps 1/4 or 1/2 mile on a side) after I went to another window and then came back again -- when I wanted a zoomed-in view of the local streets I was on. My Porsches don't have Google Maps, but the maps stay zoomed at the level you put them at when you go away and then come back to the map screen again later... I was mildly impressed with the Google Maps in the XC60 T8 yesterday, but I wish that it had a **** (like my Porsches do) to turn to zoom in or out quickly and easily, without having to touch the screen while driving; the traffic-flow colors worked, but they are very thin lines that aren't the easiest to see from the driver's position, and every map should always have a mileage scale on it in one corner.

I forgot to check the XC60 that I test-drove yesterday (a 2022 model) to see if it has AM radio. I don't think that the dealership there wants to see me again, as I was very critical of the drive-mode interface and the poor acceleration in Pure (EV) mode. I am on the "call me" list of several dealerships to let me know when a C40 comes in, for me to go look at it. I like what I see on YouTube videos, except for the tiny rear window and lack of wiper blade there, and I'm worried about the ground clearance being smaller than I'd like (the XC40 BEV is about 1-1.5 inches lower in ground clearance than is the XC40 ICEV).

 

My C40 is still in the shop. It's been there since Friday, 2/11. The latest updates are as follows:

1. The AC was waiting on parts, but that's supposedly fixed as of last Friday.
2. The collision system problem is requiring a new windshield they had to order from overseas. Apparently and incredibly, my car doesn't have the right windshield for the Ultimate trim level, which is the only trim level in the USA AIUI. So, I'm wondering if all other US C40's have the same problem?
3. I had the windshield tinted on one of the few days I had it, but the dealer said they will pay for new tint.

Apparently, the car needs to be in the shop for 30 days to use the Lemon Law and so far it's been 12. But, for me, any time in the shop is inexcusable for a new car and it's by far the worst experience I have had with any car.

 

Is the C40 made in China?
Did you ask if the other C40 at the same dealership has had any of the same problems?

 

Final assembly was in Belgium and I asked the dealership but they don't know or didn't look. The other car still hadn't sold last I looked but that was several days ago now.

 

I got my C40 back on Saturday before our road trip and it did well, except for one warning message that the parking sensors were at reduced functionality and service was required and the car pulls to the right a bit. I dismissed the parking sensor warning and it seems to be working fine. I will check the tire pressures in the morning to see if tha is causing the pull.

Also, I noticed that the app doesn't show the battery SOC % like the XC40 does, so the functionality of the app is even more reduced if that can be believed. Here's a pic of it.


No SOC indicator.

 

Hi Falcon73

I will get my C40 this summer.
You mentioned that you are locking for a solution of a sunshade for the roof.
Did you find one or did you manage it in a different way?

Would be interesting for me.

Regards
Ralph

 

I made my own sunshade with foil type insulation. It's very effective, but could look a bit better. I'm keeping it from sagging using some wire, which isn't completely effective. Covering it with some black felt type material would probably look better, so I am considering options.

I tried a 50W solar panel for a while, but it didn't cover the whole area under the glass and was fairly noisy when driving around. And the best I saw thru the glass was 0.7W out of 50W, so the factory tint does get a lot, but the sun is still plenty blinding thru the glass and plenty of heat used to get in.

I'm not aware of any OEM shades yet, but I'm considering getting a roof rack.

And, in other news, the app finally shows the SOC on the C40... "yay"

 

Thanks for the fast answer!
Do you think you could slide plastic clamps between the glass and the roof without breaking anything?
Then I would make something out of aluminum coated foil and a stiff carrier material.

Ralph

 

Yes, I think some plastic wedges might be a good solution, to help keep it taught. The foil insulation is a bit thin in this case. Let me see what I can come up with.

 

HI,]
I've ordered a XC40 Recharge Twin. Keep posting updates to your experience with your C40 and your XC40. All good information
John

 

Volvo has official one now. Too expensive....
Here is the part # if someone is interested. 32353614