VOLVO C40 RECHARGE - TESTED 26.4.23, GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN ON SALE SUMMER

JAMES ATTWOOD

- JAMES ATTWOOD

Electrification is upending many traditions in the car industry, as this updated Volvo C40 Recharge demonstrates. It represents what once might have been termed a mid-life facelift, yet the styling is entirely unchanged.

Don't be fooled, though: the face is one of the few things that Volvo hasn't lifted. So comprehensive is the overhaul (or life-cycle update, as Volvo puts it) of the C40's drivetrain that this Single version has had its motor switched from the front to the back axle, making it and the closely related XC40 Recharge the first rear-driven Volvos since the 940 saloon went out of production 25 years ago.

It's a reflection of the relentless progress of EV technology and the ever-increasing competition in the class. Based on a multi-powertrain architecture, the C40 and XC40 siblings were lagging behind some other premium crossover EVs in key areas such as range, efficiency and charging speed. So Volvo has sought to address that using learnings from the bespoke EVs that it is currently developing, such as the EX90.

For instance, the drive unit now on the rear axle of the C40 is the one on the front axle of the EX90. Combining a motor, a transmission and a 'black box', it has been fully developed in-house, whereas the previous one featured some off-thes-helf elements. And that greater integration has helped Volvo to improve efficiency.

The shift to rear-wheel drive does give a small efficiency boost to the Single variants of the C40 and XC40, but it's mostly for the benefit of the dual-motor, four-wheel-drive Twin versions (see right).

Elsewhere, the cars retain the same battery chemistry, although reworked cooling systems help keep that pack at its most efficient temperature, and allows for faster charging rates - although Single versions can accept a peak of only 130kW (compared with 250kW for the Tesla Model Y or 350kW for the Genesis GV60, for example).