Approaching the end of its time with the team, Kyle Kock shares why the Volvo C40 has, uhm, fast become one of the favourites at CAR.
Time spent: 2 of 3 months
Distance covered: 3 638 km
Average Consumption: 22,3 kWh/100 km
Driver: Kyle Kock
We like: Giant-killing potential
We don’t like: No blind for panoramic roof, slightly overzealous safety features
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Having a wall box charger at hand really does transform the ownership experience of a modern EV. This is evidenced by the fact that two months into our time spent with the C40, the swift Swede has rapidly become a popular choice of chariot for staffers needing to run “quick” errands – safe in the knowledge that once back at the office, the car can simply be plugged into our GridCars-installed three-phase charger.
I’ve come to appreciate the convincing split personality of the Volvo. It’s a vehicle that appears sleek, impressively sophisticated and, indeed, relatively unassuming in one breath yet also able to tear towards the horizon, leaving stunning expressions from onlookers the next.
On the debit side, the C40’s pedestrian detection and front collision avoidance system has at times alarmingly and unnecessarily deployed, in situations where I otherwise felt completely in control. It’s not the first time that we’ve experienced active safety systems designed for first-world environments struggling to interpret or adapt to our country’s unique driving conditions. But – better safe than sorry.
Related: Review: Volvo C40 Recharge Dual Motor
South Africans are known to love a sunroof, yet the absence of an effective blind on the panoramic item fitted to the C40 does seem like an oversight in a market known to be as sweltering as ours. I’m interested to note how well I’m able to keep the car’s cabin cool as we head into the summer months.
With a family trip up the West Coast beckoning, I’m intrigued to learn just how extensive – and accessible – the arrangement of public charging infrastructure is in this less-developed part of South Africa. Stay tuned for more!
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