Back in February 2018, Volvo Cars revealed details of its first-ever three-cylinder engine. And now that 1,5-litre triple has arrived in South Africa, powering new T3 entry-level models (slotting in below the 2,0-litre four-pots) that serve to expand the local XC40 line-up.
The T3-badged XC40 derivatives (three in total, in Momentum, Inscription and R-Design trim) each make 115 kW and 265 N.m, sent to the front axle. The new three-pot is mated to a six-speed manual transmission as standard, although Volvo South Africa says an optional eight-speed automatic will follow “at a later date”.
The Swedish brand claims that the three-cylinder sips at 6,2 litres per 100 km, and allows a sprint from standstill to 100 km/h in 9,4 seconds.
The T3 Momentum variant lowers the range’s entry point to R486 500 (although take note that this excludes an obligatory R3 036 for CO2 emissions tax), while the lnscription comes in at R518 200 and the R-Design at R525 300 (again, both excluding the R3 036 figure).
Volvo says its new powertrain has been “deliberately designed” for integration into Twin Engine plug-in hybrid cars, revealing that a “hybridised as well as a pure electric powertrain option” for the XC40 will be added in the future.
Pricing:
Volvo XC40 T3 Momentum (manual): R486 500
Volvo XC40 T3 lnscription (manual): R518 200
Volvo XC40 T3 R-Design (manual): R525 300
Volvo XC40 D4 Geartronic AWD Momentum: R599 000
Volvo XC40 T5 Geartronic AWD Momentum: R605 300
Volvo XC40 D4 Geartronic AWD Inscription: R630 700
Volvo XC40 T5 Geartronic AWD Inscription: R637 000
Volvo XC40 D4 Geartronic AWD R-Design: R637 800
Volvo XC40 T5 Geartronic AWD R-Design: R644 100
