300kW, 660Nm Volvo XC40 Recharge Twin is the all-rounder electric vehicles need

Electric vehicles are slowly taking a hold of South Africa.

I say slowly, even though they've experienced a massive surge, albeit off a low base.

Protracted load shedding, the dearth of established charging infrastructure, and range anxiety have all contributed to the slow uptake, but the times, they are a-changing. 

Volvo's XC40 Recharge has been critical to that change, grabbing more than 16% of the market share according to the Swedish manufacturer, with electric vehicle sales up in South Africa by 35% in 2024. 

What is it that makes the XC40 Recharge so attractive?

Let's get into it...

Firstly, its design is flawless. I don't care what you have to say about the solid grille, or its seemingly diminutive footprint. It's gorgeous.

And it's surprisingly spacious. I would go so far as to say deceptively so. 

On a Saturday errand run, I needed to move the newly topped-up 10kg gas tank from inside the cabin to the boot, only to remember I had left the baby's pram in there. What was I to do?

The innovative design of the boot and false floor meant that in a few quick one-handed moves, I was able to secure the pram upright behind the vertical divider created by folding the false floor upwards, leaving more than enough room beneath to swallow up the gas tank and all the baby's additional paraphernalia.

Seated in the comfortable back seats behind my own seating position left me (178cm tall) with more than enough foot space and knee room. 

The way the Swedes have packaged this model is insane. Even with the batteries in the floor, there's enough shoulder and head room for people even many heads taller than I, proven by my Tall Bestie, Kurt.

Tall Bestie Kurt also remarked that the felt that lined the door bins could possibly have been made with recycled Viking beards, judging by the amount of recycled materials used in the superbly designed cabin. 

The XC40 Recharge also feels incredibly solidly built – more so than the electric-only EX30, which some have remarked lacks some of the refinement we've come to expect from Volvo. 

In the XC40, you still feel cosseted from the outside world, where some of the weight-saving measures in the EX30 can make you feel a little more exposed; by Volvo standards at least. 

I'm a big fan of more compact vehicles – while the XC60 is absolutely gorgeous and one of my all-time favourite cars, and can feel its size a little, the XC40 is just the right size for myself and my family. 

At no point do you feel cramped or claustrophobic, despite the dark roof lining and other materials in the cabin. 

Its compact size makes it feel nimble too, with a suspension set-up that is comfortable without feeling wafty in the twisty bits. 

And you're going to want to push the XC40 Recharge through the twisty bits...

The single motor model pushing out 175kW with 420Nm of immediate torque.

I first tested this model before being handed the fob to the fire-breathing P8 AWD model.

I found the single-motor RWD to be more than enough. The immediacy of the torque leaves you quite giddy after a spirited take-off. It'll get to 100km/h in 7.3 seconds. For a compact family SUV, this is more than enough.

By contrast the AWD Recharge Twin model will rocket you to 100km/h in just 4.9 seconds from its 300kW and 660Nm. You read that right – you have over six hundred of Newton's finest metres, and three hundred of the thousands of Watts in a compact family SUV that'll just as easily swallow up your children's friends and their sporting equipment as it would a purebred sports car in a robot-to-robot sprint.

There's a reason you see so many of these XC40 Recharges on South Africa's roads. It's the perfect all-rounder in sensible styling electric motoring needs to boost its popularity. 

As the EX30 slowly gains traction and the EX90 on course for its South African launch soon, the XC40 Recharge continues to find more and more homes as what appears to becoming the volume seller for the Swedish marque.

You can get behind the wheel of the blistering XC40 Recharge Twin for a touch over R1.3m, but my choice would be the R1.1m XC40 Recharge single motor. 

It's all the performance you need from a compact family SUV that's packed to the brim with the features, comfort and build quality you've come to expect from Volvo.

IOL Motoring