Mitsubishi eK X EV vs Volvo C40

What's the difference?

And that’s the core takeaway from our time driving the Mitsubishi eK X EV – it’s a near-perfect tool for dealing with inner-urban congestion and tightly-packed city streets. After all, while cars have become progressively more bloated, our roads haven’t expanded in sympathy with that. The tiny measurements of the eK X EV and its slick and seamless electric powertrain allow drivers to flip that paradigm.

But even if Mitsubishi's Australian office chose to bring it here, it wouldn't be the first time the company has experimented with an ultra-compact EV in this country. Remember the i-MiEV from a decade ago? That too was a kei car EV with similar performance stats, however it languished in obscurity thanks to a high $48K price tag and a generally ho-hum offering.

By comparison, the eK X EV feels much more complete and better-equipped, though its price will need to be considerably sharper than the i-MiEV's if it's to convince would-be EV adopters to look away from the entry-level options from Chinese automakers like MG and BYD.

Will Mitsubishi take the plunge? It'll be chasing a niche within a niche if it does, but provided that audience uses the car within its urban-only design parameters, and provided Mitsubishi can offer it for a compelling price, the Japanese company could carve out a meaningful toehold in the EV space at the entry-level end of the spectrum.

The C40 becomes a compelling option in the electrified small SUV space, offering a premium look and feel, great range and tech inclusions at the price, as well as awesome on-road dynamics.

Its main downsides are the rear seat, which is compromised by its platform and design-led roofline, and the overwhelming power and added traction of the dual-motor makes the single motor less attractive on the value front.

Still, regardless of variant chosen, the C40 looks to offer a stand-out balance of price, range, and performance, against its traditional rivals and newcomers alike.

As a member of the uniquely-Japanese kei class of vehicles, the eK X EV has to fit within a very specific footprint of 3.4 metres long, 1.48 metres wide, and 2.0 metres tall.

The eK X pushes up right to those limits, measuring just 5.0mm shy of those length and width restrictions while stretching to 1655mm tall, and in order to maximise interior volume each face is almost perfectly vertical and all four corners are right-angles.

The end result is a very angular one-box hatchback, with the raked-back windscreen and bonnet giving the front half a somewhat wedge-shaped profile.

Is it a beauty queen? Not by any conventional standard – it’s more bricklike than beautiful – but like most kei cars its shape is driven by its function.

All four wheels are pushed right to each corner, minimising intrusion into passenger space, and the generous side and rear glass areas allow a great view of what’s around you – ideal for staying out of trouble on crowded Japanese city streets.

Another pragmatic design feature is the presence of roof rails – optional in Japan (¥27,500, or $311), but probably a good idea for those wanting to gain some more cargo capacity by bolting on a roof pod (which would certainly make the eK X EV look even more comically proportioned).

The P grade also brings a roof spoiler and black plastic wheel arch trims (both of which can also be had on the G spec as part of a ¥71,500/$810 bundle that includes the roof rails), which gives the stumpy eK X a smidge of SUV flavour.

And as far as style goes, it’s certainly cohesive with other members of the Mitsubishi showroom. The brand’s narrow-eyed headlamps and X-shaped grille motif translate well to the eK X’s nuggety bod, looking very much like if an Outlander’s visage was squished into a compact 1.48-metre wide cube.

The two-tone paint of our high-grade test vehicle looks modern and appealing (though it’s an expensive option at ¥82,500/$935), while single-tone paint jobs are also available.

However, if you’re a fan of artful vehicle design then the blocky and boxy eK X EV probably won’t excite your retinas.

Volvo has become a brand with a distinctive and consistent design language which embodies the kind of beautiful minimalism normally associated with Scandinavian brands.

I have always liked how Volvo says more with less design elements, with only gentle touches of chrome or gloss black, and a lack of over-the-top sporty pieces avoiding the temptation to over-sell the sporty potential of the brand’s range.

The C40 takes the small SUV formula, well established by its XC40 relation, and gets a bit weird and experimental. It’s slightly lower and has a more coupe-styled rear, with a strongly raked rear window giving it a sportier and more aggressive look than the rest of Volvo’s SUV range.

The styling is sold by an angular spoiler piece running atop the boot, and the rear light clusters have gone all minimalist, constructed of individual pieces rather than a single transparent housing, and they give a nod to the C30 hatchback which this car is the spiritual successor to, by name and nature.

The interior offers up no surprises, sticking to the formula Volvo has established across all of its current models. An effortlessly premium space with, again, a minimalistic dash dominated by the portrait touchscreen, the C40’s premium nature is confirmed by its finely patterned inlays, simple chrome pieces, and abundance of soft-touch surfaces.

The big upright vent fittings with clever rhomboid patterns on their adjustment dials are always a highlight piece of modern Volvos, and the pattern work is continued on the central volume adjust dial and even on the little rotating pieces of the light and wiper stalks. Clever.

Even the software is paired back on the multimedia suite and digital dashboard, with easy to use shortcuts and simple menus which suit the car.

Volvo might turn off some buyers with the more unconventional shape of the C40. But for those looking for a more traditional SUV it also offers the XC40 in the same two variants, and the Polestar 2 caters to those not looking for an SUV at all.

While design might not be the eK X’s ace card, space efficiency absolutely is. 

Trust the Japanese to figure out how to make the best use of a compact volume – with compact apartments and ultra-dense cities being the norm for most Japanese people, it’s no surprise they’ve been able to extract the greatest utility possible from something the size of a kei car.

Those in the front seats get to enjoy some fairly cushy (though not super-supportive) chairs, with the driver’s seat being a little wider to cover the gap between it and the passenger seat.

Folding up the centre armrest also allows the driver to slide across to the left seat, perfect for getting out of a confined parking spot… or dates at the drive-in.

The steering column only adjusts for tilt and not reach, which is a bit of an ergonomics fail, but generally speaking there’s a surprising amount of room for ‘Western’ frames.

The manually-adjusted seats can slide a fair way back, headroom is substantial, outward vision is superb and, thanks to the narrowness of the eK X, literally everything is within arm’s reach.

The long shelf that spans the dash at mid-height is also a useful feature, an ideal perch for small items like keys, wallets, tissues and phones, while the cupholders are moulded into the dash itself and the climate control and shifter quadrant are housed in their own extension of the centre stack.

Below the climate controls, a bag hook is perfect for toting takeaway, purses or small grocery bags, and there’s some additional shelves and cubbies along with a USB-A, USB-C and 12-volt charger.

Peek under the passenger seat, and an under-seat stowage tray reveals itself, too. There’s even a pull-out compartment in the passenger door to house the owner’s manual. Everything in its right place.

Granted, with limited width there are some constraints on passenger space. The eK X’s rear bench only has room for two seats rather than three, but there’s enough shoulder room available to ensure it’s not as claustrophobic as you might think, and the rear bench is even mounted on sliding rails, has a reclinable backrest and offers more cushion length than the front seats.

With the seat slid all the way back there’s quite a lot of legroom for back seat passengers, while sliding it forward allows at least one piece of large luggage to sit in the boot while still giving enough space for passenger’s feet.

Other quality-of-life touches include some storage pockets high up on the front passenger’s backrest as well as bottle holders and cupholders integrated into the rear door cards, though, unlike the front seats, there’s no fold-down centre armrest or face-level air vents.

Mitsubishi doesn’t publish a cargo volume for the eK X EV, but the boot opening measures 1105mm wide and 875mm tall, with depth variable depending on the position of the sliding rear seat.

The rear seat backrests also fold down (though not flush with the boot floor), and supersized cargo can also be accommodated by reclining the front passenger seatback all the way so you can tote objects up to two metres long.

Under the boot’s floor hides an inflator kit and charge cable storage, though there’s no cargo blind.

The C40 is essentially a XC40 with a cropped down roofline, and there are some obvious downsides which this new shape brings.

The front seat throws no surprises, though, offering plenty of room for two adults with a welcome level of adjustability for the seat and wheel. The seats could be more comfortable, though, with a notable lack of padding in the base compared to some luxury (or even non-luxury) rivals. 

I’m a fan of the fabric trim which comes on both grades, bucking the trend of needing to have leather or leather-like trim for a car to feel ‘premium’.

The ample window space up front, including the massive glass roof helps the C40’s cabin feel spacious, but the view out the rear with its aggressive design is all but a very limited letterbox aspect, particularly if the rear seat headrests are in the upright position. 

While some controls are exclusively via touch interface, there is a physical volume dial, and shortcut buttons for the defogger functions. 

Temperature is controlled by touch, however, and the detail settings have some smaller toggle adjustments. Tricky to jab at when you’re on the move.

The digital dash is refreshingly simple, but minimally adjustable, with the choice of either a nifty navigation screen, a blank screen, or trip details being the only options.

Cabin storage is good but not stellar. There are bottle holders and big pockets in the doors, a set of two cupholders in the centre (beats the Polestar 2’s single cupholder), a small tray with a wireless charger under the multimedia screen, and a smallish console armrest box.

The rear seat is where the real problem exists. Unlike the XC40, the C40’s cropped roofline means my head was hard up against the roof (I’m 182cm tall). 

I did have decent knee room behind my own seating position, however the seat comfort in the back still isn’t as good as some rivals. 

The middle position is also compromised, thanks to the raised centre floor piece the C40’s platform needs to facilitate all-wheel drive in its combustion relations.

A bottle holder appears in each door pocket, and in a rare inclusion, there are heated outboard rear seats, adjustable air vents, and USB-C charging ports.

The boot has a quoted capacity of 413 litres with the rear seats up. The floor is comparatively high suggesting a smallish space when loaded with luggage cases, for instance. Stay tuned for a follow-up review so we can see how well it holds our three-piece demo set.

The floor itself has an adjustable, pop-up divider and multiple luggage hooks, making it quite versatile, and there is a cavity beneath which can hold your charging cables as well as the inflator kit in place of a spare wheel.

When it comes to electric vehicles, it’s impossible to consider price alone, as you also have to consider driving range, and the C40 manages to impress on both fronts.

Its refreshingly simplified range consists of just two highly-specified variants, a single motor which starts from $74,990, offering a 434km driving range, or a dual motor starting from $82,490 which offers a 420km driving range.

There’s much more devil in the detail, but to set the scene there are now quite a few direct rivals in this price-bracket, including everything from the Tesla Model Y (from $72,300), Mercedes-Benz EQA (from $78,513), Polestar 2 (from $63,900) and even the Kia Niro which is similarly sized and specified (from $65,300).

Interestingly, the C40 is closely related to the Polestar 2, but has a much higher base starting price. Volvo says this is because it carries a higher standard specification, and offers the C40 without option packs.

Standard gear on the base single motor C40 includes 19-inch alloy wheels, a 9.0-inch portrait multimedia touchscreen (running a Google-based always-online software suite), LED headlights, dual-zone climate control, a fixed panoramic sunroof, electrically adjustable front seats, heated seats for the front two and outboard rear seats, a powered tailgate, as well as keyless entry with touch-free ignition.

Interestingly, Volvo also told us some 90 per cent of customer interest so far has been for the more expensive dual-motor variant, which is particularly impressive for doubling the power output while adding 20-inch alloy wheels, a 360-degree parking suite, premium Harmon Kardon audio, and an alternate interior trim.

Both variants score safety equipment and items which are otherwise part of expensive option packs in the Polestar 2 range. We’ll take a look at the full safety gear later in this review.

Overall, the C40 impresses on the premium car value front compared to rivals, bolstered by solid range and impressive performance.

The eK X EV is powered by a single electric motor connected to the front wheels, and while all kei cars are limited by Japanese law to just 48kW, torque output has no such limitation.

Thanks to that loophole, and the generally torque-rich nature of an electric motor, the eK X EV produces peak torque of 195Nm, which is just 8.0Nm shy of the heavier petrol-powered Toyota Corolla.

A 20kWh lithium-ion battery pack supplies the motor with power, and is located under the vehicle’s floor. It’s a small battery, but it’s also a small car.

According to Mitsubishi, 20kWh is all most eK X EV drivers should need, but it’s about a third the size of typical EV’s battery these days.

Great news here, the C40 can be chosen with two powerful layouts, either a front-wheel drive 170kW/330Nm set-up, or a dual-motor all-wheel drive arrangement, able to make use of nearly double the power at 300kW/660Nm. The dual-motor is capable of sprinting from 0-100km/h in just 4.7 seconds.

The front-drive is backed by a 69kWh battery allowing it a 434km range, while the dual motor ups the battery size to 78kWh to allow a 420km driving range.

Our short (just under 30km) test drive was done entirely at urban speeds, with no significant highway component.

That plays into an electric car’s strengths, with minimal energy being used to fight aerodynamic and tyre drag, while the constant speeding up and slowing down for traffic and stop lights means a lot of energy gets put back into the battery via the regenerative braking system.

At the end of it, after using 23 percent of the battery (4.6kWh) to travel 28.3km, our average energy consumption measured in at 16.25kWh/100km, which is about par for a modern EV.

However, we were expecting a significantly lower result given the eK X EV weighs only 1080kg – half the weight of a Kia EV6 AWD. And Mitsubishi claims an average energy consumption of 12.4kWh/100km, with a city-only figure of just 10.0kWh/100km.

Couple that result with a 20kWh battery, and the eK X’s real-world range looks a lot more like 123km instead of the 180km WLTC Mitsubishi claims.

Granted, Tokyo traffic and streets aren’t a perfect analogue for Australian conditions, but there seems to be a big disconnect between the factory numbers and what we could achieve. Even for a city car, a circa-120km range may not be seen as sufficiently generous in Australia.

That said, there’s more than one way to deploy this car’s stored energy. You can use the eK X EV’s vehicle-to-load function to power household appliances through an adaptor, while another intriguing feature is the car’s Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) bi-directional charge capability.  

With V2H, a single connector can make the eK’s battery pack the source of power for an entire building. Useful in the event of a grid power outage, which is a real consideration for disaster-prone Japan.

As for regular charging, the eK X EV has a slightly oddball configuration. Open up the charge port flap on the driver-side flank and you’ll see an old-school Type 1 CCS connector positioned above a chunky CHAdeMO port.

While the latter is useful for bi-directional charging and has significant headroom for high-voltage fast charging, the Type 1 CCS port is probably less useful in Australia given most modern electric cars have moved to the more capable Type 2 CCS design.

If the eK X is to make any sense in Australia, that’s something that would likely need to be addressed along with its seemingly short legs.  

Surprisingly, energy consumption is quite high for both C40 variants. The single motor is the more efficient of the two, consuming 16.8kWh/100km on the more lenient ADR testing schedule, while the dual motor officially consumes 22.2kWh/100km to the same standard. I saw around 23kWh/100km overall in my short test of the dual-motor variant.

Energy consumption could be better for both, as I have achieved more consistently impressive results particularly from Hyundai and Kia electric cars.

Where the C40 is more impressive though is its charging specs, which are exactly where they need to be for a car this size. On a rapid DC charger, the C40 can charge at a rate of 150kW meaning a 10 - 80 percent charge in 40 minutes for the dual motor, or 32 minutes for the single motor.

On the slower AC standard, the C40 charges at a rate of 11kW. Expect a 10 - 80 percent charge time of around five or six hours on this standard. 

The C40 uses a European-standard Type 2 CCS charging port, although it misses out on the handy two-way charging feature offered by some rivals.

Kei cars are something of a unique experience to begin with, an electric one even more so. Besides those compact dimensions giving it the ultimate ability to cut through dense traffic, the addition of an electric powertrain endows it with the torque necessary to feel properly zippy around the city.

And by ‘zippy’, we’re not joking. With all of that torque being channelled through a pair of skinny eco tyres on the front axle, the eK X EV has little trouble squealing its tyres if you’ve got a heavy right foot.

It might be tiny but it moves with the feisty urgency of a Jack Russell, and thanks to its kerb weight of just over a tonne, it’s a nimble and light-footed thing.

It’s a shame the steering is so lifeless, though at least its fingertip-lightness makes easy work of lane changes, U-turns, and everything in-between.

There are three drive modes – 'Eco', 'Normal' and 'Sport', but they just change the throttle sensitivity and alter the strength of the regenerative braking.

Alongside this, a one-pedal accelerator model allows the bulk of speeding up and slowing down to be accomplished by modulating the throttle pedal, but you still need to move your foot to the brake in order to come to a complete halt.

We drove mainly in Normal mode without the one-pedal function activated, and the car felt smooth and easy-going.

Power delivery is linear, the regenerative braking feels natural, with no noticeable step between regen and mechanical braking, and there’s just a faint hum from the motor and inverter when power is being delivered or generated.

It’s difficult to form an opinion on the eK X EV’s suspension. Kei cars aren’t typically the best when it comes to ride comfort, handling, or any other discipline that requires suspension talent, but we can say that it was at least reasonably comfortable.

Take that assessment with a grain of salt, though. The perfectly-graded streets of central Tokyo are ultra-flattering to any car, and with little in the way of huge imperfections, weird camber or any other kind of challenging surface, we’d have to reserve suspension judgements until we can drive it on more varied roads.

That said, for its intended purpose of crushing short journeys through inner-city environments the eK X EV does a stellar job.

If you’ve driven any kind of XC40 or even a Polestar 2 before, the C40 will offer no surprises. It’s pretty much exactly the same from behind the wheel with a few subtle tweaks.

This is a very good thing. The C40 is quiet, easy to drive, and its electric motor and regen system offer a smooth single-pedal experience.

It is also alarmingly, overwhelmingly, rapid. While its massive set of batteries under the floor make it feel heavy off the line in stop-start traffic, sticking your boot into the accelerator will remove any doubt, particularly in the dual-motor variant, that this Volvo means business.

The dual-motor also has an incredible torque-vectoring system, making it extremely difficult to elicit so much as a squeak from its tyres. It also feels as though torque is distributed quite evenly between its two driven axles, making it feel neither prone to over- or understeer.

This has the effect of making the C40 feel somewhat indestructible in the corners, with absurd levels of grip. 

The same feeling is present in top-spec versions of the Polestar 2, only the feeling of ever-present weight is more noticeable in the higher-riding C40, which can make it unsettling to take corners at the kinds of speeds it is capable of.

The steering tune is interesting. Volvo offers two software-controlled modes, either heavy or standard, and the standard mode is heavy enough. 

Despite its electrical assistance, the wheel does continue to offer some organic feedback, making the C40 a pleasure to steer on countryside roads.

The ride is also surprisingly good, despite massive wheel options. I was impressed how easily the C40 handled most bumps and undulations, communicating little to the cabin. 

The ride can approach its limits with such big wheels and the weight of its batteries, generally these are communicated via unsettling thuds from underneath the car. Regular undulations at higher speeds also had the C40 bouncing around a little.

On the whole, though, the cabin is kept relatively insulated and serene, adding an element of total confidence, similar to that offered by Teslas, whilst offering better ride quality with a softer edge. At higher speed, at least on the 20-inch wheels, road noise does pick up, however.

In terms of electric driving, there is a single adjustable setting for regen. The car either offers a full single pedal mode with maximum regenerative braking to bring the car to a halt with the motor alone, or a ‘standard’ mode which tones the regen down and offers it blended in via the brake pedal. 

Single pedal mode is more efficient. I suggest you stick to it if you want to make the most of this car’s efficiency.

I was surprised to have so few complaints about the C40’s drive experience. This is a balanced and capable EV which is yet another example of how even vehicles which use combustion platforms are improved out of sight by full electrification.

Sticking to its brand promise, Volvo offers the full range of active safety equipment on the C40 regardless of variant.

This includes freeway-speed auto emergency braking, rear auto braking, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, and one of the best adaptive cruise control systems on the market.

The only item the single motor misses out on is a 360-degree parking camera, which is exclusive to the dual motor variant.

It is notable how the adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring rear cross-traffic alert, and rear auto braking are on the options list for the Polestar 2.

These active systems combined with eight airbags (the standard dual front, side, and curtain, as well as a driver’s knee and centre airbag) make for a five-star ANCAP safety rating to the latest 2022 standards.

The eK X EV is not yet offered in Australia, so at this point in time it’d be premature to put a number on ownership costs, maintenance, warranty coverage and things like that.

However, with a 20kWh battery it would cost somewhere between $4.20 and $7.00 for a full charge on household power depending on where you live and the kWh rate your energy provider charges you.

As always, those with solar generation and/or home battery storage could whittle those running costs down to practically nothing.

The C40 is covered by Volvo’s five year and unlimited kilometre warranty, with a separate eight-year, 160,000km warranty for the battery. There is also eight years of roadside assistance attached.

It is pleasing to see the service intervals for the C40 are long, as they should be for an electric car with so few moving parts, set at two years or 30,000km. 

The first 24 month service is free of charge, and Volvo tells us service pricing after this period will average out to around $100 a year ($200 per visit).