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Volvo’s brand renaissance is a gift that keeps on giving.
The Swede alternative to more mainstream European premium players needs to keep offering something different to survive and has thus far found success in giving buyers design-focused alternatives to the strong performance lineage of its predominantly German rivals.
Like its rivals, though, Volvo is facing a once-in-a-generation conversion from combustion to electrification, and thanks to its Chinese parent company, Geely, it is uniquely positioned to rapidly make the switch.
Despite that, we're only just seeing the brand’s first purely electric model, the XC40 Recharge. Does it have what it takes to edge in front of rivals for the electric era? We took one for a week to find out.
For the past four years the Kia Sorento has been a top pick among motoring journalists in Australia, and it’s found favour with people looking for a stylish, practical family SUV.
That’s if you can get your hands on one. The past few years of pandemic-related chaos meant buyers were waiting up to a year for a high-spec Sorento. Kia reckons that will change with the 2024 model.
That’s right, it’s now time for the obligatory mid-life facelift, and this time around the Sorento gets some big and not so big changes.
The biggest changes are exterior design and interior tech upgrades. The Sorento now looks a lot like the EV9 that just launched late in 2023 - and that’s not a bad thing.
Inside the dash has been significantly rejigged with the latest multimedia and a few other helpful changes.
Aside from some tweaks to help improve ride and handling, there are no other changes under the skin.
In such a rapidly evolving electric car space, the XC40 Recharge definitely finds its place. To me, this is a more appealing offering than something like the similarly equipped and priced Mercedes-Benz EQA, with the Recharge feeling particularly coherent for an EV on a combustion platform.
With the healthy range, easy-to-use tech, and impressive performance on offer, I can see how the sums might add up against its less-premium long-range rivals, especially since the price is not so much higher that it might rule it out for first-time adopters.
However, it would be nice to see a trimmed back version in the future with a more efficient 2WD drivetrain and smaller battery option to put price pressure on rivals, particularly the likes of the also design led and much larger Hyundai Ioniq 5. Until then, you can always wait for the similar Polestar 2, which brings much of the same in an interesting package, arriving early in 2022.
With the Mazda CX-8 and CX-9 gone, the Sorento should get a bit more attention from buyers looking for a refined, but affordable seven-seat family-friendly SUV.
It might be missing some features in lower grades, and it lacks curtain airbags in the third row, but this facelift has only improved what was already one of the best models in its class.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.
It’s been a while since I’ve driven an XC40, and although this car launched back in 2018, it is ageing very well. The exterior is still as sleek as ever, having been slightly and tastefully tweaked for this fully electric version, and the interior remains, in my opinion, one of the best examples of design in the entire small SUV market.
Starting from the outside, though, one thing I’ve always liked about Volvo’s current design ethos is how it doesn’t try to scream about its alleged performance or how prepared for the future is. It’s quiet, elegant, and understated, with confident lines, gentle but meaningful highlights, tasteful wheel designs, and sturdy proportions.
Yet none of this makes the XC40 anonymous; it’s still striking to appreciate, set well apart from the designs of other brands. It slots seamlessly into Volvo’s very attractive line-up of SUVs, and I dare say it will continue to look good for years to come.
The car’s interior only builds on this theme, with an attractive and well-proportioned dash design, premium-feeling materials throughout, and heavy digitisation via the portrait media screen and digital dash cluster.
The seat designs continue the comfortable and attractive motifs of Volvos past, while the newer design elements - like the carpet lining in the doors (constructed of recycled plastics, no less) and the ‘cutting edge’ pattern that makes up the highlight cutaways - set it apart from rivals.
The abundance of piano-black gloss highlight panelwork looks classy, but you should keep in mind how easy it is for materials like this to get covered in fingerprints. Dust and scratches always stand out, too.
Regardless, the interior has a sense of balance and flow that mirrors this car’s exterior, and the commitment to a cohesive feel for the interior and exterior is to be applauded.
The only thing I will note is how the portrait touchscreen has dated. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still an excellent design element, but at 9.0-inches it doesn’t feel as striking as it did just a few years ago, now that many vehicles are offering massive 10 or even 12-inch multimedia panels.
The fourth-generation Sorento debuted in 2020 and I think that version is still handsome.
It’s definitely a style leader compared with its more staid rivals.
The facelift ushers in Kia’s latest design theme already seen on the striking EV9. It gets a new face with stacked LED headlights with slimline DRLs, redesigned bumpers front and rear, and tweaked tail-lights.
Inside, the redesigned dash brings the Sorento right up to date with the EV9 and gives it a much more modern vibe. It features twin integrated, curved screens and the instrument cowl has been dropped.
The Sorento also features the latest multimedia system, a redesigned centre console featuring a shift-by-wire dial instead of the old shifter, and new slimline central air vents with a digital climate display on most grades.
It’s not a wholesale interior change but the updates are significant and have helped modernise the Sorento.
The XC40 is in a bit of a Goldilocks-zone when it comes to the size of a ‘small-SUV’ (which, unlike the mid-size hatch segment, is not very well defined). This grants it a healthy amount of cabin space for four adult occupants, as I can fit myself with comfortable knee room and plenty of headroom behind my own driving position, despite a seemingly taller floor.
The seats are comfortable regardless of where you sit, and there are big bottle holders in the door and two stepped ones in the centre console. There’s a wireless phone-charging bay under the multimedia unit, with some extra space for objects, and a decently sized armrest console box, with an odd little removable box.
The cool carpet trim continues to line the bottom of the bottle holder in the door. Don’t spill anything there. It will be a nightmare to get out.
Adjustability and visibility is excellent for the front passengers, too, and although the climate functions and most of the multimedia system has moved to touch functions, I’ll hand it to the layout of this Volvo’s touchscreen for being one of the easiest on the market to use.
Boot space is down a little on combustion variants at 418-litres (VDA), and the Recharge makes up for it by swapping an otherwise busy engine bay out for a frunk, which not every combustion-platformed electric car manages. It measures in at 31L. There is even some underfloor space in the boot for your charging paraphernalia, although you only get a tyre-repair kit rather than a space-saver spare wheel for emergencies.
Aside from the dash, console and tech updates, the Sorento cabin is just as practical as it was before the facelift.
That means decent space across the front row, with comfortable seats on all grades. The lower grades get cloth, while the Sport+ gets leather-appointed upholstery and the GT-Line features the lovely quilted Nappa leather.
We only drove the Sport+ and GT-Line grades at the launch, but seats in both are well bolstered and comfortable.
Storage-wise, the glovebox is small but it makes up for it with a sizeable central bin. Note that large bottle may not fit in the door cavity, but smaller bottles will be fine. There are plenty of nooks in the console to store and hide smaller items, too.
The steering wheel looks and feels nice and those controls are easy to read.
The updated multimedia setup is very modern and while it may take some familiarisation, the menu is logically structured and you can swipe between screens. In the GT-Line, the fully digital instrument display is customisable.
Kia has added a couple of cool features to the facelift. While the base S gets manual air conditioning, all other grades have dual-zone digital controls in the redesigned centre stack. This display doubles as menu buttons for the multimedia, so you can just toggle between the air-con and multimedia controls with the tap of a button. Clever.
The other new feature I am a fan of is a quick link of sorts to the vehicle settings. So the pre-update model - and many other Kia and Hyundai models including Seltos and Palisade - there is an audible speed limit alert function that, annoyingly, activates if you’re just one or two kilometres over the limit. It does this using the speed limit detection, which is not always accurate.
I have written about this before because the system is more distracting to the driver and should just be a visual warning, not visual AND audio. Read about it here.
Anyway, to turn the system off you previously had to dig into the multimedia menu to find the vehicle settings and then dig further to turn it off. And if you’re like me, you’d turn it off every time you get in the car. It was about five or six steps to do this.
Now there is a handy little star button on the steering wheel that directs you to the driver assist section of the vehicle settings and you can switch it off much faster. Thank you for listening, Kia.
The Kia’s second row has sliding and reclining 60/40 split fold seats, and while the pew is on the firm side, it’s not uncomfortable. Amenities include an armrest with cupholders, USB-C ports housed on the front seat backs, a 12-volt outlet, map pockets, more cupholders in the door-mounted armrest and room for small bottles in the doors.
To access the third row, just tap the button on the side of the outboard seats and it will fold automatically. Thankfully you don’t need to fold yourself in half to get into the third row.
Once back there, space is tight for a lanky six-foot-one man like me, but it will be fine for kids on occasional trips. They have access to a phone holder, cup holder, USB-C ports, a 12-volt port, air vents on both sides and rear air-con controls on the driver's side.
I have previously sat in the third row of both the Sorento and the Toyota Kluger, and found the Kia had more amenities, and was a much nicer space than the Kluger.
Open the power tailgate and you’ll find a decent amount of space. With 179 litres (all seats in place), 608L (third row stowed) and 1996L (both rear rows stowed), the Sorento has less space than the Kluger with all seats up, but the Sorento beats it when you drop that rear row.
Also, the second and third row fold flat, which is very handy for loading in big items.
The Sorento has a full-size alloy spare wheel across all petrol and diesel grades.
There’s no question Volvo is continuing to present as a premium brand with this first electric offering. Despite dabbling its toes in the mainstream market in the past, the Swedish brand is only offering a fully bells-and-whistles approach to the XC40 this time around.
Wearing an MSRP of $76,990, the XC40 Recharge looks to specifically cross swords with the Mercedes-Benz EQA 250 ($76,800), but in reality, its rivals also include the Tesla Model 3 (Long Range $73,400), and all-new and much larger Hyundai Ioniq 5 (AWD - $75,900), both of which have big appeal to early EV adopters who may or may not be so fussy about brand.
This is interesting, because Volvo’s all-electric sister brand Polestar, which just launched in Australia, is offering its first car, the Polestar 2, with a far leaner price. This is clearly designed to take sales from not only its existentially threatening Tesla rival, but also mainstream players, like Nissan, with Polestar's base pricing set at $59,900.
It shares the same platform and much of the same technology as our XC40 Recharge , so if you’re turned off by this bells-and-whistles top-spec-only approach from Volvo, waiting a little longer will give you an intriguing and more affordable alternative.
Returning to the standard spec of the XC40 Recharge; it only comes with a single, large 78kWh battery pack and a dual-motor all-wheel drive system, offering twice the power of its nearest combustion version, a range between charges of 418km, 20-inch alloy wheels, a 9.0-inch portrait multimedia screen, dual-zone climate control, a panoramic opening sunroof, power adjustable front seats with memory, leather-accented interior trim, heated front seats with a heated steering wheel, ‘R-Design’ interior and exterior design highlights, ‘Thor’s Hammer’ LED headlights with cornering function, a Harmon Kardon audio system, 360-degree parking camera suite, tinted rear windows, and the full safety suite.
To clear things up, this means everything that can possibly be fitted in the XC40 range is standard on the Recharge electric version. You can even choose any of the eight exterior paint options at no extra cost.
Added to the standard equipment is a new version of the brand’s Android-based operating system, with an integrated SIM card and fully online Google services.
Not having any options helps this car regain some of the $10k price difference between it and the next model down (the PHEV version), but perhaps less on the $20k price difference between it and the conventionally powered T5 R-Design that sits below that.
Like the Mercedes-Benz EQA, it may also be a bit of a tall order for an EV which is naturally a bit compromised by sharing its platform with a combustion car. That might be enough for true EV enthusiasts to look right past this small SUV and onto the Tesla Model 3 or Hyundai Ioniq 5.
For the moment, only the 3.5-litre petrol V6 and 2.2-litre turbo diesel grades are on sale. The hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants are coming, but not until the second quarter of the year, according to Kia.
Kia has carried over the same model grades as before, meaning you can get the petrol and diesel in S, Sport, Sport+ and GT-Line guise.
Unsurprisingly, Kia has upped pricing across the range for the updated Sorento, and it’s increased by about $3000 and $3500, depending on the grade.
Pricing starts at $50,680 before on-road costs for the entry-level front-wheel-drive petrol S, and it tops out at $68,590 for the GT-Line all-wheel-drive diesel. A diesel is $3000 more expensive than its petrol equivalent. Pricing has not been confirmed for the hybrids yet.
The Sorento has fewer direct seven-seat monocoque SUV rivals since Mazda dropped the popular CX-9 and CX-8 from its line-up last year, so the main two competitors are the Toyota Kluger and the related Hyundai Santa Fe.
The updated Sorento is now pricier than the Hyundai - although a new-gen Santa Fe is coming before mid-year - and on par with some of the Kluger grades.
New Sorento features include over-the-air updates for sat nav maps and more, Kia Connect which uses an app that allows you to remotely start, lock or unlock the car, as well as perform a number of other tasks, new driver assistance features and a pair of new colours - Volcanic Sand Brown and Cityscape Green.
From the base grade up standard gear in the Sorento includes 17-inch alloy wheels, a 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen, digital radio, USB ports, a seven-speaker audio system and, finally, it gets wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto across the range. The fleet-friendly base grade also now gets a push-button start, so no more using a key to start it.
Naturally, each grade adds more and more features, and the GT-Line gets the most gear. It features a heated steering wheel, quilted Nappa leather-appointed seats, mood lighting, heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear outboard seats, head-up display, premium sound system, sun shades, wireless charger and a digital rearview mirror.
The base grade could do with more gear as the features list feels quite stripped out, but overall the Sorento offers solid value for money.
The XC40 Recharge is ridiculously powerful for its size class. It’s nearly twice as powerful as the nearest combustion version of this car and packs a Tesla-rattling punch from its dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setup.
It’s always nice to see something with more power than it needs, especially with all the added weight of its massive 78kWh battery pack.
On offer are two motors offering 150kW/330Nm each, combining for a total of 300kW/660Nm. The XC40 Recharge will accelerate from 0-100km/h in just 4.9 seconds and has a single-speed reduction gear transmission.
While having the full-fat performance and security of all-wheel drive helps justify the cost of this SUV, it has drawbacks when it comes to efficiency, which we’ll explore next.
Until the hybrid grades arrive, the Sorento carries over its petrol and diesel engines.
That means a 3.5-litre V6 pumping out 200 kilowatts of power and 332 Newton metres of torque. This powertrain drives the front wheels only via an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The other option for now is Kia’s 2.2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine delivering 148kW/440Nm, and this is the punchier powertrain. The diesel is all-wheel drive and uses an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Kia has made no changes to the engines for this facelift, but meaningful changes have been made by Kia’s local tuning program to improve ride and handling.
Powering the XC40 is a 78kWh battery pack, which grants this all-wheel drive an officially rated 418km of driving range. This is more than enough for an EV, although this car’s sister product, the Polestar 2, uses the same motors in 2WD with significantly more range from the same battery.
The XC40’s consumption is higher than I would like, with an official/combined consumption figure of 25.5kWh/100km. For a bit of perspective, most EVs this size will get under 20, with the best I’ve ever seen being the FWD Kona electric, which scored just 11kWh/100km.
In my testing of the XC40, consisting of mainly urban driving (where EVs are at their best, courtesy of their use of regenerative braking) I scored 21.3kWh/100km. Better than the official claim by quite a bit.
The XC40 Recharge has a European-standard Type 2 CCS charging port, and can charge at a maximum rate of 150kW on DC, or 11kW on AC.
At maximum DC-charging speed, you can expect a 10-80 per cent charge in around 40 minutes, while at the more common 50kW DC charging locations, you can expect a charge in just over an hour. At maximum AC speed, 11kW at a home or car park AC location, you can expect a full charge in around eight hours, and a wall socket will charge the car from empty to 100 per cent in around 33 hours.
Charging specs are bang-on for a car in this class, as 22kW AC charging is extremely rare, while a DC-charging rate higher than 150kW generally requires more elaborate and expensive cooling systems.
The V6 petrol Sorento is thirsty, consuming an average of 9.8 litres per 100 kilometres on the combined cycle - a fair bit more than the Kluger four-cylinder petrol’s 8.5L figure.
The diesel sips 6.0L/100km, making it the efficiency winner - at least until those hybrids arrive.
For a car that shares its underpinnings with a combustion vehicle, there are a lot of little things the XC40 does right which its rivals don’t. It starts as soon as you hop in. Like Teslas, Volvo has quite correctly removed the need for an ignition, you just hop in, put the car in drive, and you’re ready to go. This combines with four-door keyless entry for a great first impression.
The Google integrated services are all sleek too, not really requiring phone mirroring, again in a similar fashion to the Tesla model 3. Just chuck your phone in the charging bay, and you’re good to go with a Bluetooth connection.
The software suite has also improved out of sight, and while I’m never a fan of 90 per cent of a vehicle's functions being moved onto a screen, at least this Volvo does a great job of making all the climate settings easy to use with the portrait layout. As is inputting an address, should you need to use the navigation.
The driving position is immediately excellent, offering a superior view of the road from such a relatively small vehicle, with a high but not unsettling seating arrangement. Take off is nice and smooth with both axles providing power, and the XC40 Recharge has a single, aggressive regenerative-braking system, which can be entirely switched off if need be. The regen system is similar to the one in my Nissan Leaf long termer and is generally lovely to use.
The steering is generally nice and smooth and lending this little SUV some meaningful feedback, although it is a little overly electrically assisted for more spirited cornering, removing some of the feel from the front wheels at the extremes.
The ride is also firm, something the XC40 range is known for, especially compared to the softer ride of other Volvo models. This isn’t helped by this car’s weight. While things are generally very well controlled, road conditions like corrugations and sharp imperfections can really find their way into the cabin in the worst possible way. That having been said, undulations and bodyroll are kept remarkably under control, and traction from the all-wheel-drive system is also Tesla-like in its grip.
The cabin is very quiet around town, leading to a sense of security and comfort, but I was a little disappointed to find tyre roar really picks up at freeway speeds, perhaps courtesy of the large wheels and burdened dampers.
On a final note, for a car with such a quiet demeanour, the straight-line performance is ridiculous. Press the accelerator down and this car will seriously throw you into the back of your seat, reminding you of the huge potential of its electric motors. Suddenly the sub-five-second 0-100km/h sprint time becomes visceral.
Ultimately, this is a little SUV that has only been improved by electrification from behind the wheel, bringing some of that Tesla-like convenience and performance to a car which you might not expect to have such virtues. It could use a little sandpapering in a few areas, but it’s impressive for something that isn’t on a bespoke electric platform.
Another area that, arguably, the Sorento didn’t require much improvement is how it drives. And while Kia has made no changes to the powertrains, the company’s local tuning arm has waved its magic wand and made tweaks to the suspension and dampers in a bid to improve ride and handling.
And ride is something the Sorento excels at. Without doing a back-to-back test with the pre-update model, it’s hard to know how different the ride quality is. But on the drive route from Melbourne up through the Yarra Valley, the Sorento GT-Line - with 20-inch wheels - glided over some huge potholes, and maintained composure on rough, uneven roads.
The Sport+ petrol 2WD coped well on an unintentional detour up through an unsealed mountain pass, although it lost traction briefly once in very wet and slippery conditions.
Similarly, the GT-Line AWD diesel’s ride is hard to fault.
According to Kia, the changes under the skin have helped reduce body roll, and there was very little role, even when darting through the very twisty Chum Creek road.
While the V6 is responsive and powerful, it is noisier than the diesel which was so smooth and quiet I had to check that it was, indeed, the diesel that I was driving. The oil burner is also quick off the mark with little to no turbo lag.
Without having driven the update hybrid and plug-in hybrid, the diesel Sorento is definitely the pick over the V6 petrol.
On the road, the cabins of both engine grades are well insulated from outside noise. This helps give the Sorento a more premium vibe than its direct rivals.
Like the rest of the XC40 range, the Recharge EV comes with the full suite of safety features. This also helps set it apart from its more affordable Polestar 2 cousin, which has some key items as options.
Standard active stuff includes freeway-speed auto emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane-keep assist with lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alert, rear auto braking, adaptive cruise control, and a 360-degree parking suite.
A few small items that are oddly missing for a brand so associated with safety include any form of driver-fatigue monitoring, and other more cutting-edge items like safe exit warning offered on some rivals.
Regardless, the XC40 also packs a suite of seven airbags, and the expected dual ISOFIX child-seat mounting points on the outer rear seats. The XC40 range has carried a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating since 2018, and this rating was recently approved by ANCAP to extend to this Recharge electric version.
The facelifted 2024 Sorento carries over the five-star ANCAP crash safety rating it was awarded in 2020.
The update ushers in new safety tech, specifically Highway Driving Assist in all grades except the base S. It essentially combines the adaptive cruise with stop and go and lane-following assist for freeway driving only.
Note that the curtain airbags do not stretch to cover the third seating row but the Sorento does have a front centre airbag.
Generally the Sorento has a solid standard safety features list on all grades and it includes a safe exit warning, auto emergency braking with a forward collision warning and vehicle, pedestrian, cyclist and junction detection, lane-keep assist, lane-follow assist, blind-spot collision assist, adaptive cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert, a driver attention alert and a rear occupant alert.
Volvo models are covered by a five-year and unlimited-kilometre factory warranty, which is ahead of many rivals (like Audi and BMW) in the premium space. The high-voltage battery components are covered for the industry standard eight years and unlimited kilometres.
Volvo says the electric motors in the XC40 are ‘sealed for life’ and have no serviceable components, although other fluids, brakes, and minor serviceable items need to be attended to. The XC40 is covered by a service program that lasts for the first three years or 100,000km, normally at a cost of $1500, which is included in the purchase price for the Recharge.
A five-year service plan (which normally comes at a cost of $2500 for combustion variants) will also extend to the Recharge, although pricing has not yet been announced. With less to look after, the XC40 Recharge only needs to visit a service tech once every 30,000km or 24 months.
Kia has led the market for some time when it comes to its ownership offer, with its highly regarded seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.
The servicing schedule for the petrol and diesel models is every 12 months or 15,000 kilometres, whichever comes first, and that’s about standard for the segment.
It also comes with capped-price servicing for seven years. The price ranges from $370 to $817 per service for the diesel and $370 to $763 for the petrol. The average cost over that seven years is $540 for the diesel and $534 for the petrol.