Today's Volvos bear no resemblance to the Volvos of my youth
If you read this space on a regular basis, you may have noticed that I tend to complain about interior controls and layout on “today’s” cars … a lot. Seems to me manufacturers are focusing too much on gimmickry and glitz and less on functionality and user-friendliness. Some cars – no matter how often I…
But it needs improvements to its information system
The 2022 Volvo XC60 is a mid-size, five-seater SUV powered by what’s called a “mild” hybrid system featuring a 48-volt battery to help improve fuel economy. It’s Volvo’s best-selling model, with annual sales in Canada close to the 2,000 unit mark. This test vehicle had a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine producing a 310 hp engine mated…
Acceleration is adequate but not outstanding
The Volvo XC 90 shows that a large sport utility vehicle can be luxurious and get good fuel economy. This Recharge T8 AWD Extended Range model has a 2.0 litre supercharged and turbocharged engine and an electric motor, producing 455 combined horsepower. It’s all-wheel drive and has an eight-speed transmission. It’s rated at 9.2 litres…
Volvo has a lot riding on the C40 as it begins the transition to offering only fully electric vehicles by 2030
Volvo’s first pure electric crossover is the Volvo C40 Recharge P8 AWD. Although it’s a new model, the C40 shares many components with the boxier XC40 Recharge all-electric model. There are two main differences. First, the C40 is electric only, while the XC40 is available with either a gas engine or an all-electric powertrain. Also,…
The XC40 Recharge is my favourite electric car. It’s easy to get along with and goes like a bat out of hell
We all know that electric cars are pollution-free, efficient, thrifty, ecologically sound and cheap to operate. But they can also be surprisingly fast. A video is making the rounds on YouTube and Facebook that shows a Tesla Model S going up against Corvettes, Vipers, Ferraris, etc., at a quarter-mile dragstrip – and leaving them all…
Give it a pass
I’ve driven – conservatively – at least 3,000 different vehicles in my 40-year career as an automotive writer. You name it, I’ve probably driven it: high-end sports cars, luxury sedans, wild and woolly four-by-fours, motorcycles, formula race cars, big rigs, forklifts, race-prepared rally cars, vintage saloons, hot rods, one-off prototypes, experimental alternate fuel cars, one-off…