Video: Volvo XC40: First Impressions

The XC40 looks like a truncated XC60 with lots of traditional Volvo cues now. The automaker's vertical grille here with lots of slats going up and down, Thor's hammer headlights. You get around the side. Certainly the most defining aspect has to be those C pillars. The beltline, it kinda sweeps up, kicks into them. They're big and bold. They definitely define the profile of this vehicle. Now the XC40 is an entry-level SUV so you'd expect materials to take a little bit of a decline versus the XC60 and XC90 and that is true once you get below kinda arm and elbow level, but Volvo still hides most of that pretty well with some nice, interesting textures especially around eye level and lots of technology. There's a nine inch, give or take, touchscreen here in the center with most controls on it. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will be standard, Volvo says, and lots and lots of practicality inside this interior of this car here at the auto show. Nice to see from a luxury brand. There's a big bin here with wireless phone charging here ahead of the cup holders. There's a little bin kinda wedged between the cup holders and the big bin. There's even an in-car trash basket right here, wastebasket that is removable. You can kinda throw trash in here and the cover flips shut if you need to empty it. The top comes off so you can do that as well. There's even what Volvo's calling kind of a take-out bag holder. It flips down here from the glove compartment, allows you to hang bags there from your favorite restaurant, I guess. Big door pockets and let's check out the cargo area real quick, too. The utility certainly doesn't end up front. The 60/40 split folding rear seat has a standard center pass through here available. A release is here to electronically kinda send the seats, which are spring loaded, down for you from the cargo area. There's also this dual floor here. You get a little more storage underneath and you're perfect for actually storing the cargo cover, Volvo says. Check this out. When you bring it up top, these protrusions here double as grocery bag hooks. Now the XC40 hits dealerships in spring of 2018, starting at around $36,000 and that'll get you an all-wheel drive T5 version with about 250 horsepower. Now, come summer, a 185 horsepower T4 version with front-wheel drive will also be available for a price of around $34,000. Definitely in the thick of subcompact and compact SUV's from luxury brands. So plenty to hear of from Volvo once those go on sale.