Volvo launches direct onslaught on Mercedes A Class

We reported in detail when Volvo India launched the much discussed V40 Cross Country in India. The new Volvo V40 Cross Country India spec model comes to us with all the bells and whistles and comes across as a Mercedes A Class adversary.

Now, in the latest promotional campaign for the V40, Volvo has become pretty vocal about targeting the German competition. As a part of its latest promotional campaign, Volvo is offering to reimburse all A Class diesel buyers, who test drove the V40 before putting their money down on the A Class, with the amount the A Class buyers will pay for the German car’s first EMI. This campaign alone shows the confidence that Volvo has in its latest offering.

The new Volvo V40 Cross Country has been priced in India at INR 28.5 lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi), which makes it considerably more expensive than the A180 CDI. However, the V40 is significantly more powerful than the entry level car in Mercedes India’s line up. The V40 also comes with a gamut of features that are missing on the A Class. It isn’t yet known if this offer is valid in India. 

Powering the new Volvo V40 Cross Country is a 2.0 litre five cylinder diesel engine that has a max power output of 150bhp and a peak torque figure of 350 Nm. The engine comes mated to a 6 speed automatic transmission. In comparison, the A Class diesel gets a four cylinder 2.0 litre turbo diesel engine that has lesser power output of 108bhp.

Very much like almost all the Volvo cars to have ever kissed the tarmac, the V40 comes “over-loaded” with safety features. Chief safety features among the long list are-

• SIPS airbags
• Knee airbags
• Inflatable curtain airbags
• Start-stop technology
• Front seats with whiplash protection among a gazillion other features.

The car also benefits from premium features such as-

• Panoramic sunroof
• Clean air filter technology for the HVAC
• Cruise control
• Leather upholstery
• Heated and power front seats with memory settings for the driver
• Rear parking camera and front and rear parking sensors.

The new V40’s digital instrument cluster has an 8-inch TFT display that has three modes – Elegance, Eco and Performance. In the Elegance mode, the TFT display shows a simple layout with the speed needle being the highlight. The Eco Mode is pretty similar to the Elegance mode but also has real time fuel consumption and average fuel consumption displays. The Performance Mode shifts its focus to the tachometer from the speedometer and also shows the power in use and the power reserve.

What will be interesting to see is if this aggressive promotional campaign would prevent luxury hatchback buyers from choosing the A Class over the V40.