Volvo India launched the much publicized V40 Cross Country in Pune on Saturday. The new Volvo V40 Cross Country wis a Mercedes A Class and the upcoming BMW 1 Series adversary. However, the Cross Country, which is little bigger than the A Class, will also battle it out against the BMW X1 and the Audi Q3.
The new Volvo V40 Cross Country has been priced at INR 28.5 lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi) and goes on sale in only one variant, which comes filled to the brim with features and equipment.
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.
Powering the new Volvo V40 Cross Country is a 2.0 litre five cylinder D3 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. The car is capable of hitting the 100kmph figure from standstill in 9.3 seconds and has a claimed fuel economy of 16.8 kmpl.
At the launch of the car in Pune, Tomas Ernberg, Managing Director, Volvo Auto India said, “The Volvo V40 has received the top rating of five stars in the Euro NCAP collision test. The overall result is the best ever recorded by the institute. Volvo V40 Cross Country which is a variant of the V40 represents a model which is Premium in Design, Features, Technology and Safety. We offer a complete package with no hidden costs. The V40 Cross Country is an excellent example
of how Volvo is taking Safety into the future. We believe that the most premium thing in life is life itself. With TFT instrumentation clusters (no needles); integrated panoramic glass roof and a host of other features as standard, it redefines the compact luxury offering. It is miles ahead of
the competition when it comes to intelligent accident prevention and mitigation. The car will bring in new impetus to our growth strategy in
India.”
Sudeep Narayan, Marketing & PR Director, Volvo Auto India said, “The V40 Cross Country will attract the new generation of young upmarket Luxury Car buyers in India primarily because it offers high-end technology, driveability, safety and features parallel to none in this price bracket. The car promises to bring alive the ‘Adventurer in you’ by appealing ‘To your other side’.”
The V40 seems to be a really well sorted out car at a really attractive price point and we won’t be too surprised to see it giving a run for money to the mighty Germans.