In 2004, the Mountain Goats released the album We Shall All Be Healed, and with it the track Letter from Belgium. Its first two lines proclaim:
Martin calls to say he’s sending old electrical equipment
That’s good, we can always use some more electrical equipment
Later this week, I’ll be writing all of you my own Letter from Belgium, about a brand-new piece of particularly interesting electrical equipment. Volvo has invited me out to Brussels and Ghent to try out the upcoming C40 Recharge crossover, and give you all my thoughts on the all-electric family car.
The C40 Recharge’s specs match that of its square-roofed brother, the XC40 Recharge: 402 horsepower, 486 lb-ft of torque, and all-wheel-drive standard. The C40 is estimated at “200+” miles of range, while the XC40 has an EPA-rates 223. It’s possible that sloped roof will improve aerodynamics and eke out a bit more range, but we’ll have to wait for the test cycles to know for sure.
The XC40 Recharge isn’t the only thing to cross-shop the C40 Recharge with, however. It’s smaller than the Tesla Model Y and the Ford Mustang Mach-E, but not so much smaller as to turn off buyers of the other two. The C40 Recharge has more power and torque than all but the top performance trims of its competitors, but seems to lose out in cargo space to both.
The C40 Recharge starts at $58,750 — higher than the XC40 Recharge, the Model Y Long Range, and the base Mustang Mach-E. It might be only available online, but Volvo’s website only says that “More details on ownership options will become available at a later time.”
I’ll only have a couple of chances to drive the C40 while in Belgium, so a report back will focus more on first impressions than long-term use. If any questions are eating away at your curiosity, leave a comment — I’ll try and get you an answer.