It was always Volvos, growing up. Whether I was hopping in the way back of my grandparent’s silver 900 series station wagon or behind the driver’s seat of my mother’s Volvo 850 GLTs sedan, the Swedish brand was that we stuck with because it’s what stayed on the road with little hassle, and kept us safe. Safety was always the thing.
In 2022, as I take the latest model of the Volvo XC40 Recharge out for a test drive, safety is still the thing, it seems. I just put that to the test a bit more than I expected.
I was driving the all-electric through the standard Dubai stop-and-start rush hour traffic that has returned so reliably post-pandemic, when I had that terrifying everyday moment most of us have experienced at one point or another. The car in front of me stopped short—just as I glanced down for a moment at the map, worried if I would make my appointment on time. I slammed down on the brakes, but my efforts were too late. The car—BOOM—had come to a complete and abrupt halt without me.
Convinced I had hit the car in front of me, my senses were on fire as the car started to drive forward. I looked down to assess the damage, and saw the Nissan Tiida had not but a scratch. Gobsmacked, I looked down at the screen in front of me, and saw a notification I had missed—’collision detected, prevention initiated’. The car had recognized an accident was about to occur, and stopped on its own before it could happen.
As the range of up-to-snuff EVs grows, and the name ‘Tesla’ rightfully gets pushed further down the list of cars worth buying, sorting out which one is right for you is getting harder. While the AED 450,000 price range offers some more enticing options, such as the Mercedes-Benz EQS and the Audi e-tron Sportback, we have yet to see a better option than the Volvo XC40 in the AED 250,000 range.
The 402-horsepower car offers not only a classically reliable Volvo experience from a driving perspective, with a practically-built infotainment system, its safety features are the selling point. It has even earned a ‘Top Safety Pick Plus’ from the American Insurance Institute for Highway Safety—the highest standard they offer. It also offers a range of 359 km per charge, putting it in competition with the e-tron and Jaguar’s I-Pace, and works with fast-charging terminals as well as home chargers.
For an everyday EV, by all means, take a good look at the Volvo XC40. Just don’t put it to the test like we did—especially if high blood pressure is an issue.
The Volvo XC40 Recharge 2022 starts at AED 240,000. Find more here.