Volvo EC40

The Volvo EC40 continues to share its minimalist with premium and tech-laden interior with the XC40 Recharge. Featuring an all-black theme with charcoal-themed interior inserts and headliner, the cabin of the EC40 has silver accents and topography décor for the dashboard, sport textile mats and connected suede textile with Microtech upholstery for the seats and door trims.

Taking the centre stage of the cabin of the Volvo EC40 is a 9-inch portrait-style touchscreen infotainment system. The three-spoke multi-functional steering wheel, behind which sits a 12-inch full-TFT driver information display, has satin chrome accents, while the infotainment screen gets features like Google Assistant and Apple CarPlay. 

The centrally-placed touchscreen of the Volvo EC40 also serves as an interface for the controls of the premium Harman Kardon audio system and dual-zone automatic climate control with CleanZone. The additional features for the occupants in the EC40 include powered front seats with memory function for the driver’s seat, wireless phone charging, rear AC vents, aluminium pedals for the driver and a panoramic sunroof.

The Volvo EC40 has taken off from the very spot where its predecessor, the C40 Recharge, ended its journey. Featuring mild tweaks over the C40 Recharge, the new Volvo EC40 is essentially a coupe derivative of the XC40 Recharge, with a dramatically sloping roofline that makes it look very dynamic. 

The front profile of the Volvo EC40 has a tweaked body-coloured covered ‘grille’ with tapered lower edges and mildly redesigned triangular all-LED headlamps that feature Thor’s hammer-shaped daytime running LEDs. The front bumper of the EC40 retains the T-shaped housings for the LED fog lamps from its older version. The Volvo EC40 shares its front fenders, front door panels and 19-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels with the XC40 Recharge. However, it is the design post the B-pillar that makes the EC40 a new model. 

With a coupe-inspired roofline towards the rear, the Volvo EC40 also has a steeply-raked windscreen with a roof-mounted spoiler featuring scoops on the sides and an additional boot-mounted spoiler below the windscreen. The EC40 has a cleaner-looking boot lid with sharp-looking vertically aligned wraparound LED tail lamps with C-shaped lights in the lower half on the sides.

The Volvo EC40 shares its suspension combination – Macpherson struts with coil springs and anti-roll bar at the front and a multilink setup with coil springs and anti-roll bar at the rear – with the Volvo XC40 Recharge mild-hybrid SUV. Delivering a comfortable ride quality, the Volvo EC40’s driving dynamics are further enhanced by the three drive modes on offer – Passive, Comfort and Drive. 

The Volvo EC40 sold in Malaysia is the Twin Motor variant, which is powered by a dual-motor setup, giving it an all-wheel drive configuration. This dual-motor setup of EC40 claims 408 PS of maximum power and 670 Nm of maximum torque. Claiming a top speed of 180 kmph, the Volvo EC40 takes 4.7 seconds for the 0-100 kmph run. The 82kWh battery pack offered in the EC40 as standard gives it a range of up to 554 km. 

The Volvo EC40 comes packed with several advanced driving aids like lane keeping aid, adaptive cruise control, rain-sensing wipers, pilot assist, 360-degree parking camera, blind spot monitoring system, front and rear park assist, oncoming lane mitigation, tyre pressure monitoring system and cross-traffic alert and rear collision warning. This electric SUV-coupe from Volvo also has front, side, curtain and driver knee airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, vehicle stability control, ISOFIX mounts for child seats, hill hold assist and hill descent control.

With the upgrade of name, styling and equipment it received in 2024, the Volvo EC40 has become a more dynamic offering than the C40 Recharge it was called before. While the powertrain of the EC40 makes it one of the most powerful compact electric SUVs on sale, the tech on offer is simply mind-blowing.