I drove the electric Volvo XC40 P8 Recharge – This is what it’s like

I recently got the chance to spend 30 minutes behind the wheel of the new Volvo XC40 P8 Recharge.

The compact electric SUV is well-equipped, blazingly fast, and attractive from every angle.

The catch? It costs R1.2 million – and even if you can afford it, it’s currently sold out.

Volvo said the first 15 units allocated to South Africa sold out in four days, while most customers who put in an order after that have to wait until at least June 2022 to receive their cars.

The P8 forms part of Volvo’s wider push for electrification in the country and is now joined by the plug-in hybrid XC60 T8 Recharge and XC90 T8 Recharge.

The drive

The Volvo XC40 P8 Recharge is a wolf in fancy sheep’s clothing.

The pretty electric SUV boasts a powerful twin-motor setup that happily provokes your accelerator foot to floor.

Stop street after stop street through the quiet backroads of Sandton, the P8 and I got to know each other – one sprint at a time.

Even though I’ve had many acceleration sessions in petrol-powered cars, the way an electric powertrain delivers the experience is truly sensational.

The near-silent P8 warps you to 100km/h in 4.9 seconds and there is virtually no delay between when you press down on the pedal and when power arrives at the wheels.

With petrol cars, even the powerful and expensive ones, there is always a few milliseconds of nothingness as the torque and kilowatts travel from the engine block to the axle.

Electric vehicles (EV) are different animals.

With your normal day-to-day commutes, you might forget the SUV is battery powered – an eerily quiet cabin when the car is “on” is the main giveaway.

Step hard on the accelerator pedal, however, and what you’re met with is 660Nm of instant pulling power and a speedometer reading that could get you in trouble with the law before you can wipe out your eyes.

Don’t get me wrong: the XC40 P8 is perfectly comfortable and well behaved as a daily driver at city and freeway speeds.

But if you choose to unleash the full power of the SUV, prepare for a thrilling ride.

Highlights

Another standout ability of Volvo’s electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles is the one-pedal operation feature.

As you let go of the accelerator, the electric motors automatically slow down the SUV and effectively bring the car to a standstill without you having to touch the brake.

There is noticeable resistance on the wheels when this feature kicks in – which might throw off uninitiated EV drivers at first, but it only took a handful of tries to get familiar with.

The feature aims to improve efficiency by feeding energy that would have been lost back into the battery at every opportunity, as well as to save owners money on brake maintenance in the long run.

The team at Volvo who has been using one-pedal driving in their personal vehicles say it is incredibly pleasant to see a stop street ahead and let go of the throttle – the car stopping itself at the line thanks to this feature.

Equipment and range

Apart from the cool features brought about by the battery-powered drivetrain, the XC40 P8 Recharge is also more premium than most luxury SUVs out there.

For now, this Volvo is sold in one trim with a high level of standard equipment – headlined by a stylish digital instrument cluster, smooth-scrolling vertical infotainment display, and Harman Kardon sound system.

The cabin is a very nice place to be sat and I don’t foresee any owners wanting more any time soon.

I will say that the “sustainable”, carpet-like material covering the interior door panel is not my favourite finish – but such is the sacrifices that must be made in the pursuit of a greener future.

As I only had the electric SUV for 30 minutes, I can’t speak to how its maximum range (418km) and claimed charging speeds will pan out in the real world.

However, five other members of the media had stints in this Volvo before me – with the P8’s back-to-back driving sessions starting at 11:00.

By the time I was done with it at 16:00, the battery was still at 71%.

Volvo XC40 P8 Recharge