Lack of gears spoils the fun. Engine braking and paddle shifts would have greatly increased the fun factor on this car.
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Driving impressions:
Pros
- Shattering performance will leave BMW 330i’s for dead and give M340i’s a hard time when you play catch-me-if-you-can with them.
- 40 bhp and 160 NM of torque more than a M340i @ 25% lower price gives you tremendous Value and Performance for your money from a performance enthusiast perspective.
- Add to this there are Zero Fuel bills, Low Service Costs, Low Maintenance Costs while the BMW 330i & 340i owners break a bank or two to keep their cars on the road.
- A SLEEPER to beat all sleepers!! You can laugh at the rear air diffusers, front spoilers and the M badge when you fly past the 340i caught out with its turbo lag in what is a rather ordinary looking car for the performance on tap.
- Have driven Lamborghini’s, RS7’s, AMG 63S’s, Porsche Carrera’s, Audi Q8 etron, but the G Force on this car beats all of them. In fact the acceleration can catch you out if try flooring it in the city.
- Volvo has given the car good enough handling for the power on tap. You are aware of it’s SUV proportions though and it’s not as good as a sedan.
Cons
- Top speed of 180 kmph is pretty lame for the performance on tap. To put things in perspective it’s like having a Top speed of 80 kmph in a Maruti Swift. Just when the fun starts the party is over. Performance of this sort in an ICE car would have had a Top whack in the region of 270-300 kmph.
- Lack of gears spoils the fun. Engine braking and paddle shifts would have greatly increased the fun factor on this car.
- At high speeds the brakes need to be applied quite forcefully to bring down the speed. While that is common in most performance cars, this needed a bit more effort.
- A sleeper to a fault! A bit too Plain Jane and almost stodgy looks for the performance on offer. Other than the spoiler at the rear, you really wish the car had a bit more indications of it’s power and performance externally.
- The rear seats are good to seat your enemies. A step motherly treatment in comparison to the seats at the front. Lack of cushioning, poor back support, awkward seating angle make things quite uncomfortable. This is apparent when you move from the front seat to the rear.
Keyword: Test drove the Volvo C40 Recharge: 6 pros & 5 cons