Jeep Leans Further Into Off-Roading with Tent and Trailer Patents - Related to jeep, into, further, xc40, concept

2025 Volvo XC40 review

Despite Volvo softening its electric vehicle (EV) plans globally, it’s still scaling up locally to become an all-electric brand by 2026.

Note: This is an updated version of a review first . There haven’t been any pricing or specification changes for MY25, save a name change of the Ultimate B4 trim to Ultra B4.

We have updated key details such as pricing and specifications with the most up-to-date information available. Read the original version of this review here.

As part of the process, Volvo has dropped the more powerful B5 mild-hybrid petrol engine from the XC40 range.

Instead the Swedish-Chinese carmaker now only offers the B4 mild-hybrid petrol engine to power the entire combustion-powered range. The electric versions of this car are now also called the EX40, not XC40 Recharge.

On test here is the Volvo XC40 Ultra B4 Dark. This model was previously referred to as the Ultimate B5 Dark when it had the more powerful B5 mild-hybrid petrol engine.

Is this top-spec version of the core Volvo XC40 range still convincing with a less-powerful mild-hybrid petrol engine? Read along to find out.

Although the electric versions of this car are now called the EX40, the mild-hybrid versions have retained the XC40 name.

Model Price before on-road costs 2025 Volvo XC40 Plus B4 $54,990 2025 Volvo XC40 Plus B4 Special Edition $54,990 ($59,990 drive-away) 2025 Volvo XC40 Ultra B4 Bright $61,990 2025 Volvo XC40 Ultra B4 Dark $62,990 2025 Volvo XC40 Black Edition $63,990.

To see how the Volvo XC40 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

What is the Volvo XC40 like on the inside?

Walking up to the Volvo XC40 Ultra B4 Dark, it’s a little hard to differentiate it from the more powerful but now-defunct Ultimate B5 Dark. The main change has happened under the bonnet.

Hopping in the XC40 has a sought-after elevated seating position, like a number of crossovers, that allows you to have good visibility around the car and also feel in command.

Our tester was equipped with the leather-accented charcoal upholstery which is a no-cost option. This also adds driftwood accent trim panels, charcoal tailored steering wheel, as well as a crystal gear shifter from Orrefors.

Despite being leather-accented, the XC40’s seats look and feel like they have a fair bit of faux leather on them. There was also a faint plasticky smell that lingered for the majority of the time I had the car. That’s not something that I’d correlate with a premium vehicle.

Both front seats have electric adjustment with heating. The latter is incredibly helpful on cool Melbourne days, though I’m surprised you can’t even option ventilated seats at all.

The driver’s seat has plenty of thigh support, which is aided by a manually extendable cushion extended. It felt like I was sitting on a La-Z-Boy recliner.

Despite this, the driver’s seat is a little flat and hard, which made driving for longer periods of time a bit uncomfortable. It also lack side bolstering, which at some points made me feel like I was falling out of my seat around corners.

Ahead of the driver is a faux leather-wrapped steering wheel that doesn’t feel anywhere as nice as one wrapped in proper leather. The steering wheel is still a nice size and has an outer rim that isn’t too thick.

The same can be expressed for the indicator and wipers stalks positioned behind the steering wheel. Both have a satisfying thwack, although they have a number of icons and functions that make them a little confusing at first.

There’s a [website] digital instrument cluster as standard that’s both clear and high-resolution. Despite this the interface is largely black and a little lifeless. I understand Volvo is going for minimalism, but the same look could be achieved with two analogue dials and a smaller instrument cluster screen.

One of the few things you can change on the digital instrument cluster is whether the satellite navigation map is on or off. You can also bring up your trip statistics. That’s about it….

Moving across is a standard portrait-oriented [website] touchscreen infotainment system that has Google built-in. This means it has capabilities including the Google Assistant, Google Maps, as well as access to the Google Play store.

The related Polestar 2 also has a infotainment system with Google built-in, though the screen in it is notably larger ([website] v [website] This makes the XC40’s touchscreen look a touch dated in comparison.

The touchscreen itself, like the digital instrument cluster, is high-resolution. It also appears to have plenty of processing power, which means it boots up quickly upon startup and new pages load fast.

Given the touchscreen is portrait-oriented it feels like using an iPad strapped to the dashboard. The native Google built-in interface is also really intuitive to navigate and use.

A lot of the time I didn’t actively look to connect my phone using smartphone mirroring as all the functions I usually look for, including Google Maps and Spotify, were already baked in or available on the Google Play store.

Speaking of smartphone mirroring however, the Volvo XC40 comes standard with wired Apple CarPlay only.

Like the majority of wired smartphone mirroring connections with my iPhone 15 Pro Max, I didn’t experience any dropouts whatsoever.

One gripe is all the climate control functions, including the operation of the heated seats and steering wheel, are altered using the touchscreen. You can use the Google Assistant, but for a lot of the time I’d much prefer having a physical button or dial.

There actually aren’t many physical buttons or dials in the XC40 at all. The main ones include a large volume knob with a play and pause button, a home button for the infotainment system, as well as smaller buttons for functions like the hazard lights and window defrosters.

Looking around the cabin there are some Scandinavian-looking and premium-feeling finishes including the vertical air vents, wooden dashboard inlays, metallic sections on the steering wheel, crystal gear shifter, and felt-lined door bins.

On the flip side however, there are a large number of harder plastics and piano black scattered around the cabin. The latter gets dirty and grimy really quickly, and it also gets scratched when you try to clean it.

Our tester was equipped with the optional glass panoramic sunroof that helps make the cabin ambience feel airier and lighter.

Although the rear doors themselves are large, the opening to get into the car isn’t. This meant I had to contort my legs getting both in and out.

Once you’re in the second row there’s plenty of leg, head, and shoulder space. It’s strange but the second-row seats are also much squishier and comfortable than the front seats.

There is however a large transmission hump in the second row that makes the centre seat feel a little cramped.

Second-row amenities include heated outboard seats, USB ports, centre console-mounted rear air vents, as well as a fold-down rear centre armrest with cupholders.

Moving around the back of the XC40 there’s a power tailgate that opens and closely swiftly and quietly. Once the tailgate is open there’s plenty of usable boot space on offer. Volvo quotes an official boot capacity figure of 460 litres.

There are heaps of bag hooks in the boot, as well as a 12V socket and a handy light on the tailgate. The latter is really handy when you’re trying to load items into the boot at nighttime.

The last thing I’ll mention in this section is one of my favourite functions in the XC40. The boot floor is able to fold upwards and create a divider with bag hooks. This means items won’t be sliding around as much as you drive around.

Dimensions Volvo XC40 Ultra B4 Dark Length 4440mm Width 1938mm Height 1567mm Wheelbase 2702mm Cargo capacity 460L (5 seats).

To see how the Volvo XC40 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

The entire Volvo XC40 range is now powered by a [website] turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine augmented with 48V mild-hybrid assistance.

Specifications Volvo XC40 Ultra B4 Dark Engine [website] 4cyl turbo-petrol 48V MHEV Power 145kW Torque 300Nm Transmission 8-speed auto Drive type AWD Weight (tare) 1729kg Fuel economy (claimed) [website] Fuel economy (as tested) [website] (250km mixed driving) Fuel tank capacity 54L Fuel requirement 95-octane premium unleaded CO2 emissions 162g/km Emissions standard Euro 6 Braked tow capacity 2100kg.

To see how the Volvo XC40 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

Starting up the Volvo XC40 Ultra B4 Dark is as easy as pressing the start button positioned between the digital instrument cluster and touchscreen infotainment system.

When you do press the start button, the [website] turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine fires up seamlessly and quietly thanks in part to the 48V mild-hybrid system which includes a starter-generator.

Setting off can sometimes be a little jerky as the handbrake doesn’t automatically disengage when you select either reverse or drive. It only disengages when you accelerate beyond a certain point or turn it off yourself.

Once you do eventually get moving don’t expect the XC40’s B4 mild-hybrid petrol engine to blow you away at all. With 145kW and 300Nm, these outputs sound more than adequate on paper, but when combined the car’s porky [website] tare weight it spells for tardy acceleration.

At the traffic lights plenty of cars will be taking off quicker than you. Cars with less power and torque will strangely be going quicker than you unless you give it more of the beans. Even then, there feels like there’s only just enough on tap.

When accelerating from a standstill the first two gears can rev out to 3000rpm pretty easily. This is jarring given peak torque is delivered from just 1500rpm.

The eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmission does the job and feels a little more natural than a dual-clutch transmission at low speeds, though at points it can feel a bit like an elastic band.

On the flip side when you’re slowing down the brake pedal has a lot of play in the first half of its travel and quickly bites. This means it can hard to tell how much pressure you need to apply to come to a stop smoothly.

The steering in the XC40 is incredibly light which makes low-speed manoeuvrability easy. The crossover also has a small turning circle. As standard there are front and rear parking sensors, dipping side mirrors, as well as a surround-view camera.

The latter of these defaults to a birds-eye view which can be a little tricky to properly gauge how far you actually are from obstacles. There are icons on the touchscreen that allow you to toggle between different views but it’s a little fiddly.

Around town the XC40 Ultra B4 Dark’s suspension is very resolved and compliant. Going over speed bumps are a breeze, though it would likely be even advanced if the car was equipped with smaller alloy wheels than the 20-inch units fitted as standard.

Even in everyday driving the XC40 has dynamic driving qualities. Sure there’s a little bit of body roll, which is synonymous with crossovers, but the car feels like it wants to be driven quickly.

That’s why it’s so disappointing the B4 mild-hybrid petrol engine can’t hold up its end.

Building up the speed in the XC40 takes a bit of time and work but eventually happens. The engine usually makes a bit of a commotion when asked to accelerate to highway speeds and it’s not really the best sound ever.

Once you’re at highway speeds the revs are kept low and the car finds a groove. A bit more power would be nice though as when you want to overtake the car feels like it’s running out of puff.

On the safety front, the XC40’s adaptive cruise control system does like to initially brake when it detects a car ahead of you, but it eventually sorts itself out.

The cruise control can also creep over the set speed by up to 5km/h before braking, which is a little too lenient if you ask me. In many instances I found myself pumping the brakes to bring my speed back under the limit and then resetting the cruise control.

The XC40’s lane-keep assist function can get a really handy feature when you’re travelling along clearly marked highways and freeways, though on many roads I found the system pinballed within the lane. This didn’t necessarily inspire confidence and for the most part I drove the car with this function turned off.

Lastly, the Pixel LED headlights equipped to our tester are fantastic. When you have the low-beams turned on they have a handy turning function which illuminates around a corner. This makes spotting a pedestrian stepping out onto the road around the corner at nighttime, for example, at lot easier.

The Pixel LED headlights also have an adaptive high-beam which makes rural and regional driving so much easier. You don’t need to worry about dipping your lights when there’s an oncoming car and can instead keep an eye on whether an animal could stray onto your path.

To see how the Volvo XC40 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

On test here is the XC40 Ultra B4 Dark, which is the top-spec variant in the core lineup.

[website] touchscreen infotainment system.

Google built-in operating system Google Automotive Services Volvo Cars app.

19-inch Y-spoke matte graphite alloy wheels.

There is a variety of optional equipment available on the XC40 Ultra B4 Dark.

Harman Kardon premium sound system ($1300).

To see how the Volvo XC40 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

The Volvo XC40 had a five-star ANCAP safety rating based on 2018 Euro NCAP tests, but this has lapsed since January 2025.

Front, side, curtain and driver’s knee airbags.

Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) Vulnerable road user detection.

Adaptive cruise control Traffic jam assist.

The Ultra B4 Bright adds a surround-view camera.

To see how the Volvo XC40 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

How much does the Volvo XC40 cost to run?

Volvo covers its range with a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

Servicing and Warranty Volvo XC40 Warranty 5 years, unlimited kilometres Roadside assistance 5 years Service intervals 12 months or 15,000km Pre-paid service plans $2380 (3 years).

To see how the Volvo XC40 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

The Volvo XC40 is starting to get on in years now yet it still remains fresh amid an electric push for the Swedish-Chinese brand. The combustion engine range however is starting to seem like an afterthought.

It’s a little disappointing Volvo has axed the more powerful B5 mild-hybrid petrol engine from the XC40 range. The B4 mild-hybrid petrol engine is fine, but you definitely need to work it to get the porky crossover moving at a brisk pace.

Despite being $2000 cheaper, it feels the XC40 Ultimate B4 Dark has lost its defining factor. When it previously had the B5 mild-hybrid engine it was the pick for those wanting a bit more power and torque.

I can see why Volvo has gone down this path however as it’s wanting to make its electric EX40 variants more attractive. Now if want more power you’ll need to step up to the electric single-motor rear-wheel drive variant (175kW/420Nm) or the dual-motor all-wheel drive variant (300kW/660Nm).

Both of these EX40 variants are considerably more expensive than the petrol-powered Ultra B4 Dark on test here.

If you’re not willing to go electric and are wanting to stick with the petrol, you’d arguably be advanced off looking at the more affordable XC40 Ultra B4 Bright or Plus B4 instead of the flagship Ultra B4 Dark.

You won’t be missing out on much as both of these more affordable petrol-powered XC40 variants come with the majority of the capabilities included in our tester.

Interested in buying a Volvo XC40? Get in touch with one of CarExpert’s trusted dealers here.

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Jeep Leans Further Into Off-Roading with Tent and Trailer Patents

Jeep is leaning in to its off-roading roots with a new pair of patents it filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office earlier this year.

The first patent is for a rooftop tent designed to attach directly to the top of the Jeep Wrangler.

The second patent focuses on a Jeep-specific off-road-capable trailer that uses the same suspension as the Jeep pulling it.

Stellantis has filed two new patents for the Jeep brand, both of which focus strongly on the brand's off-roading personality. The first patent relates to a rooftop tent designed specifically for the Jeep Wrangler, while the second patent pertains to an off-road-capable trailer that uses production Jeep parts.

While most third-party rooftop tents require additional hardware such as additional roof racks, the tent shown in Jeep's new patent aspects a more elegant solution: Rather than bolting to the top of the roof, the tent replaces the Wrangler's removable roof panels and reuses their mounting points.

The slick design keeps the tent from adding excessive height and means campers can access the tent directly from the car without having to get out and clamber onto the roof. The compact design should also keep the tent from harming fuel economy too much as well.

When it's fully deployed, the tent capabilities an optional awning to provide more cover from the weather outside the car. There's also additional floor space that can be cantilevered over the edge of the car, extending the tent's footprint.

Jeep's second patent appears to be more focused on the Gladiator pickup, though the documents allow for other Jeep models. The patent focuses on an "Off-Road Capable Trailer" that includes components carried over directly from the production vehicle.

Patent publication documents on the USPTO website explain that the trailer could include suspension and body components that correspond to a production Jeep. The patent documents also show that at least in some instances, the trailer would use the same axle and the same tires found on the production truck. Under the "Background" section, Jeep references how trailers typically have lower ground clearance and are designed for paved or smooth road surfaces.

How soon would we potentially see these products? That is impossible to tell from the patents, but they're intriguing.

12/4/24 enhancement: This review has been updated with instrumented test results.

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Kia Concept EV2 Is a Tiny EV SUV with a Sliding Front Bench Seat

The Kia Concept EV2 previews a future production model that's probably too small to be sold on our shores.

The EV2 has a bulldog-like appearance with its broad shoulders, stubby overhangs, and assertive, albeit still adorable, face.

Inside, nifty elements abound, such as the sliding front bench seat, portable speakers, and text messages that can be displayed through the windows.

Despite a strangely arranged name, the Kia Concept EV2 is like a cute puppy we want to take home. Too bad we'd have to smuggle it out of the adoption center because it's likely not coming to the United States due to its diminutive dimensions. Still, a production version of the pint-sized electric SUV is slated to be sold elsewhere sometime in 2026.

Think of the EV2 concept as Kia's version of the Hyundai Inster, a similarly tiny and quirky ute that we also don't get here. While there's not a single drop of information about the EV2's electric powertrain, we bet the production version will be influenced by the Inster's setup, which peaks at 113 horsepower and 108 pound-feet of torque when paired with the larger (lol) [website] battery. That translates to roughly 187 miles of range, meaning American drivers would probably treat the Inster or EV2 like a puppy that peed on the carpet.

The EV2 represents Kia's smallest EV, but its design is similar to its larger siblings. For example, its vertical front lighting elements resemble those of the upcoming EV4 sedan and EV9 three-row SUV. The EV2 also attributes what Kia has dubbed "Star Map" lighting, which is basically illuminated freckles on the vehicle's flat front panel. The geometric shapes seen on the glass and wheel arches continue the continuity. However, a couple of things differentiate the EV2 concept from its kin, namely the missing center pillar and rear-hinged back doors ([website] coach doors). While we'd be surprised if those design elements make their way into production, they're cool nonetheless.

The Concept EV2's interior is arguably the coolest thing about it. We'll cut straight to the chase: we're suckers for front bench seats, so the EV2 is playing games with our hearts. What's also interesting is that the front bench is on a track, so clients can slide it backward and fold the rear seats out of the way, opening space to stretch out or even sit on the flat floor. The latter situation is possible , but we're not sure how feasible that will be for more than one person over six feet tall.

The dashboard functions a tablet-like display that wouldn't be out of place on most current Kia models. The concept also has a fanciful steering wheel that looks like it was melted in the oven. We dig the dash's fabric material, which looks like it was inspired by the BMW iX, and there's an oddly colored metal surface that spans the bottom section. Kia says the EV2's speakers are portable, so car karaoke can easily become a mobile affair.

Another interesting concept is the message lighting that lets people display text messages through the windows. However, it's quite possible that "Hey, Kia, why don't you sell cool stuff like the EV2 in America?" is too long to fit.

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