The available active safety and driver-assist features are well-executed. It's large enough for cargo and crew, but remains nimble and responsive on the road. The Volvo XC40 really hits a sweet spot among the current crop compact luxury SUVs. Autopilot does deploy a set of alerts that gradually escalate if drivers go hands-off for more than 30 seconds. And in my personal experience, Autopilot is too tolerant of longer stretches of handsfree driving. I would argue - as many automotive journalists before me have - that Tesla's Autopilot is a more advanced semi-autonomous driving system that handles steering, acceleration, braking and lane-change duties in real-world traffic far more gracefully than most other systems on the road right now.īut Autopilot is not perfect. While testing the feature in freeway traffic, we observed that it took the XC40 about a second to recognize there was no driver input on the steering wheel, and it gave visual and audio prompts to reengage. Unlike Tesla's Autopilot, Volvo's almost-but-not-quite-self-driving technology will not let you drive for any length of time with your hands off the steering wheel. It keeps the car within its own lane on the road, and maintains a set speed and distance from the car ahead. Given there’s only a £725 difference in price we’d go for this more powerful model, because there’s no real penalty when it comes to running costs.Our test XC40 came with Volvo's Pilot Assist semi-autonomous-drive feature. This is the same as the less powerful 94bhp version, while the TSI 110 model’s 130g/km CO2 output is 1g/km better too, although this doesn’t change company car tax ratings. Its efficiency contributes towards its ability as an all-rounder as well, with WLTP-tested economy of 49.6mpg combined. But despite VW’s cost cutting in some areas, the T-Cross still feels solid enough at this price. Quality is fine, but nothing special and there are better small SUVs on sale when it comes to materials and finishes inside. With a range of bright exterior colours to choose from, you can make your T-Cross stand out – or if you’d prefer to blend in, then there are darker hues, too. The optional digital dash could still offer a higher resolution, though. The infotainment works well, with the kind of snappy responses and sharp graphics on the main screen that we’ve come to expect from VW. It’s just as much a small family car as well, though, and we’d say that it offers a decent amount of practicality for most buyers in this class. Along with the extra design touches here it shows that VW knows how small SUV buyers use their cars, offering an extra element of usability to help fit with the lifestyle crowd. There’s a fair level of space in the rear of the cabin and a 455-litre boot, so small families shouldn’t feel the need for more space.Ī sliding rear bench means you can prioritise either rear legroom or luggage space, so there’s a good level of flexibility. Not that many owners will do this, and in everyday driving the T-Cross is a strong all-rounder. Otherwise, the T-Cross is direct and agile enough to drive, with light steering and plenty of composure that means you can drive it faster than you might think. It’s coupled to good ride quality that only starts to become ruffled on bad country roads at mid speeds – it’s actually better the faster you go on this type of tarmac.
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