Volvo XC40 P8 Recharge 2021 UK review

Swedish firm fires its first salvo in EV territory: a 402bhp four-wheel-drive SUV It’s hard to shake the feeling that the car posing the biggest threat to the new Volvo XC40 P8 comes from within the Geely Group itself.The Swedish manufacturer’s first fully electric production model is effectively a Polestar 2 in an XC40- shaped frock; and in P8 guise – currently the only variant of this new Volvo that’s available in the UK – the two cars are extremely close when it comes to on-paper specification.Considering they share the same CMA architecture, the same 75kWh (usable capacity) battery and the same electric motors (one at each axle for all-wheel drive), that alignment is unsurprising. Both cars are good for 402bhp and 487lb ft, and the Polestar can hit 62mph from rest in 4.7sec, the Volvo in a not dissimilar 4.9sec.There’s a bit more of a difference when it comes to range, though: the Polestar’s 292-mile claim outstrips the Volvo’s 257-mile rating. Given the Polestar is actually 10kg heavier than the electric XC40, it seems this difference is down to the boxy Volvo SUV simply having a tougher time pushing through the air than its lower-slung Geely Group stablemate.