Volvo C40 & XC40 Recharge Now with RWD Variants – First RWD Volvo in 25 Years

The front-wheel-drive (FWD) drivetrain is the de facto driving layout for many front-engine cars. In spite of its inferior balance and handling compared to rear-wheel-drive (RWD) setup, automakers still opt for FWD configuration in their mass products, as it takes less space to be fitted, thus giving more room to fit larger boot or cabin spaces for those ‘economic’ cars.

This, however, does not apply straightforwardly for electric vehicles (EVs), due to its more compact powertrain setup. With many EVs now being built on dedicated EV platforms instead of borrowing the ICE ones, more automakers now opt to jam pack their electric motors on the rear wheel axle for better balance and handling performance.

The latest of such is Volvo, who introduces new RWD variants for two of their most popular EVs, namely the C40 and XC40 Recharge. The new mid-spec RWD variants will also be Volvo’s first-ever RWD vehicles in 25 years, with the Volvo 900 Series being the last RWD model ever built by the automaker.

Sitting in the middle between the baseline FWD spec and the range-topping all-wheel-drive (AWD) dual-motor variant, the lower-spec RWD variant on both cars comes with an improved battery pack and electric motor that outputs 235 HP (175 kW) – higher than the ongoing single-motor FWD spec rated at 228 HP (170 kW).

Albeit retaining the same battery capacity of 69-kWh, said improved battery pack now supplies about 460 KM of maximum travel range for the RWD-spec XC40, instead of 425 KM for the standard FWD variant. Its sportier twin, however, is granted with an improved travel range of 476 KM – about 38 KM more than the FWD-spec claimed range (438 KM).

Meanwhile, Volvo also offers a higher spec for its RWD variant, which comes with a bigger 82-kWh battery pack and a more powerful single motor that delivers 248 HP (185 kW). The bigger battery pack grants a much better maximum travel range of 520 KM for the XC40, and 530 KM for the C40. All in all, these improvements grant both the RWD variants a 0-100 KM sprint finish of 7.4 seconds, as well as an electronically-governed V-max of 180 KM/H, just like the AWD variant.

Aside from the improved travel range, the 69-kWh improved battery pack now can be charged from 10% to 80% in around 34 minutes via a 130 kW DC public charger. The larger 82-kWh battery pack is bestowed with a much higher DC charging rate of up to 200 kW, which brings down its 10% to 80% charging time to only 28 minutes.

Besides that, the range-topping AWD variant for both the C40 and XC40 also been updated, which sees its standard 150 kW (201 HP) motor primed on both its axles being replaced with a 183 kW (245 HP) permanent magnet motor on the rear axle, and 117 kW (157 HP) asynchronous motor for the front axle. 

This new dual-motor setup, paired with a revised 82-kWh battery pack, grants the AWD twin-motor variant an improved maximum travel range of 500 KM for the XC40, and 507 KM for the C40. These improved ranges are also achieved thanks to the addition of new 19-inch alloy wheels with refreshed design that reduces the car’s drag.

As of writing, Volvo Malaysia only offers the pre-update, range-topping AWD Twin Motor variant for both the XC40 and C40 Recharge, which is good enough to provide a claimed travel range of about 438 KM on both cars. With both cars locally-assembled (CKD) in Volvo Malaysia’s Shah Alam plant, both the XC40 and C40 Recharge command rather ‘reasonable’ prices of RM278,888 and RM288,888 respectively – slightly lower than its closest local rival, the fully-imported (CBU) Mercedes-Benz EQA (RM296,888).