Car review: Volvo XC40 D4 AWD First Edition

Volvo’s newest and smallest SUV, the XC40, was well received when we drove it in Spain late last year. It’s now arrived in the UK, with well-stocked First Edition models.

This is chunkier and more interesting-looking car than its larger XC60 and XC90 cousins and it comes groaning with safety equipment and autonomous aids. On one 400-mile journey, mainly on motorways, I had little to do except operate the indicator stalk and change lanes from time to time.

The rest of the time it started, stopped, kept in lane and at a safe distance from other traffic all by itself. If you have to take your eyes off the road even for a moment, it is comforting to know you will not start to drift out of lane or get too close to other road users.

The car had covered only 200 miles when it arrived, which probably explains the poor fuel consumption, which rose from 29 to 37mpg after a further 500 miles, although still well short of Volvo’s claimed 55.4mpg.