In fact, this theory is equally applicable to Volvo, a Nordic automobile brand.
Especially on XC40, the youngest and smallest model in Volvo SUV family, we found that the Nordic product concept is so thorough: XC40 is an out-and-out model and stands out among luxury brands with BBA as the mainstream value.
Simple design does not mean no design.
A pure Nordic style is by no means dazzling, but close to the tranquility of nature. Volvo XC40 is such a "vegetarian car".
Without complicated curved surfaces and fancy shapes, XC40 gives people the first impression of a clean line, which is a restraint on form and decoration. We can see that the design of XC40 is still Volvo, including the inward inclined air intake grille, the headlights of Thor's Hammer, the taillights of Viking Axe and the erected central control LCD screen. In the vast sea of cars, you can even tell its identity at a glance.
Nordic design has always been simple, and it is difficult to please local tyrants who like elegance. However, simple design does not mean no design.
We noticed that XC40 adopted the popular two-color body design, and its simple color matching made its character come alive immediately. 2 1 1mm ground clearance and 20-inch aluminum alloy wheels make it wild and dynamic. These elements can distinguish it from its brothers and competitors.
The design of XC40 is not amazing, but it looks quite individual when placed in a car of the same class. When other brands keep softening their routes, Volvo takes a tough line. This also greatly enhances the popularity of XC40, and even if you watch it for a long time, there will not be too much aesthetic fatigue; It is like IKEA furniture, which brings the beauty of simplicity to the extreme.
Enough is enough, but big is not necessarily good.
What is the essence of Nordic design? I believe that pragmatism is the first thing many people think of.
In 1930s, the soul of pragmatism went deep into Northern Europe and further transformed into Nordic minimalism. No waste of materials, no increase in cost and no reduction in quality have become the most important considerations in Nordic design.
The length, width and height of XC40 are 4425mm/1863mm/1652mm respectively. Compared with competitors at the same level, except for the height of the car body, the length and width are not particularly large.
In fact, the wheelbase of XC40 has reached 2702mm, and the standard compact SUV is completely enough for daily use. It is longer than Mercedes-Benz GLA, Jaguar E-PACE and XC40, but not as long as Cadillac XT4 and BMW X 1. From the actual experience, XC40 has a good space in all dimensions, and there will be no oppressive feeling, but the seat is a little hard and the length of the rear seat cushion is slightly shorter.
Of course, talking about scale without positioning is hooliganism. Volvo claims to sell XC40 to Fansik, a fun seeker in urban life, which is translated into Chinese as "the man who pursues happiness", that is, the most fashionable young people in this city. For them, size and wheelbase are obviously not that important.
In detail, Volvo is touching.
Not big enough, not complete enough, does it mean that XC40 is not friendly to passengers?
The answer is no, Volvo pays attention to functionality, but at the same time, it has not forgotten its attention to details. For XC40, there are several details worth sharing.
First of all, the XC40' s front door panel abandons the traditional sound system and frees up the space for accommodating 15-inch notebook computers, while the central armrest box and detachable flip glove box are enough to hold their own odds and ends, which can be properly placed in one arm and used at will. It even has a hook on the glove box to facilitate the correct placement of small bags, shopping bags and other personal items.
In addition, the XC40 luggage compartment floor can be folded to separate the storage area, and additional hidden storage space can be provided under the floor; After the luggage compartment floor is folded, two hooks will appear to fix shopping bags or other luggage; When the rear seat is completely reclined, its maximum space can reach 1336 liters.
It is worth mentioning that XC40 is also equipped with air sound field technology (air woofer technology? )。 It moves the bass unit originally located in the front door panel under the front windshield, which not only reduces the volume of the unit, increases the use space of the door panel, but also maximizes the sound effect of the speaker.
More importantly, this car comes standard with CLEANZONE? Clean the cockpit. IAQS intelligent air circulation control system, AQI air quality real-time monitoring system and CZIS active cockpit pre-purification system are used to ensure the air quality in the car, eliminate the volatiles in the car, and the fabric in the car meets the skin contact standard of baby underwear. For consumers who pay more and more attention to air safety, such a configuration has undoubtedly hit the pain point.
Safe and easy to drive, XC40' s housekeeping skill.
The "good driving" of Volvo XC40 can be interpreted from two aspects. One is subjective "easy to drive", with moderate direction, braking and throttle, which is very convenient to use; The second is objectively "easy to open". Volvo has all kinds of active and passive safety, which can make the driving process simpler and safer.
The maximum power is 252 HP and the peak torque reaches 350 Nm (T5). Just looking at the data, we know that this powertrain equipped with Volvo's famous Drive-E series engine +8AT is not bad. However, because the gearbox still puts riding comfort and fuel economy in the first place, the power will not appear immediately when the accelerator is pressed to the end. After a little thinking, the powerful torque will be transmitted to the four wheels quickly.
The maximum torque and speed range of T5 version is 1800-4000rmp. You don't need to worry about power shortage in the range of low torque and common speed. And if you feel that the response speed is not fast enough, switching to dynamic mode is a better choice.
The XC40 has a light driving feeling, moderate steering feeling and throttle braking force, especially after the automatic start-stop is turned off, parking under urban road conditions becomes more comfortable.
However, the chassis of XC40 is "hard", which is easy to give drivers and passengers two completely different feelings. The driver will feel that the chassis is very sporty, even if it is bent or changed. Passengers will feel that the road is too clear, even a little pothole will make their ass uncomfortable. Of course, due to the compact body and compact chassis, the flexibility of XC40 is beyond doubt.
Besides being flexible enough to drive, easy driving is also the highlight of XC40. To do this, we have to mention its Pilot Assist automatic driving assistance system. The system is a set of configuration functions, which provides highly coordinated and convenient intelligent assistance under daily traffic conditions, aiming at reducing cognitive load and allowing drivers to concentrate on driving enjoyment. These configurations include adaptive cruise control system, Pilot Assist navigation assistance system, curve speed adjustment system and distance monitoring and warning system.
Specifically, the pilot assistance system reduces the driver's stress during long-distance driving. The system is helpful to improve the speed and keep a proper distance, and keep a more stable and accurate position in the driveway. After the system is turned on, it can also play an active role in the upcoming collision-improving emergency steering and braking performance.
Write it at the end
At present, most entry-level luxury brand SUVs follow the idea of BBA, blindly pursuing big and complete, but losing their individuality. The arrival of XC40 seems to be sailing against the current, but in fact it can win loyal fans. Perhaps the base of these consumers is not large, but it is successful to make them really pay for higher quality and better ideas and support uncompromising products like Volvo XC40.
This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.