Volvo XC40 Recharge vs Skoda Enyaq

[48k]

I'm thinking of changing my XTrail T31 this year which is getting a bit long in the tooth and starting to generate some expensive garage bills. Also my journey profile (mostly short journeys with a smattering of 200 mile round trips, 5-6000 miles per year even before lockdown) is really killing the diesel engine.
I've been doing some research on a full leccy or hybrid replacement and a couple of front runners in my list are the XC40 Recharge and the Enyaq. Not looking to load the new car with a bazillion options but it does need to carry a dog crate for two sizable dogs, needs leather, sat nav, parking sensors/camera and a tow bar for my bike carrier.
Just wondering if anyone owns either car or is going through a similar search? I scratched off things like Merc GLE and iPace for racking up the £££s as soon as you put options on, and things like the eNiro and Lexus NX are too small in the boot mainly because of the heavily raked rear window.
Anyone got any thoughts / suggestions?

Edited by 48k on Friday 14th May 10:16

[48k]

jimKRFC said:

What size dogs?

Medium-large, biggest is just over 35kg. We have 4 but can only travel 2 at a time.

jimKRFC said:

I tried the XC40 and really liked it, would have gone for it but it was the wifes turn to chose the company car, but the boot is pretty small.

Would a 530e Touring be in budget?

I really like the XC40, looked at one a couple of years back, thought the boot was surprisingly big for the size of the car. Need to go to the dealers this weekend with a tape measure.

Really don't want an estate.

[48k]

Dave_Rich said:

The Enyaq is bigger and cheaper.

Definitely has a bigger boot, which is a big plus point. Not sure about cheaper. It seems to be a German car manufacturer "thing" to have really expensive options. For example, speccing up an Enyaq I can't just have a boggo towbar or even a removable one, my only choice is an electrically retractable one for £775. Mind you having said that, Lexus want over a grand to put a towbar on an NX

Reviews suggest the "battery heat pump" is a must-have which is £1005 - I assume this is to keep the battery at the optimum/most efficient temperature in winter ? Is it really a must have ? I'm quite new to the world of EVs so it's a bit of a learning curve.

[48k]

jodypress said:

Have a look at the Ionic 5. Boot space is larger than the XC60 which surprised me..

Will take your word that's it's even bigger than an XC60 (which in turn is bigger than the XC40) although it doesn't look it to me, but it's one of those SUVs with a really raked boot.



If the rear is too slanted it robs headroom and pushes the crate further in to the boot which means the boot needs to be longer. This is what I have to deal with



The good thing about the Skoda is that it's pretty square and flat at the back and has more space than the XC40.

[48k]

SWoll said:

Definitely a bigger boot which seems important, and if towing regularly AWD can be very handy.

No towing but a tow-bar mounted cycle rack to carry.

AWD is sometimes handy for where we are, and going to horse events in muddy fields etc. but 2WD only is not a deal breaker.

[48k]

jodypress said:

48k said:

Will take your word that's it's even bigger than an XC60 (which in turn is bigger than the XC40) although it doesn't look it to me, but it's one of those SUVs with a really raked boot.

If the rear is too slanted it robs headroom and pushes the crate further in to the boot which means the boot needs to be longer. This is what I have to deal with

The good thing about the Skoda is that it's pretty square and flat at the back and has more space than the XC40.

Just double checked and the Ioniq 5 vs XC40 vs XC60 vs Enyaq has the following boot space (seats up/down)

Ioniq 5
Seats Up - 527l
Seats Down - 1587l

XC60
Seats Up - 483l
Seats Down - 1410l

XC40
Seats Up - 452l
Seats Down - 328l

Enyaq
Seats Up - 585l
Seats Down - 1710l

The Ioniq 5 is surprisingly big, Enyaq more so but Skoda really sting you with all the extras and easy to get it near £50k.

The problem is, using litres of space as a measure isn't a great way to evaluate which is best. It's the shape of the boot that matters, in terms of headroom to get a dog crate in. The more raked the boot lid, the further you have to push the crate in to get the boot to shut.

[48k]

Local Skoda dealer phoned yesterday to let me know that their Enyaq demonstrator is in so will go and check it out. XC40 is off the radar. Q4 e-tron needs to be looked in to for sure, though it's more expensive.

[48k]

Went to look at the Enyaq at the weekend. It's mahoosive. Got a test drive booked for this Saturday. The only couple of downsides so far is the lip in the boot meaning dog crate door won't open, so new crate(s) needed, and the OH saying "it's a bit 'dad car'". Kind of feels like a car for someone ten years older than me.
Popped across the road to the Volvo dealership afterwards. Still really like the XC40 and the boot is deceptively big. The fully electric recharge twin does 0-60 in 4.7 seconds. I'm sure the dogs would love that. Downside is it's only available on subscription (£829 per month ) or a cash purchase of £55610. There may be a business lease option that makes it more palatable. Will try and get a test drive booked anyway so I can compare the two.

[48k]

Diderot said:

48k said:

Went to look at the Enyaq at the weekend. It's mahoosive. Got a test drive booked for this Saturday. The only couple of downsides so far is the lip in the boot meaning dog crate door won't open, so new crate(s) needed, and the OH saying "it's a bit 'dad car'". Kind of feels like a car for someone ten years older than me.
Popped across the road to the Volvo dealership afterwards. Still really like the XC40 and the boot is deceptively big. The fully electric recharge twin does 0-60 in 4.7 seconds. I'm sure the dogs would love that. Downside is it's only available on subscription (£829 per month ) or a cash purchase of £55610. There may be a business lease option that makes it more palatable. Will try and get a test drive booked anyway so I can compare the two.

If you're going to go down the route of a business lease, go direct to Volvo. Way cheaper than any quotes I could find on Leaseloco.

As a completely unimportant aside, I've seen some 0-60 times of 4.4. on You Tube. Which is frankly bonkers for a small SUV.

Thanks for the tip re. leasing.

Got a test drive booked in the Volvo Recharge P8 on Thursday.

[48k]

Diderot said:

48k said:

Diderot said:

48k said:

Went to look at the Enyaq at the weekend. It's mahoosive. Got a test drive booked for this Saturday. The only couple of downsides so far is the lip in the boot meaning dog crate door won't open, so new crate(s) needed, and the OH saying "it's a bit 'dad car'". Kind of feels like a car for someone ten years older than me.
Popped across the road to the Volvo dealership afterwards. Still really like the XC40 and the boot is deceptively big. The fully electric recharge twin does 0-60 in 4.7 seconds. I'm sure the dogs would love that. Downside is it's only available on subscription (£829 per month ) or a cash purchase of £55610. There may be a business lease option that makes it more palatable. Will try and get a test drive booked anyway so I can compare the two.

If you're going to go down the route of a business lease, go direct to Volvo. Way cheaper than any quotes I could find on Leaseloco.

As a completely unimportant aside, I've seen some 0-60 times of 4.4. on You Tube. Which is frankly bonkers for a small SUV.

Thanks for the tip re. leasing.

Got a test drive booked in the Volvo Recharge P8 on Thursday.

No problem. I'll be very interested to hear what you think.

Just got back. Had the car for an hour. Will be phoning Skoda tomorrow to cancel the test drive in the Enyaq

That is a LOT of fun. And very comfortable. We brought it home over the speedbumps and potholes (country lanes) and it took everything in its stride, not jarring and not overly soft. Stretched its legs on the A5 and grinned like a child. Steering was nicely weighted not overly assisted. Decent driving position. I liked the fact that the central touch screen runs Android and so the nav is Google Maps (which also shows up in the drivers binnacle between the speedo and range/gear dials) and you can log in to your Google account and access apps. It's quiet and I thought that would mean the wind/road noise would be annoying but I can't say it was any louder than driving an ICE car at motorway speeds. Downsides for me are that all the functions like aircon, seat/steering wheel heating etc are operated via the central touch screen so when you are driving, if for example you want to nudge the aircon down you have to take your eyes off the road to the screen to select the right option, rather than being able to keep your eyes on the road and reach down for a familar feeling knob (quiet at the back). The other downside was the significant lag when pulling away - felt like about half an inch of throttle travel and the car doesn't move for a second, then it takes off. Dealer said this was because it was in "battery" mode - so highest regenerative braking / battery saving and if you switch that off the response from a standstill is instant. Will take his word for it.

Dealer gave me some figures from Volvo Business finance for a 6+48 contract lease on an XC40 recharge P8 Pro (so top of the range) with the tow bar option (which we'll pay as a one off) and a free wallbox. Will have a shop around tonight but from what's been said on here I won't get it any cheaper but it's worth having a look.

It's v.expensive but it drives well, is very comfortable and has a lot of toys. I'm really impressed. My driving profile is short journeys with the odd 100 mile round trip so even in winter the range shouldn't be a problem. Very tempting.

[48k]

Diderot said:

Really glad you liked it 48k and it worked out for you - I thought it might just have been me . It's a quality bit of kit, especially in your Pro trim. I had a good play with the Google infotainment and it's pretty impressive. And yep the acceleration is hilarious for a small SUV.

And good news on the wall charger. It's the Shell Newmotion one that they install apparently. Ours will be installed mid July just in time for the car delivery.

What colour are you going for? We've gone with the Red.

Thanks for the info on the wallbox. Is that a 7kw jobby? This is all new to me there is a big learning curve. If only there was a manufacturer-agnostic online FAQ for the world of EVs in the UK (he says...noting that ev-faq.com domain is available ).

Mrs. 48K really likes sage green but I've specced Denim blue. The other day the dealer said delivery was November-ish but today he's "been put in touch with someone in Leeds" who has said he can get stock a lot sooner. How long ago did you order ?

[48k]

Diderot said:

48k said:

Diderot said:

Really glad you liked it 48k and it worked out for you - I thought it might just have been me . It's a quality bit of kit, especially in your Pro trim. I had a good play with the Google infotainment and it's pretty impressive. And yep the acceleration is hilarious for a small SUV.

And good news on the wall charger. It's the Shell Newmotion one that they install apparently. Ours will be installed mid July just in time for the car delivery.

What colour are you going for? We've gone with the Red.

Thanks for the info on the wallbox. Is that a 7kw jobby? This is all new to me there is a big learning curve. If only there was a manufacturer-agnostic online FAQ for the world of EVs in the UK (he says...noting that ev-faq.com domain is available ).

Mrs. 48K really likes sage green but I've specced Denim blue. The other day the dealer said delivery was November-ish but today he's "been put in touch with someone in
Leeds" who has said he can get stock a lot sooner. How long ago did you order ?

I know what you mean about the - it's-all-new-to-me stuff. I've been doing a st ton of research on the whole EV thing and still have so many questions. For instance, I can't find an answer anywhere whether they require running in or not.

Anyway, yeah we placed our order end of May (for a Plus) and early-mid July delivery. Oddly enough Volvo seem to be able to source Volvos more readily than anyone else . Denim Blue looks lovely in the flesh but the Mrs wanted the red. What is a chap to do?

I think you should definitely buy the domain.

Have you taken delivery yet ?

[48k]

Diderot said:

48k said:

Diderot said:

48k said:

Diderot said:

Really glad you liked it 48k and it worked out for you - I thought it might just have been me . It's a quality bit of kit, especially in your Pro trim. I had a good play with the Google infotainment and it's pretty impressive. And yep the acceleration is hilarious for a small SUV.

And good news on the wall charger. It's the Shell Newmotion one that they install apparently. Ours will be installed mid July just in time for the car delivery.

What colour are you going for? We've gone with the Red.

Thanks for the info on the wallbox. Is that a 7kw jobby? This is all new to me there is a big learning curve. If only there was a manufacturer-agnostic online FAQ for the world of EVs in the UK (he says...noting that ev-faq.com domain is available ).

Mrs. 48K really likes sage green but I've specced Denim blue. The other day the dealer said delivery was November-ish but today he's "been put in touch with someone in
Leeds" who has said he can get stock a lot sooner. How long ago did you order ?

I know what you mean about the - it's-all-new-to-me stuff. I've been doing a st ton of research on the whole EV thing and still have so many questions. For instance, I can't find an answer anywhere whether they require running in or not.

Anyway, yeah we placed our order end of May (for a Plus) and early-mid July delivery. Oddly enough Volvo seem to be able to source Volvos more readily than anyone else . Denim Blue looks lovely in the flesh but the Mrs wanted the red. What is a chap to do?

I think you should definitely buy the domain.

Have you taken delivery yet ?

Not yet, looks like next week. Charger not yet installed either, so will be the Granny charger for now. Have you got a date yet for delivery?

Haven't placed an order yet, spoke with dealer yesterday, waiting for him to come back with some figures.

[48k]

vxr8mate said:

Diderot - Did you go for the Twin battery, was it rapid?

For me, it's a 3 horse race between the XC40, Ionic 5 and the new Kia EV6. All seem to be about the right size with various plus and minuses.

Lease pricing seems to be about the same for both Volvo and Ionic.

Following a recommendation on here, talk to Volvo directly if you want to finance the XC40, no one else I researched could beat their rates.

My company didn't get approved for Volvo finance (despite Volvo finance being white-labelled Santander and the company business bank account is with Santander), but the dealer got me the same terms for £30 per month more through a broker.

[48k]

Skyedriver said:

Slightly "off-piste" as I'm not yet in the market for an EV but I still use a Volvo 940 Estate for family use as it's the only car that I can get two dog cages in without dropping the back seats, even a XC90 isn't as big due to the rear sloping back and extra padding along the sides.

Two dog crates always seems to be a challenge that's why we have one big one with a divider.

XC40 ordered now, just waiting on a delivery date, should be some time in October.

[48k]

Finally heard back from the dealer - delivery should be 16th October.

He's asked if he can pass my details on to NewMotion so they can arrange to fit the complimentary home charger but I've looked at the unit and it's mahoosive. Think I'd rather pay for a Sync-EV than have a free NewMotion.

[48k]

Diderot said:

48k said:

Finally heard back from the dealer - delivery should be 16th October.

He's asked if he can pass my details on to NewMotion so they can arrange to fit the complimentary home charger but I've looked at the unit and it's mahoosive. Think I'd rather pay for a Sync-EV than have a free NewMotion.

Good news. My dealer mentioned delays well into 2022 for radar cruise and blindspot functionality

We're picking our car up finally tomorrow.

Congrats! Look forward to a full report on it.

[48k]

Diderot said:

48k said:

Diderot said:

48k said:

Finally heard back from the dealer - delivery should be 16th October.

He's asked if he can pass my details on to NewMotion so they can arrange to fit the complimentary home charger but I've looked at the unit and it's mahoosive. Think I'd rather pay for a Sync-EV than have a free NewMotion.

Good news. My dealer mentioned delays well into 2022 for radar cruise and blindspot functionality

We're picking our car up finally tomorrow.

Congrats! Look forward to a full report on it.

Sounds promising. On my test drive I found that there was a delayed response when pulling away - you pressed the throttle and nothing happened for half a second, then the car moved forward. Reminded me of Mrs 48Ks Discovery 3 which had a big dead spot in the throttle and was the cause of some embarrassment at roundabouts when you went to go but didn't actually go anywhere. I mentioned this to the dealer and he said it was something to do with the regen setting which is configurable. Is that what you have been playing with - with the single pedal mode ?

Initial impressions after a couple of 30 odd mile drives over the last two days:

The ride is very well sorted (on the 19s) - nowhere near as jiggly as on the 20s we test drove, nor indeed our previous X3 35d on 20 inch runflats. Body control in general is excellent too - minimal roll and doesn't pitch under braking really either. Seems very stable at speed too (the 'firm' steering setting suits 60-70mph cruises better than the 'light' mode.

It's superbly comfortable for me - the seats are fantastically supportive and very adjustable; memory seats too. However, Mrs Diderot hasn't found her ideal seating position yet.

Build quality seems generally very high and there are some very well-thought through features, especially in the boot.

The performance is bonkers for a small SUV. Took my Dad for a spin this PM. His first ride in a BEV and although he's had his fair share of fast cars over the years (mainly in the 80s and 90s), he was shocked . Launch is quite brutal with the initial shove coming in all at once, but the most impressive is the useful 30-50; 40-60; 50-70; 30-70 type stuff.

I tried one pedal mode for the first time this PM and, though I have no comparable experiences in other BEVs, it works quite intuitively: full lift off seems to mimic a fairly hefty shove of the brake; but the modulation of braking when lifting off more gently is very smooth. I'd equate it to 'braking in reverse' if you see what I mean.

Range obviously too early to tell, but it's reporting 185 miles after 65 miles of mixed driving and some spirited acceleration.


Anyway, very happy so far. 48k, I think you'll be pleased.

[48k]

Great, thanks.

[48k]

A couple of people have mentioned "small boot" on the XC40 which surprises me - I thought it was deceptively large and a practical shape (not too raked, and a flat floor with no lip).

Guess I will find out in October when the dogs are in there.