The Pocket Rocket has clocked in a bit over 500 kms in six days. Looks like I’ll reach my self-imposed 1000 kms mark before writing a thread fairly soon. The grip on the road, the stealthy ride, the overall driving feel, and the jet fighter-like acceleration are simply outstanding.<\/p>\n
After two part charges my guesstimate is that the real-world range on a 100% discharge of the battery is about 450kms to 475kms against the 530 kms brochure figure. This of course is also a factor of my driving where I make no effort to conserve energy nor am I using the one-pedal driving option* {though I did give it a try} which increases the regenerative quotient. So, between 30% and 90% battery charge, the real-world practical range is around 315 to 335 kms – that is the running distance after which I gather I must plug her into the mains.<\/p>\n
Volvo has digitized everything that needs a control input so instead of a simple tactile switch to operate a function one has to go to the screen and click a few times to get to the virtual button needed. All this IMHO is a safety hazard and a rather stupid trend amongst car makers these days. Controls should be such that you can operate them in the dark without taking your eyes off the road. These virtual buttons with a dozen options under each are a nuisance IMHO and a safety hazard as sooner or later some drivers will try to adjust things while driving. I am still scratching my head over some minor controls and keep troubling Volvo over the phone.<\/p>\n
My wife says she is happy with the interiors and its five shades of black so I have made my peace with the interiors. The feature I love is the Google voice command system. As I’m home alone today took the car to an expressway stretch some distance from my home and clipped off at 110kmph. She is steady as a rock, just gripping the road, with no swaying and very little noise. 99% of the time I would not touch three-digit speeds even on a highway but thought I’d check her out once.<\/p>\n
Net the car is addictive. In the first three days, as I struggled with the over-digitized controls, I suffered from buyer anxiety about whether I’d made a mistake in investing Rs 66L on the car. But now as I settle down I am falling in love.<\/p>\n
I’ve opted not to use the one-pedal option. It requires a separate set of muscle memory and therefore instant reactions compared to the traditional automatic or hybrid. My garage includes now this Volvo C40, a Lexus ES300h, and a manual Amaze. Two different driving styles burned into the sub-conscious auto reactions is more than enough – no point adding a third option and risking a rear-ending. Also, one-pedal is more for countries with disciplined & predictive driving<\/p>\n
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Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.<\/p>\n