[RhythmOfLife]

Greetings BHPians!

First of all, a big thank you to all for making this forum is an invaluable gold mine of information for both experienced and newbie. I offer my heartfelt gratitude to this community where all discussions are very informative, ideas shared respectful of others’ opinions without being judgemental.
I am a newbie, in all sense, this is my first car, with not much of driving experience.
So, around a year back I started my car buying journey unaware of the vehicle I need to purchase.

‘Knowing-That’ a logical rule-bound process: Chapter 1

Searched through various sources to find that perfect vehicle by going through various Team-BHP threads, Videos, Blogs, Car comparison sites. All along visualizing about the D-day of Cake Cutting, Pooja, Walkaround and whatnot along with various efforts by the showroom guys to make the family so special like all those car delivery videos.

'Knowing-How’ an experience-based process: Chapter 2

Traditional doctrine contends that knowing a set of rules does not necessarily mean that one knows how to do something cleverly.
Sometimes the experience is of being taken for a ride by Dealerru, this is what I call them. And then we rationalize, why because.
“Dishonesty is all about the small acts we can take and then think, 'No, this not real cheating.' So if you think that the main mechanism is rationalization, then what you come up with, and that's what we find, is that we're basically trying to balance feeling good about ourselves.”
— Dan Ariely

‘Rationalization’ twilight zone: Chapter 3

Mausi : Hey son, just understand the turmoil of buying a car, internal agitation, all that pondering or brooding is like a obelisk on the chest. Will take a breath of peace when the car is delivered.
Shaileen_Jay : Yes, you said the truth aunt. There is a big responsibility on you.
Mausi : But my dear, no one throws this burden on the trust of the car dealer. Please don’t misunderstand me. Is Dealerru 'dishonesty at its finest' type if I may ask? How much he earns fleecing prospective customers? Or is he a fast-talking hustler, kind of person who seizes opportunity, with the gift of persuasion, can take on any challenge and makes things happen.
Shaileen_Jay : So here it is aunty, once you have booked the car then.. Dealerru will simply decide to meet any delivery related challenge, as a matter of fact if there are none then he will create few just so that he can gain expertise in this process.
Mausi : So right now he don't know anything about car delivery process, it's not a new concept. It is become an essential service expectation, needing serious consideration?
Shaileen_Jay : no no no where did I say such thing aunty, knows the process but,...but every car delivery can’t get a demo, from basics like how to pair your smartphone to demonstrating other important features and safety devices. After all this information is in the owner's manual hidden in a secret compartment inside the car. Now also online. Showing the location of ignition button should suffice with an assurance to give detailed home demo.
Thinking how to satisfy such 'sky-high expectations'.. sometimes the poor man forgets to install the accessories and fastag.
Mausi : Forgets to install fully paid items?
Shaileen_Jay : Yes aunt, now this f insurance thing is like this, what should I say now?
Mausi : hey, what?! delivers the car without insurance?
Shaileen_Jay : no no no where did I say such thing aunty, No car delivery without insurance, Period.
he is so nice and kind, just a little messy with documentation. Minor mismatch in numbers, dates are off, kind of minor printing mistakes. But you will appreciate his perseverance, will collect the full payment in advance.
but aunty, we should look from his perspective once proforma invoice was signed by you then there’s no sense of right or wrong in it. What he could do if someone grabbed him by the hand and pulled him in to do a price matching with the proforma invoice.
If someone asks then he has to say the registration, insurance, warranty charges vary from city to suburb.
.. Now what is the fault of poor Dealerru in this?
Mausi: Well said son, he forget things, he makes documentation errors, but none of is his fault.
Shaileen_Jay : Aunt, you totally misunderstood my friend. He is so simple and innocent that if you want PPF done on the car then he proactively and unilaterally takes a decision to not even paste Fastag. He doesn’t give a damn if you are caught red-face on a toll, it’s after all your fault that you live in the suburbs. You should appreciate the experience of been taken for a ride by an expert.
.. Try booking a car from Dealerru, you will feel these tans fade as soon as the booking cheque gets cleared.
Mausi : Well son, you are explaining to me an old lady, such well-practised bad habits are like railroad tracks, are not easy to get rid of.
Shaileen_Jay : Mausi you don’t know Dealerru, Trust me he is not like this. Once the vehicle is delivered…

Silver Lining hope of something good: Chapter 4

As highlighted by esteemed Team-BHPian’s a sales experience shouldn’t put you off the brand. Even though they leave a lot to be desired for, sometimes even in its most basic sense.
However, it’s the actual product & driving experience that will keep you smiling in the years to come, not the dealer.
In this journey I also met Amol Chitre of Optimum Detailerz, A true car enthusiast a transparent, honest, and frank person.
I feel meeting Amol is the silver lining since knowingly or unknowingly he helped create the D-day I visualized all along. From showroom I went straight to his setup in Chembur as I entered he was starting his day with Pooja and we were able to be part of that. And 'lo and behold’ that day was also one of the team member’s birthday so we were part of cake cutting also.
I would complete my thoughts with few pictures since these are worth a thousand words.

Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with Amol or Optimum Detailerz. But couldn't find any better pics than what he has taken.

[Thundergrey]

Hello Everyone,

Thought process before Buying

I was on the lookout for a luxury vehicle. My criteria in order were safety for my family, comfortable ride and easy to drive city vehicle. I quickly narrowed it down to the Germans, Volvo and the Hyundai Tucson. In my heart I wanted to go for the Volvo XC60. However both me and my wife have not driven a vehicle in over 8 years. I contacted Volvo for a test drive and they gave me the XC 40 first. I'll be honest, I did not seriously consider buying this, my heart wanted the XC60. However, when I first glanced at the XC40, I was quite impressed at how beautiful it looked from the front and the side. During the test drive I was super impressed by the buttery smooth engine, the light steering, the confidence the vehicle inspired by being firmly planted. I mean I was truly impressed in the test drive. I drove a few other vehicles namely the X1, the GLC and XC60.

I did not want to do more test drives as my heart wanted the XC40 now. The XC60 though very beautiful and luxurious inside, I could not allow myself to pay that extra 23-25 odd lakh when the XC40 was every bit the car I needed and indeed desired. So I decided to go for it. The Pricing breakdown came to 44.5Lakh ex showroom. On-Road it came to 59 Lakh, with a Insurance, some accessories, 5 year warranty and 5 year package included. The road tax in Hyderabad is killing almost coming to 8Lakh @ 18%.

Hint - no need to take a boot 3d mat, it serves no purpose.

Side note- I got a PPF finish and topped it up with a ceramic coat as well and the car looks real shiny.

Initial Impressions in the city

In the city the mileage is not fantastic but bearable, it comes to 7kmpl in rush hour traffic. About 9-10 in flowing city traffic. So lets say an average of 8ish. The start stop function which disables the engine and runs on battery at traffic lights and stalled traffic lanes does not seem to work when the temperature is above 35 degrees. So in the afternoon it almost never works. In the morning and evenings the start stop function works well and seems to up the mileage a bit. The driving is smooth, the steering is really light, the car does not ask you to push it, it is very relaxing in heavy traffic, the seats are comfortable and everyone in the car is relaxed. Considering I have a toddler and an infant, that is a big blessing. I have installed a Luvlap baby seat with an ISOFIX setup for my infant and my toddler sits on a booster seat. The car is well insulated and we can not hear the outside engine noise. The Air Conditioning works well, however it takes some time to cool at the back ,with some tweaking of all the vents, one can optimize air flow a bit better, still this is something to be improved on. Small Bumps and ditches are absorbed fairly well especially at speeds above 25kmph. Everyone who sits in the car is fairly impressed at the setup inside, it does look very beautiful especially with the white/cream seats . Being a Volvo, there are some very handy storage solutions. Comfort is great for my family size and city driving is not stressful .The car is small SUV but in length only, it is wider than most cars in its segment. The car feels built like a tank, that reassuring thud when you close the doors is really nice. It has an android inbuilt system, so google maps comes as a default in the infotainment system which is very handy. The maps are nicely setup on the dashboard, so there is no need to look everywhere but forward. The Harman Kardon sound system is quite nice which when played on less than half volume almost fully insulates the car from outside noise. The car is built with an air purifier system which is a nice feature. Almost everything has to be accessed from the infotainment system, most you can do by voice command but some can be a bit distracting while driving. The cars safety functions have already intervened twice, once when reversing out of a blind spot, the car braked autonomously to prevent a collision with a biker coming from the wrong side of the road. Once it braked to avoid a collision on the highway when the forward vehicle braked hard and though my wife braked, the safety systems decided it was not enough and braked even harder to avoid impact. That's a big thumbs up to see the safety systems at work. To sum it up in the city, this car really lets everyone relax and is not difficult to drive. I have to give it to the Volvo engineers who have made this SUV a great city drive.

Highway Drive - Hyderabad to Bangalore
For the highway, I adjusted the steering to "Steering feel firm" mode, it kind of gives it a heavier feel as the steering is too light for high speed drives. There are no drive modes as such. The engine was good and responsive. However there is turbo-lag, when one pushes the accelerator, it feels like a second or so before that 2 litre engine reacts with ferocity. So the push becomes a bit sudden. The car I've realized is meant to be driven with linear power delivery(Of-course its a Volvo), it can push its boundaries but there is a little turbo lag, I am not sure if its the gearbox or the Turbocharger that causes that one second lag. It feels like turbo lag, as it is just for a split second. I do not mind it that much. Here the Adaptive Cruise control is great, set it to your desired speed and distance and the car just drives you to your destination. It works well, it slows down automatically as the vehicle ahead of you slows down and accelerates fast as soon as you begin an overtake. The lane assist aid is pretty good and does the job, you have to fight it when changing lanes unless you put on the indicator. As mentioned above the Collision avoidance braking did one appearance on the highway and it does give you the reassurance that you are in good hands with the car who will do everything it can to avoid an accident or a bump. Driving with 2 kids can be a hassle but the music system and some Eagles songs kept my infant asleep for the most part in her baby seat. In the early morning, I kept the sun roof open for my toddler who was fascinated by it. Of-course being an Indian summer I had to close it by 0930 and blast the A/C the remainder of the way. The car was a joy, me and my wife split driving duties, however it can be driven by a single driver the whole way without stopping, it is that comfortable. For the 1st section of 300 Km we got an average mileage of 16.7KMPL for an average speed of 85KMPH which was surprising. However the next 300 I decided to speed up a bit and then the mileage dropped a bit. We ended the whole 580Kms with an average mileage of 15.3KmpL. The suspensions are good enough that you will not feel small bumps above 25kmph and can take most big bumps without you feeling jarred inside. The car is planted and gives immense confidence while driving at high speeds. For the most part I did not push it and kept and average of 85-90KMPH. For a brief period when the road allowed I pushed it to 120KMPH and it was a breeze for the vehicle, no strain whatsoever, the vehicle can go much over and beyond but I am not doing it with 2 kids in the car. In brief the ride was silent and comfortable. We also managed to do it on one tank with a quarter tank or more to spare. The boot space was more than enough for a family of 4(2 small kids with plenty of diapers and wipes) on a one week vacation. We did not even have to remove the soft upper cover to maximize boot space.

Side note- The ceramic coating ensured that when the car came to the hotel in Bangalore the car was for the most part still clean and very shiny and didn't need much cleaning when we arrived.

[Fiatfan]

Hi Thundergrey, Congrats on your new Volvo, it is known for a safe build and excellent driving dynamics.

Coming to the safety aspect,If I remember there was a thread upon which quite a few BHPian friends focused on the sunroof utility aspect, I was also very concerned when I used to see kids standing putting their heads out from the sunroof, I don't want to spoil your new car experience by bringing this topic.

In the picture I saw your son standing from the sunroof above,My sincere request is to try to discourage now itself in the beginning for your children not to get into the habit of standing, because that is not what it is meant for and it is not safe.

My apologies if I have hurt your feelings.

Drive safe and enjoy many years of happy driving.

Fiatfan

[Thundergrey]

Originally Posted by Fiatfan

Drive safe and enjoy many years of happy driving.

Yes, I completely agree, I never let anyone stand let alone sit in my car without the seatbelt, when the vehicle is moving. Thank you for your concern.

[Thundergrey]

The New Volvo Xc40 B4 Ultimate Variant lacks the following features

1. AWD - No AWD, only Front wheel drive available. There is an option to switch to Off Road Mode, which I believe improves traction and can be driven only at speeds below 40KMPH.

2. No 360 Degree Camera - It is equipped with a lot of sensors which are very handy for parking however the 360 Degree camera is missing, not such a big issue for me considering the amount of sensors to help park ,but it could have been provided.

3. No Park in and Park out function- I used to be fascinated watching the Volvo cars on Youtube utilize the park in feature where the car self parks itself either parallal or in a perpendicular fashion. You get a Park assist feature which basically stops the car from colliding and alerts you when you are too close to a wall or car while parking.

4) No Drive Modes- The car does not come with ECO, City or Sport Mode. While the car performs admirably, there is no mode to boost or drop performance.

5)No Paddle shifters near the wheel - To change gears manually, you will have to do it on the crystal gear knob.

These are not complaints as such, the car is very admirable. This is is to point out some features which are missing(some are available in the B5 variant which is not for sale in India)