2004 Volvo S40 T5 Sedan 4-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

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Best luxury SUVs of 2022 and 2023

Once upon a time, the idea of a luxury SUV meant a Range Rover, and even that was pretty agricultural by modern standards. Then Jeep Grand Cherokees and Ford Explorers started offering fancy, range-topping versions followed soon by Lexus, BMW and Mercedes dipping their toes in the water. And then the floodgates opened. Today, there is a staggering number of luxury SUVs available in every shape, size and price point. There are electric luxury SUVs like the Tesla Model X and Jaguar I-Pace, as well as gas-swilling, high-performance SUVs like the BMW X5 M and Cadillac Escalade V. Sports car makers Porsche, Aston Martin and Lamborghini have even dived in.  But of this great many, which are the best luxury SUVs? We sat down, scoured our reviews, took some votes, had some discussions and came up with the luxury SUVs we view as the best. They are listed alphabetically within the six segments listed below.  Best Subcompact Luxury SUV   |   Best Compact Luxury SUV   |   Best Midsize Luxury SUV (Two-Row) Best Midsize Luxury SUV (Three-Row)   |   Best Flagship Luxury SUV (Two-Row)   |   Best Flagship Luxury SUV (Three-Row)  Best subcompact luxury SUVs Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class Why it stands out: Outstanding space and versatility; legit luxury interior; amusing GLB 35 versionCould be better: Overwhelming and confusing tech interface Most subcompact luxury SUVs are a dubious value, with cramped interiors of marginal quality and unrefined driving dynamics. You'd be much better off paying less money for a loaded, non-luxury compact SUV. The Mercedes GLB is different, though. Its boxy design provides space few other subcompact SUV can match (luxury or otherwise), while its cabin design and feature content are in keeping with pricier Mercedes models. The quality's not exactly up to GLC standards, nor is driving refinement, but the difference is appropriate for how much you're saving and still perfectly acceptable. There's nothing dubious about buying a GLB.     Volvo XC40 Why it stands out: More features for the money; spacious and versatile interior; distinctive design; electric versionCould be better: Fuel-efficient base engine only available with FWD Most subcompact luxury models feel a bit like cheap knockoffs of their bigger, pricier brand mates. The XC40, by contrast, is a break from the Volvo norm in a good way.

Volvo will issue world's first EV battery passport ahead of EU rules for 2027

LONDON — Volvo Cars is launching the world's first EV battery passport recording the origins of raw materials, components, recycled content and carbon footprint for its flagship EX90 SUV, which is about to start production, the Swedish automaker told Reuters. The passport was developed by Volvo, which is owned by China's Geely, in partnership with UK startup Circulor, which uses blockchain technology to map supply chains for companies, and took over five years to develop. Battery passports will be mandatory for electric vehicles (EVs) sold in the European Union from February 2027 showing the composition of batteries, including the origin of key materials, their carbon footprint and recycled content. Volvo's head of global sustainability Vanessa Butani told Reuters that introducing the passport nearly three years before regulations kick in was aimed at being transparent with car buyers as the automaker targets producing only fully-electric cars by 2030. "It's really important for us to be a pioneer and a leader," Butani said. The EX90 SUV with a battery passport is due to start production soon at Volvo's plant in Charleston, South Carolina, and will be delivered to customers in Europe and North America from the second half of the year. Volvo owners can access a simplified version of the passport using a QR code on the inside of the driver's door. Butani said the passport would be gradually rolled out to all of Volvo's EVs. A more complete version of the passport will be passed to regulators. It will also include up-to-date information on the EV battery's state of health - vital for assessing used EV values - for 15 years and will Volvo cost around $10 per car, Circulor CEO Douglas Johnson-Poensgen told Reuters. Circulor's system traces battery materials from the mine to individual cars, piggybacking on suppliers' production systems to track materials throughout the supply chain and checking suppliers' monthly energy bills - and how much of their energy comes from renewable sources in order to calculate a total carbon footprint. If Volvo brings on board a supplier, Circulor will need to audit it to keep information current, Johnson-Poensgen said. The passport has also required changes in how Volvo traces parts through its manufacturing process to understand the origins of every part in every vehicle. "Car manufacturing has never been about which rock went into which component and which got connected to which car," Johnson-Poensgen said.

2024 Volvo C40 Recharge and XC40 Recharge add RWD, bigger battery pack

Volvo revealed rear-wheel-drive versions of its C40 Recharge and XC40 Recharge for Europe a few months ago, but mum was the word on U.S. availability. That changes today, as Volvo just debuted a host of updates and changes coming to the electric SUVs sold here. The big, new offering is that both the 2024 C40 Recharge and 2024 XC40 Recharge will be available in entry-level rear-wheel-drive models. Volvo developed a new and more efficient 248 horsepower electric motor that will sit on the rear axle for these models. The battery pack is also updated to be more energy dense, so it’s now an 82 kilowatt-hour pack instead of a 78 kWh pack. Combine the more efficient motor with the bigger battery pack, and range skyrockets past the old AWD models. In this RWD configuration, the 2024 C40 Recharge is EPA-rated for 297 miles of range, and the XC40 Recharge at 293 miles.  Additionally, the charging experience should be greatly improved, as Volvo says itÂ’s upgraded the maximum charge speed to 200 kW instead of the 150 kW it could manage previously. A 10-80% charge should now take approximately 28 minutes instead of the 40 minutes Volvo estimated previously. ThatÂ’s going to make a big difference if youÂ’re road tripping with multiple stops. The dual-motor AWD version of both cars are getting some updates, too. Instead of the identical motors on the front and rear axle, Volvo is putting its new 248 horsepower motor on the rear and a lower power 147 horsepower motor on the front axle. That front motor is only engaged when itÂ’s needed, so Volvo says this updated AWD model will be more efficient than before. Unfortunately, both the C40 and XC40 Recharge AWD models will retain the old 78 kWh battery pack. This also means theyÂ’re saddled with the slower 150 kW charge speed. That said, the efficiency improvements from the new electric motor setup means range increases anyway. It goes up by 31 miles for the C40 Recharge to 257 miles, and by 21 miles for the XC40 Recharge to 254 miles. Other updates to the C40 Recharge and XC40 Recharge models include a new 19-inch aero wheel option, more paint colors and additional exterior themes to choose from. Updated pricing is not yet available. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.