Volvo down-specc’d our new XC40

[RandyD]

About a year ago I ordered a new XC40 Recharge model (i.e. full electric) from a local dealer. The car is now ready for collection.

At the time the dealer had a great offer on with a free upgrade to the next spec model so we ended up ordering the ultimate spec. over the plus version. Also we were offered regular finance so avoiding either paying in full or going for their subscription model. This was at a great interest rate also 6.6% APR, so better that what you would get today.

Sounds great, the car was originally slated to come in October last year but was pushed out several times until it finally arrived today.

Now the downside, most of the car is as per spec., but two critical items are not:

1) headlight downgraded from pixel led to led
2) foglights downgraded to the basic non-cornering version

The dealer has said the price is capped at a £700 reduction by Volvo.

We asked of they could be retrofitted, but apparently not as the pixel lights require a specific fitment that is only added when the car is manufactured so it’s basically take it or leave it.

Apparently the dealer says that pixel lights will no longer be offered with the XC40 although they are available on the C40. The cornering fog-lights also are not available. I’ve checked and the volvo web site still shows the car with both of these features.

We are going to the dealer tomorrow to look the car over and decide if we still want it or not. Frankly we will probably take it as there are still a lot of free add-ons due to the original deal but it will leave a bad taste in the mouth. I’m also guessing that the dealer will have a bunch of people also waiting who would be glad to have the car.

I’m curious to what others here think, how much difference is there really and what would you do in this situation? Also do you think we have been fed a lie or else subject so some kind of bait and switch tactics to maximise profit or minimise cost to volvo?

Finally - its also a case of buyer beware in case you end up in the same situation.

[Lancee]

I doubt I will be liked for saying it but IMHO both are things that might well be wanted but are not needed. However did we manage before ?

AND these things will incur additional expense if/when they go wrong and need repair.

Again, just my opinion, but cars are generally becoming overloaded with largely uneccessary "gadgets" which are then horrendously expensive to repair if they subsequently develop a fault. People seem to have forgotten what the basic purpose of a car is/was meant to be.

I guess you are well within to reject the car, if nothing else on principal, but are these items worth the fuss ? Perhaps £700 could be spent elsewhere more valuably in these current times ?

[SuffolkBoy]

Hi,
The pixel lights haven’t been available on the MY23 XC40 Recharge models for several months, due to the worldwide shortage of microprocessors apparently.
I think what you need to consider is how much night driving you do…if it’s not much, then you are not really going to miss either of these features as neither will be used during daylight hours.
If you do a lot of night driving, then you need to weigh up how much difference these features will make to your driving experience, and if you can’t live without them, walk away from the car (that you have waited a year for!), and order another car and possibly wait for another 6 to 9 months for it.
In my view, the XC40 Recharge Ultimate is a great car to drive, even without those 2 features.

[Lancee]

Originally Posted by SuffolkBoy

Hi,
The pixel lights haven’t been available on the MY23 XC40 Recharge models for several months, due to the worldwide shortage of microprocessors apparently.
I think what you need to consider is how much night driving you do…if it’s not much, then you are not really going to miss either of these features as neither will be used during daylight hours.
If you do a lot of night driving, then you need to weigh up how much difference these features will make to your driving experience, and if you can’t live without them, walk away from the car (that you have waited a year for!), and order another car and possibly wait for another 6 to 9 months for it.
In my view, the XC40 Recharge Ultimate is a great car to drive, even without those 2 features.

And perhaps how much driving you do in fog ?

[Ulrikas PA]

Its your money and your choice to do what you like.

The dealer isn't lying about components and head office rules, and you can't fit yourself.

If it was my money I would want the car at the reduced price.

Are there any dealer fit genuine Volvo accessories that you would like that the dealer can either include or give you at cost ?

[exmpa]

I purchased my XC40 “off the showroom floor”. It was just after the first lockdown and they clearly had a lot of metal to move so the price was very keen. I didn’t look in any detail at the specification as I was confident the trim level would be adequate for my needs. The car had some features I hadn’t expected; powered tailgate - wouldn’t be without it now: cornering fog lights - nice but could live without them again; and was missing a couple of items I assumed would be fitted.

There was no rear view camera which I judge as highly desirable if not essential, but I negotiated with the dealer to get one fitted. I had assumed it would have adaptive cruise control but it didn’t. However my useage pattern has changed and I really don’t miss it. I now tend to use the speed limiter most of the time and rarely use cruise control.

Whilst I can appreciate the irritation of not getting what you ordered, is it really a deal breaker? You do have the option of accepting the £700 or negotiating for another accessory.

exmpa

[baggy798]

Originally Posted by Lancee

And perhaps how much driving you do in fog ?

I leave my foglights on all the time as the car looks cooler with them on. It's all about the looks! 🤪

[RandyD]

Thanks for the comments - we took the car as its still a good deal and with interest rates having gone up we would end up worse off by buying an alternative car though someone else, the price was reduced by £700 even though we pushed for more as a goodwill gesture.

Hopefully the lights will be ok, but its a shame as my wife needs good lights for night driving due to her eyesight. This said the car will mostly be used for local driving so perhaps not so bad. Figuring also that we don’t like it then because of the offer saving us £5-6k overall, we can probably get our money back.

[sasdiscos]

Originally Posted by exmpa

I purchased my XC40 “off the showroom floor”. It was just after the first lockdown and they clearly had a lot of metal to move so the price was very keen. I didn’t look in any detail at the specification as I was confident the trim level would be adequate for my needs. The car had some features I hadn’t expected; powered tailgate - wouldn’t be without it now: cornering fog lights - nice but could live without them again; and was missing a couple of items I assumed would be fitted.

There was no rear view camera which I judge as highly desirable if not essential, but I negotiated with the dealer to get one fitted. I had assumed it would have adaptive cruise control but it didn’t. However my useage pattern has changed and I really don’t miss it. I now tend to use the speed limiter most of the time and rarely use cruise control.

Whilst I can appreciate the irritation of not getting what you ordered, is it really a deal breaker? You do have the option of accepting the £700 or negotiating for another accessory.

exmpa

Originally Posted by RandyD

About a year ago I ordered a new XC40 Recharge model (i.e. full electric) from a local dealer. The car is now ready for collection.

At the time the dealer had a great offer on with a free upgrade to the next spec model so we ended up ordering the ultimate spec. over the plus version. Also we were offered regular finance so avoiding either paying in full or going for their subscription model. This was at a great interest rate also 6.6% APR, so better that what you would get today.

Sounds great, the car was originally slated to come in October last year but was pushed out several times until it finally arrived today.

Now the downside, most of the car is as per spec., but two critical items are not:

1) headlight downgraded from pixel led to led
2) foglights downgraded to the basic non-cornering version

The dealer has said the price is capped at a £700 reduction by Volvo.

We asked of they could be retrofitted, but apparently not as the pixel lights require a specific fitment that is only added when the car is manufactured so it’s basically take it or leave it.

Apparently the dealer says that pixel lights will no longer be offered with the XC40 although they are available on the C40. The cornering fog-lights also are not available. I’ve checked and the volvo web site still shows the car with both of these features.

We are going to the dealer tomorrow to look the car over and decide if we still want it or not. Frankly we will probably take it as there are still a lot of free add-ons due to the original deal but it will leave a bad taste in the mouth. I’m also guessing that the dealer will have a bunch of people also waiting who would be glad to have the car.

I’m curious to what others here think, how much difference is there really and what would you do in this situation? Also do you think we have been fed a lie or else subject so some kind of bait and switch tactics to maximise profit or minimise cost to volvo?

Finally - its also a case of buyer beware in case you end up in the same situation.

What is the difference between pixel led and non pixel led may I ask?

Would my 2018 xc90 have pixel? I know it has adaptive active bending and fixed fog light cornering but can’t find anything about pixel led.

Point being it f it isn’t as I suspect it is still brilliant. And the cornering dogs only work below 25mph anyway.

Steve.