Volvo has just launched the XC40 T4 R-Design petrol variant in India. As Autocar India reported earlier, the BMW X1 rival is priced at Rs 39.9 lakh (ex-showroom, India). This will be the Swedish carmaker’s first petrol offering in the premium small SUV segment, as the XC40 has only been offered with a diesel engine option in India since its launch.

Mechanically, the XC40 now comes with a BS6-compliant, 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine which produces 190hp and 300Nm of torque. The engine is paired to an 8-speed automatic gearbox and unlike its diesel-powered counterpart, the XC40 petrol version sports a front-wheel-drive layout instead of an all-wheel-drive layout.

“The XC40 T4 R-Design is our first petrol offering in the entry-level SUV segment. It is also the ‘European Car of the Year 2018’. Our attractive pricing for the R-Design will gain a lot of traction for this variant. We are conscious of the customer’s preferences in features and made this entry level variant fully loaded.” said Charles Frump, MD, Volvo Car India.

As the XC40 petrol is available only in the R-Design trim, features like panoramic sunroof, wireless charging for smart phones, a 9.0-inch portrait-oriented infotainment screen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 14-speaker Harmon Kardon sound system, dual-zone climate control, front and rear park-assist pilot (hands-free parking), diamond-cut alloy wheels and a powered tailgate come as standard.

When the XC40 was first launched in our market, it was only available as the R-Design variant with the 2.0-litre diesel engine. Later, Volvo increased prices of the XC40 and added two variants to the range – a lower spec Momentum trim level (priced at Rs 39.9 lakh) and a higher-spec Inscription trim level (priced at Rs 43.9 lakh). Volvo has since then discontinued the R-Design trim-level from the diesel engine range.

In the Indian market, the Volvo XC40’s petrol variant rivals the likes of the petrol-powered versions of the BMW X1 (sDrive 20i xLine), the Mercedes-Benz GLA (GLA 200), the Audi Q3 (30TFSI) and the Mini Countryman (Cooper S).

As per our previous report, Volvo is also working towards bringing the XC40 Recharge EV to our market and the Swedish firm is also looking into the possibility of local assembly to keep prices in check.

All priced are ex-showroom, India