[TEST DRIVE] ‘iPhone on wheels’: Volvo C40 Recharge offers tech-loaded EV ride

The Volvo C40 Recharge is back with a smarter infotainment system, with “Aria” AI assistant that can do everything for the drivers — even tell you some jokes when feeling tired at the wheel.

The updated Volvo C40 Recharge, the Swedish brand's first all-electric vehicle [VOLVO CAR KOREA]

GANGNEUNG, Gangwon — The Volvo C40 Recharge is back with a smarter infotainment system and an “Aria” AI assistant that can do everything for the drivers — even tell you some jokes when feeling tired at the wheel.

From starting the engine to finding nearby charging stations, Aria is able to do almost every function drivers must do inside the car using only voice commands. The updates are dramatic, according to Volvo, as the carmaker describes it as "iPhones on wheels."

The Volvo C40 Recharge is Volvo's first all-electric model, as well as the first Coupe SUV model from the Gothenburg, Sweden-based automaker in its 95-year history.

The Korea JoongAng Daily recently got behind the updated C40 Recharge on an 80-kilometer (50-mile) course from Goseong to Gangneung, both in Gangwon.

Interior of the Volvo C40 Recharge [VOLVO CAR KOREA]

The C40 Recharge has no engine start button, just like Teslas. Get in the car, fasten the seat belt and with your foot firmly on the brake, move the gear stick into D — the driving mode — then the car is ready to drive.

It's simpler when you get out of the car. Shift the gear stick into P — the parking mode — and step out of the car and the engine will switch itself off.

"Aria, let's go for a test drive," was all this reporter said, and the car automatically set the destination and showed the TMAP on the center display. Volvo and SK Telecom jointly invested 30 billion won ($24.7 million) in the system as it is the most popular navigation service for Korean drivers.

The Routine service has been newly added up, where drivers can set up their schedules or other functions for their "routines," so that the system can remember them and automatically demonstrate those when the driver calls the Aria.

Aria is accurate and very responsive to all questions such as "Give me a briefing about today's Kospi market," or "Which team won yesterday's baseball game?"

A real-time traffic light information tracker service has been newly added, which notifies the drivers how many seconds the green light left until turning red. [VOLVO CAR KOREA]

Aria seems very smart, but Volvo did not want to lose its reputation as the "safest car in the world."

One command Aria did not follow was, "Open the window," and this is to prevent "children to make the command, which can possibly cause serious accidents," or "children to throw something out of the window, which is also very risky," said a spokesperson for Volvo Car Korea.

Funnily enough, it can also tell a joke. When this reporter finished the two-hour-plus test drive and arrived at the destination, Aria said, "Great job on your long drive, you must be very tired, I'll give you a joke, what kind of soup you should have when you feel cold?"

It answered, "Chueotang," which is a Korean traditional loach soup, with the pronunciation of "chueo" in Korean also meaning "cold."

A real-time traffic light information tracker service has been added as well, which notifies the drivers how many seconds the green light has left until it turns red. But whether the service is comfortable or not could not be verified during the test drive as it is currently only available in Seoul.

The rear of the Volvo C40 Recharge [VOLVO CAR KOREA]

The internet is also free inside the car for five years for new Volvo owners, but it is not available when you are actually driving the car to ensure safety.

"I would like to introduce the C40 Recharge as the iPhone on wheels," said Lee Man-shik, head of sales and marketing at Volvo Car Korea. "Volvo is evolving, and advancing to maximize the satisfaction of Korean customers, our No. 1 consumer in the Asia Pacific region."

The updated C40 Recharge can run 407 kilometers per single charge, up 51 kilometers from the previous version.

The sticker price of the car starts from 68.6 million won in Korea, which is pricier than its rivals such as the Genesis GV60 and Mercedes-Benz’s EQA but cheaper than in other major countries like the United States and Germany.

The EX30 is slated to be introduced in Korea in late November, with the EX90 planned for the first half of next year, according to Volvo Car Korea.

The updated Volvo C40 Recharge, the Swedish brand's first all-electric vehicle [VOLVO CAR KOREA]

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]