Recently we attended the Volvo Ocean Race in Cape Town courtesy of Volvo Car South Africa. The Volvo Ocean Race is a yacht race around the world, held every three years. The race typically departs Europe in October, and in recent editions, has had either 9 or 10 legs, with in-port races at many of the stopover cities.  Cape Town plays host to one of the in-port races. We were fortunate to witness the teams taking part in the current edition of the Volvo Ocean Race take on each other up-close and personal.

The digs

Volvo went big on the accommodation and put us up at the Table Bay Hotel at V&A Waterfront. The Hotel has a distinct honour of having been opened by noble laureate, former president Nelson Mandela, in 1997. According to Cape Town Magazine, within six months of its existence, the hotel was admitted into the exclusive ranks of the Leading Hotels in the World, and since that time it’s been the recipient of numerous awards, including the World Luxury Travel Award for Best Luxury Coastal Hotel in South Africa and the Conde Nast Travellers top 20 Hotels of the World in 2011. Apart from the accolades the hotel has bagged over the years, the hotel’s stature is best confirmed by its long list of illustrious patrons including Charlize Theron, Richard Branson, and former American first-lady Michelle Obama.

The surprise

Apart from pampering us, Volvo ensured that our motoring souls got enriched. We got to see two of their upcoming models, the XC60 and the XC40. The XC60 has been reworked from ground up and the XC40 is a brand new vehicle in the Volvo line up. Naturally the new kid on the block grabbed our attention.

The Volvo XC40 will do battle against likes of Audi Q2, BMW X1 and Mercedes Benz GLA. That’s some formidable competition but the XC40 has nothing to fear. This is well put together like its older brother, the XC90. The interior oozes the quality that has come to be expected of Volvo of late. Not only is the car beautiful but it is well built. The car also has a bit of a unique look. Yes, the front has the standard Volvo look but the side profile and back is uniquely XC40 and youthful. Perhaps the best news about the XC40 is the confirmed starting price of R479,000. This makes the XC40 one of Volvo’s most affordable offerings in South Africa.  This will undoubtedly be one of the XC40’s most endearing factors. Seeing plenty of these on the road will capitulate the Swedish brand further and further up the luxury stakes in South Africa. Here are some of our images of the XC40 from the Volvo Ocean race. Enjoy.

Volvo XC40 side profile

Quality interior

Decent legroom at the back

Here is a short video with Volvo Car South Africa MD, Greg Maruszewski, where we talk about the upcoming Volvo XC40.