What's all this then?

This is the XC40, Volvos first ever baby SUV and doesn't it look handsome?

It kinda looks familiar.

Well, it is very like the 40.1 concept that previewed the new ‘40’ series of cars back in 2016 and it also shares many family features with its bigger siblings, the Volvos XC60 and XC90. It has the familiar 'Thor's Hammer' DRLs, a large upright grille and tall tail lights, too. However, if you look at the side of the XC40 it has a funky window line that kicks up at the C-pillar, which gives it its own unique appearance.

Anything new under the skin?

The XC40 is the first Volvo to be built on the new CMA (Compact Modular Architecture) platform. Volvo shares this platform with its Chinese parent company, Geely. The rest of the 40 series of cars will also use this platform in time.

What's powering it?

All 2.0-litre, four-cylinder Volvo Drive-E petrol and diesel engines, for the moment, but there will be a 'Twin Engine' plug-in hybrid and fully electric drivetrain in the future along with a 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine. In fact, it will be the first Volvo to use this new three-pot unit.

From launch, the options will be a 190hp D4 diesel and 247hp T5 petrol engine both with all-wheel drive and automatic gearboxes.

Other variants eventually hitting the market will be a 156hp T3 petrol with front-wheel drive and a manual gearbox and 190hp T4 petrol with all-wheel drive and automatic. There will also be a 150hp D3 diesel available with front- or all-wheel drive either of which can be mated to a manual or automatic transmission.

And the inside?

Neat and tidy is the name of the game for the XC40's cabin with Volvo saying it wants to help you keep your cabin clutter free yet still have everything close at hand. Therefore, the XC40 has loads of nifty design features like a 'curry hook' for hanging up bags, under-seat storage drawers, slots for coins and cards in the centre console, a pop-out bin under the centre armrest, door bins that keep your laptop safe and a handy space for your phone that also has inductive charging.

The XC40 also gets Volvo's lovely nine-inch portrait style touchscreen that has loads of built in features like satnav, real time traffic info and apps such as Spotify so you can listen to Abba, natch. There is also a customisable 12.3-inch TFT driver's instrument cluster located behind a lovely three-spoke multifunction steering wheel.

Any cool tech to impress the neighbours?

Plenty! The XC40 has some optional semi-autonomous driving features including Park Assist Pilot, with automatic parallel and 90-degree parking and Pilot Assist, which helps with steering at speeds up to 80mph and takes care of the acceleration and braking to keep the car within lane markings and at the desired speed or distance from any vehicle in front. That should be enough to make the Joneses envious.

Shut up and take my money.

That will be 27,905 of your British pounds for the T3 Momentum model, but if you want an XC40 hot off the production line you'll have to stump up £39,305 for the D4 First Edition or £40,355 for the T5 First Edition. These are the two cars that will be offered first come January 2018.