XC40 Recharge is horribly inefficient and the inside looks like old man turned into cars.
I had a test drive of the Geely Volvo XC40 Recharge AWD on the weekend just past. It's a really nice small BEV, but it's not what I expected from a Volvo - it's nice inside but it's just a generic mid spec car with a clunky android tablet interface. Certainly no sign of Scandinavian design influence just a sea of black and mostly hard plastic with a matte finish in places to make it look classier than it is. It's a bit of a tomb if you have the sunroof blind closed.
But it drove really well, was AWD, had decent room and a decent boot. If you were thinking of one and had younger kids I'd definitely test fit seats as the rear door aperture is a little small. Having changed many nappies in the back of a Forester in my time I can say I'd be just as happy using the XC40 for that.
At $81k, and the next shipment due in Australia mid next year, you might as well put down a (apparently fully refundable) 2k deposit, and if by June we don't have a Y LR then pay the remainder and get the XC40.
I already have a 3P from 2019 and I'm now needing more cars with more drivers (and especially needing cars that P platers can drive which the 3P is not), it's a way better choice than the MG (at nearly twice the price), but with 8 months to next shipment they might as well not bother if the Y can get here in quantity and in time. If you could drive one away today and could afford it I think you'd like it a lot. I'm guessing the 81k on road won't make it overly competitive against a Y LR AWD either.
Personally I can wait, but for my Dad who was shopping to replace his previous gen Tiguan it would be a great choice, if the Y never comes. Yes it's less efficient but it's not much worse than what I get in my 3P (222 in the Geely vs 190 in the 3P), and for a city run-about with ease of entry/exit for the more motion limited it's a good choice. The inefficiency is nothing compared to buying a new fossil car in 2022 anyway.
Can't bring the Y here fast enough, but neither can the alternatives, so it's a dead loss all around at the moment.