Volvo S40 Range Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Volvo S40 range
Prices: £14,295-£23,635 – on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 10-15
Emissions: 129-210g/km
Performance: [136bhp 2.0 diesel] Max Speed 130mph / 0-60mph 9.2s
Fuel Consumption: [136bhp 2.0 diesel] (urban) 37.7mpg / (extra urban) 62.8mpg / (combined) 50.4mpg
Safety: Twin front and curtain airbags, WHIPS seats, side impact protection system
Dimensions: Length/Width/Height, 4468/1770/1452mm

ROARING FORTIES

Our Rating: 7.1 / 10

The S40 has been a resounding success for Volvo over the past few years but the competition hasn’t been standing still. Here’s Volvo’s response. Andy Enright reports

Most of the tough stuff had already been done by the time Volvo’s S40 arrived at the start of 2004. Changing Volvo’s image from purely a manufacturer of setsquare vehicles built like tanks to that of a proper premium car maker producing modern, relevant, desirable models was a burden shouldered by cars like the original C70 and the S60. The S40 rode on the coat tails of this change in perception and did very nicely as a result. Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Volvo did much to capitalise on the market’s rapid acceptance of the S40, rolling out new engines and trim levels with frightening pace.

The usual industry rule of facelifting a model at three years old has applied in this instance and the latest S40 range looks a little different but retains much the same appeal as the car that has been selling as fast as the Swedish company can screw them together.

The range opens with 1.6 petrols and diesels, then come the 125bhp 1.8 and 145bhp 2.0-litre petrols followed by a 2.0-litre 136bhp diesel. Step up again and there’s a 180bhp five-cylinder D5 diesel that’s now offered with a slick six-speed manual transmission. The range is finally topped off by another five, this time the T5, now packing another 10bhp, lifting the total to 230bhp. If none of these appease you environmental conscience, there’s always the 1.8-litre Flexifuel model which runs on either normal unleaded or renewable E85 Bioethanol.

As you’d expect, the S40 rides on the same basic chassis set up as its estate counterpart, the V50, but it also shares the same underpinnings as other Ford group models like the Ford Focus and the Mazda3. That’s not to say the S40 is simply a rebodied Focus. Although the underbody, subframes and suspension layouts are the same on all these models, there’s vast scope for tuning of individual aspects, so all drive differently.

Volvo hasn’t skimped when it comes to safety, and they claim that the S40 is as good to crash in as the flagship S80 saloon. Making a small car as safe as a big ‘un takes some doing and it’s only when you look at some of the finer points of how Volvo have achieved this that you realise quite what this commitment means. It involves casting the turbo housing as one with the exhaust manifold so that the engine is more compact when mounted transversely, giving more space for crush zones. It means developing the Intelligent Driver Information System which monitors how hard you’re using the throttle, brakes and steering and will hold incoming telephone calls or satellite navigation instructions until things have calmed down so as not to distract

Volvo has made some small incremental improvements to the car’s look and feel. At the front end, the chrome-framed ‘egg-crate’ grille has been reprofiled and features a bigger Volvo badge. Clear lensed headlights and a wider air intake look a little more distinctive, while at the back there’s a revised LED tail light assembly as well as a modified bumper, boot handle and tail pipe design. Drop inside and the key design feature remains. It’s a centre console that’s a softly contoured moulding featuring supremely easy to use controls and fresh air behind it. You can even specify aluminium or semi-transparent plastic finishes and everybody who gets in will notice it. This is probably the neatest interior design feature we’ve come across since the original Audi TT was launched. Like that TT’s cabin, the S40’s feels like it belongs on a motor show stand. This time around, the controls have been altered while the centre tunnel storage area features a smaller handbrake and a revised armrest for better driver comfort.

Better cupholders, bigger door bins and an auxiliary input for the stereo under the armrest are all included while the instrument panels on the D5 and T5 models look a little racier. There’s now the choice of Nordic Light Oak for the floating centre stack or Virtual White if you’re feeling minimalist. The ‘spaceball’ gear selector is present and correct on manual cars. As with the previous S40, Volvo can only do so much with the wheelbase and space in the rear is a little tight but the huge boot comes as some consolation.

Prices start at £14,295 for the 1.6 petrol. You pay £18,120 for the S specification 2.0-litre diesel. You’ll need to add £1,500 to these prices for ritzier SE trim and the SE Lux starts at £20,295 for the 2.0-litre petrol car. On the sportier side of the range, the R-Design Sport model costs from £16,910 in 1.6-litre petrol form and the R-Design SE Sport comes from £20,595 for the 2.0-litre petrol engine. The D5 diesel is available from £21