MOTORNETNEWS  ROAD  TEST  -  AUGUST  2007

VOLVO  S40  DIESEL SEDAN

Volvo styling has come a long way from the days of "ugly but reliable" and the current S40 small sedan is a sure sign that future Volvos will be even more stylish. The corporate Volvo grille sets the S40 apart from the rest of the pack and the classic lines exude an understated elegance that stamps this as a smart, cut-above-the-others type of car. Add a quiet diesel motor that is flexible and economical, European ride quality and the in-built safety and reliability that Volvo is famous for and you have an extremely desirable car for under $45,000.

OUTSIDE:

The Volvo S40 is a well balanced design with very little overhang at each end, subtly flared guards filled very nicely with five-spoke alloy wheels, a bare minimum of exterior decoration and snugly fitting panels with excellent paint finish.

There is a very attractive sculpted line from the corners of the grille right along the car to the wraparound taillights and a neat third window along the side that takes away the normal bulkiness of the C pillar. The headlight nacelles are set back from the protruding grille and house smart projector-style lights. Beneath the grille is a wide air intake with well protected fog/driving lights at each end.

Side mirrors, door handles, bumper inserts and side mouldings are all body coloured adding the sleek appearance. The roof line is almost like a coupe and the short rear deck is flanked by the large tail lamp assemblies and topped by a subtle lip spoiler. The rear bumper offers excellent protection and has a full width insert for even more protection.

Twin chrome-tipped exhausts peep out from under the rear bumper and the wide recessed section for the number plate is wide and deep enough to take a variety of different sized plates with modifying the plates themselves.

The bonnet opens very easily with a gas strut  and reveals a very tidy and impressive layout for the diesel power plant. No untidy wiring or a maze of pipes, just a clean, plain layout with excellent access to screen washer, engine oil dipstick and coolant. 

The four doors provide good access to the cabin although the  roof line drops down at the rear and could be a head-banger for taller passengers.

INSIDE:

Understated luxury is the theme inside the S40 where four adults or two plus three children will find a comfortable ambience. The seats all have very good leg room and are very cosy.  The front seats have good lateral support as well as adjustable lumber support. The interior trim was in mid and light grey optional leather and grained plastic - well fitted and nice to the touch. 

The S40 has the unique Volvo 'floating console' in the centre where the controls for the audio and air-conditioning systems are in a panel that sits out from the dashboard and conceals a handy rubber-lined storage bin. This styling feature gives the Volvo a very modern look and  perfectly compliments to minimalist controls.  

The console is finished in a brushed silver style and the controls are simple to use and clearly marked. There are remote controls for the audio and cruise control on the 3-spoke, fully adjustable steering wheel.

Storage is taken care of by the aforementioned space behind the dash console plus a handy-sized glove box, door pockets and a centre armrest bin with twin cupholders.

Each visor has a covered and illuminated vanity mirror.

LUGGAGE AREA:

One doesn't expect that a small car will have a huge luggage boot but Volvo's engineers have somehow found more space that you would have thought possible. The area will swallow a family's holiday luggage and, if more space was wanted for long items, the rear seats split fold easily.

The solid, flat floor covers a steel wheel with a temporary-use spare tyre - not the best of arrangements if you are going to use the S40 for long trips into the country where towns are far apart and tyre availability can be a problem. There is no lip to lift luggage over as the boot floor is flush with the indent in the rear bumper. 

There's a boot light, an internal recess in the lid for easy closing without getting your hands dirty and twin tie-down lugs are fitted to keep good in place. Another good feature for a family car is that the child restraint lugs are attached to the seat backs and not on the boot floor where the straps could interfere with the storage space.

ON THE ROAD:

Smooth, relatively quiet and high torque diesel engines are all the go in Europe and the one in the Volvo S40 is typical of this modern trend. Maximum torque of 350Nm is developed from as low as 1,750rpm and this gives the S40 a wonderful flexibility especially in traffic where you are not constantly changing gears. The diesel pulls away strongly form almost idle and acceleration is almost sports car like.

Under hard acceleration the engine noise rises a bit but normally this is very suppressed and doesn't intrude. At highway and urban speeds the engine is very quiet and wind and road noise are minimal. The 5-speed Geartonic automatic transmission is very smooth with imperceptible changes and no hunting for the right gear. 

The ride is smooth and supple yet road holding and handling are very precise with virtually no body roll. The Europeans seem to be very good at getting the balance between ride and handling down to perfection. Steering is precise and not over-powered, brakes are excellent. The S40 feels confident on the road . It is an easy and pleasurable car to drive in both high traffic and open highway conditions.

One small drawback is the large head restraints that do block rearward vision considerably. I found that I had to remove the rear centre one in order to have passable rear vision.  

Economy is what you get a diesel for and the S40 doesn't disappoint. The 2.4-litre turbo diesel  returned 9.7 l/100km in urban traffic and a very low 5.5 on freeway and highway driving. The engine develops 132kW and the aforementioned 350Nm of torque and it is the torque figure that makes the difference between a car that needs to be constantly dropped into a lower gear and one that cruises along in traffic without fuss.

PRICE:                $44,950 plus on road costs - 5-speed automatic only available.   

STANDARD:       Dual front, head & side airbags; ABS brakes with Brake Assist System & Electronic Brake Distribution; dual climate control air-conditioning; 16" alloy wheels; cruise control; central remote locking;  6-speaker audio system; fog/driving lights; engine immobiliser; power mirrors, steering & windows; seat belt pre-tensioners; trip computer; Traction Control  System;

OPTIONS:            17" alloy wheels $1,500; 6-stack CD player$795; Dynamic Stability Control $2,190; leather upholstery $3,600; metallic paint $1,350; Parking Distance Control $550; sports seats $2,280; Xenon headlamps $2,100.owered driver's seat $1,950; power sun roof $2,150