Car reviews

Introduction

Volvo has never had much success with small cars. The 340 was a pure misunderstanding and the 440 was hardly any better. They finally managed to crack it at the 3rd attempt and the S40/V40 was actually a great car and it still keeps strong positions in the used car market. The estate car is marked with the V40 index, the S40 denoting a sedan version.

Exterior & Interior

The S40/V40 was created by a team led by the British designer Peter Horbury. It’s a solid and well-finished design that has won many accolades, including "The World’s Most Beautiful Estate Car". Not only does it looks great, the Volvo V40 was purposely designed to have a low drag coefficient. The well-proportioned body with high flanks and a subtle classic wedge shape makes the car look bigger and cooler than it actually is. Many have noted that the estate version is more beautiful than the sedan.

Underneath the stylish body panels, there is a host of safety features. The Volvo V40 has received several high marks for its safety equipment.

The interior is spacious and comfortable. From a team that built such a beautiful car, you’d expect a comparable effort with the interior design. Nevertheless, the inside of the V40 is rather restrained. The plastic centre console looks dull and uninspiring although it is slightly better with the higher trim level that includes real wood inlays and leather.

The cars come with a high level of equipment. The model line was updated twice, once in 1998 and again in 2001. Since 1998, the V40s come with side airbags and continues the tradition of Volvo cars being very safe.

It is often compared with another "beautiful" estate car, the Mercedes C-Class. The Volvo V40 offers 1420-litre boot space with folded seats. The C-Class has 1510 litres.

Drive

The Volvo V40 was built during a little known collaboration phase with Mitsubishi Motors. Volvo’s compact model has shared its platform and several major components with Mitsubishi Carisma. As a result, the V40 is a bit characterless and conservative. It does offer a decent ride quality and precise handling, however, it’s not a car that you usually refer to as a fun-ride.

With the turbo engine, the car gets an all-new character. Good news is that the turbo engine is even available on the estate version V40 making it one of the quickest and coolest estate cars in the world.

Suspension and steering was improved after the 2001 face-lift. Older models tend to have some handling issues.

Faults & Repairs

Older V40s are known to have several technical issues. Volvo did try to improve things twice in 1998 and 2001 after a series of upgrades. Newer V40s therefore are much more reliable. Having said that, not all suspension problems had been solved, so when buying a used Volvo S40, it’s necessary to check underneath the car and listen for noises that shouldn’t be there. Electronic issues plague the cars regardless of their age so check all electric thoroughly.

Overall, the V40 is a reliable car although maybe not as good as the larger Volvo cars.