Volvo S40 Reviews

Volvo S40 Top Gear Review

2010-01-24T17:40:00.003Z

Here's the review from Top Gear Magazine of the Volvo S40 - rather concise and to the point but worth a read nonetheless, it does seem to suggest that they cant see the point of a small saloon car in the UK. We haven't published the whole article, so if you would like to read it properly (won't take long!) then you can follow the link at the bottom of this post.

Top Gear Says:

"The S40 has another example of Volvo's tasteful, individual, minimalist and modern interiors, so we like it..."

"Volvo always does brilliant seats and the ride comfort and refinement aren't bad either..."

"It feels bigger than it is, with a slightly lazy response to inputs that makes it relaxing rather than exciting..."

"The superb T5, which is a fine-sounding engine and kicks you to 60mph in little over 6sec without being mad on the CO2 scale..."

To read the full Top Gear review, just follow the link here to their website: Top Gear Review

Volvo S40 - CAR Magazine Review

2010-01-24T17:22:00.003Z

Here's the review from Car Magazine of the Volvo S40. As they review specific cars rather than giving a range overview, this particular model tested was the 2.0 diesel, the biggest seller in the range, and in this instance fitted with the powershift dual clutch automatic gearbox. We aren't showing the full review here - to see that simply click on the link at the bottom of the post and you will be taken to the relevant page on the Car Magazine website.

CAR Magazine Said:

"a neat all-round diesel saloon that’s roomy, comfy and good to drive..."

"The Volvo transmission’s greatest virtue is that it makes for smooth, precise changes that are quicker than conventional automatics and quicker than most drivers could manage with even the slickest of manual gearboxes..."

"It rides and handles pretty impressively – very impressively compared to most Volvos – but you get very little feel through the steering wheel..."

To read the full road test report, simply follow the link to the Car Magazine Website: Car Magazine Review.

Volvo S40 - Autocar Review

2010-01-24T17:00:00.003Z

Here we have for you the Autocar Road Test Report of the Volvo S40, in this case reviewed with the top of the range T5 engine. We don't publish the complete review here, as we like to give credit where it's due, so if you would like to read the full article, just follow the link at the bottom of the post to the Autocar website, where you can read it in all its glory.

Autocar Said:

"Mooch around in the T5 and you’ll discover a relaxing experience. The car feels supple yet stable and the steering is accurate and light. Only the ride mars things slightly as the final 15 per cent of polish that’s present in a BMW 3-series is missing..."

"There’s much to like about the S40 T5. It’s a confident, assured kind of car, and one that identifies its driver as a thinker, someone prepared to go against the tide of ‘me-too’ German executive cars..."

"The S40’s is a cabin of genuine comfort and warmth. Soft, theatre style lighting bathes it at night. Elegant dials and broad dashboard sweep around to form a cocoon-like cockpit..."

"Boost arrives with such a polite surge it removes some of the excitement from driving the T5. It has real pace on the road, especially from 3000-4000rpm..."

to see the full article, just follow this link to visit the Autocar website: Autocar Magazine Review

Volvo S40 - What Car Review

2010-01-24T16:51:00.002Z

Here we have the What Car? Review of the Volvo S40 for your viewing pleasure. What car does tend to focus more on the ownership aspects of the car rather than much on the dynamic experience, but it does give a good overall impression on what the car is like. We don't publish the whole piece here, if you would like to read it all just follow the link to the What Car website at the bottom of the post.

What Car? Said:

"The S40 is stable and controlled, and twisty routes can also be tackled with plenty of confidence, as it stays composed at all times, thanks to minimal body roll..."

"The cabin is trimmed with good-quality fixtures and fittings, giving it a classy feel, and it appears to be well built..."

"The smart money goes on either the 1.6 or 2.0 litre diesel engines, and even the least powerful one is quite punchy..."

"The ultra-slim centre console looks stylish, but the controls are small and fiddly and the information display could be clearer..."

To read the full What Car road test report, just follow this link: What Car Review

Volvo S40, A Brief History

2010-01-24T16:36:00.002Z

The Volvo S40 is now in its second generation, being first launched in 1995, and was due to originally be called the S4, but as that clashed with the name Audi uses for its high performance version of the A4 Volvo had to quickly change the name. The first generation model also had a sister car, the V40, which was an identical estate version of the S40 model.

As Volvo was mainly well known for producing estate cars at the time, the V40 outsold the S40 saloon in Europe. The first generation model was based on a shared platform that was a joint venture with Mitsubishi, that also spawned the Mitsubishi Carisma.

When Volvo launched the second generation model in 2004, Volvo had been bought by ford Motor company, so the relationship with Mitsubishi ended and the new S40 was based on the ford Focus chassis, and most considered this a much better starting point as the Focus was known for having one of the best small front wheel drive chassis available at the time, and still does.

Again a separately named sister estate car was also launched this time calling it the V50 rather than V40, but again it was all but identical to the S40 except for the boot. The S40 uses mainly Ford sourced engines, with 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0 litre petrol 4 cylinder units and the 2.5 litre 5 cylinder T5 engine shared with the mighty Focus ST hot hatch. Diesels are also shared, with a 1.6, 2.0 and 2.4 litre turbo diesel engine available, with only the 2.4 litre 5 cylinder unit being individual to Volvo.