I have an 's' reg 1.6 XS S40, and it's fantastic! I always thought volvo's were for the middle-aged driver, but i was wrong! I'm in my mid 20's and when i took it for a test drive i thought 'yes!' this is the car for me. It's got everything i need, Air con for the summer, airbags for the passengers (just in case), a tape and cd player within the same unit and enough comfort to last a whole trip to Scotland and back!
The drivers seat has two leavers which move the seat into different positions for height and comfort. Also has lumbar support on both seats to help support your back. The dashboard is well laid out and the instrumentation is visable in any driving position. When lit up at night illumination brightness can be changed from bright to dull.
The steering wheel is moveable up and down, but not in and out (shame).
It comes with a massive boot for a least 2-3 large suitcases, within this boot there is a luggage holder in the form of a seat belt which helps anything from rolling around while driving. Plus a small compartment with a net.
Saftey is good, twin airbags in the front and SIPS (Side Impact Protection System) this is a couple of air bags on each side of the car with strengthened chassis doors to help support an hefty impact. For the rear passaengers there are three, 3-pointseat belts and head restraints.
I mentioned that the ashtray in rear of car has a design fault. It is one of those tray which you have to pull open. When i purchased the car it appeared to be stiff, it was stiff during the test drive, it was stiff after i asked Volvo to replace it. After much dispute the Sales manager advised that it is a design fault and no longer appears on newer versions of the S40. It is so stiff i could probably prise it open with a crow bar.
The ride of my S40 is smooth, a little under-powered for a 1.6 16 valve, but ideal for a small family. The car does about 35.9 miles to the gallon which if driven properly will do 350-400 miles to the tank. The tank hold approx 60 litres of petrol and i can fill up for about £35.
The S40 is ideal for anyone looking for an affordable family saloon car with all the trimmings.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Saloon - Front (FWD) - 5 Speed Manual Gearbox - 1560 cc - Max Speed: 118 mph - 109 bhp - Diesel - Available Trims: S, SE, DRIVe S, DRIVe SE, DRIVe SE Lux:R-DESIGN Sport
Estate - Front (FWD) - 6 Speed - (Man) / 6 Speed Geartronic - (Auto) - 2401 cc - Max Speed: 140 mph - 185 bhp - Diesel - Available Trims: R-DESIGN, R-DESIGN Premium, SE, SE Lux, SE Lux Premium, SE Premium, S, Sport
A pleasure to re-read, a massive improvement. It's very useful to note the mileage and to see what mileage was on the car at purchase. An interesting account of this 1.6 Litre engines Volvo and its especially useful to note the fault about the astray, I wonder if many other Volvo owners have had this problem?! re-rated, thank you!
PeterFarrell 28.04.2002 00:29
Excellent re-write. Very factual, including a good balance of the good and bad things. Well done, you've added all the vital things needed to aid a potential buyer or to give someone a good idea of this car. The seating and comfort part was very good. Also about the ash tray too. These things all add to make an interesting and helpful read. Personal experience always helps potential buyers. So the more detail about the ride etc the better. You'll soon be gaining those Very Helpful ratings with great opinions like this. I hope the comments members such as Connoisseur_Haggler and myself have given you have helped, as you've certainly acted on them on this opinion. Thank you. Pete
Connoisseur_Haggler 27.04.2002 21:29
Mister C! Welcome To Ciao! You sure seem to have a passion for cars. This is a good start and quite a hlepful opinion but as mentioned in previous comments by PeterFarrel , you will find if add a tad more detail on your 's' reg 1.6 XS S40' ownership experince, to include ride quality, handling, fuel consumption, some idea of cost of maintenance, service intervals and costs, insurance group perhaps, also you mention you paid £7995 how many miles were on the clock? thanks, this will greatly help a consumer reading this. If you update this I'll be more than happy to re-read!Enjoy Ciao -CH
Apr 27th, 2002
very helpful by (18%):
helpful by (12%):
somewhat helpful by (71%):
