I've owned two of these cars so far, and will seriously consider replacing my current S40 (one of the last with the 'classic' body shell) with the new S40, when the time comes.
I bought the 1.8 model on the basis that the entry level model with the smallest (1.6) engine may be a little underpowered. Never driven a 1.6, but the 1.8 engine (122hp) seems to have enough to do the job. Only minor niggle would be the acceleration from 30mph when in fifth gear; it is a little sluggish in this situation, but once past 40mph is fine.
Not a great fan of the revised gearbox (reverse in lower right position), I much preferred the original gearbox (reverse in upper left position) which was in the first S40 that I had. The revised gearbox seems to require more effort to locate the gears, particularly first in my S40.
My car lives outside, so particularly in the winter I do miss the presence of a rear windscreen wiper (admittedly it is a saloon rather than a hatchback) and perhaps feel that the rear demister could be beefed up somewhat, as it is the only mechanism for clearing the rear screen when the car is in motion.
Something that I would like to see is a demister system for the front windscreen as well; I've driven a couple of Ford Mondeohire cars that had this system and that was great first thing in the winter mornings.
Rear visibility isn't great, in my opinion. Reversing sensors are an extra worth having for this model. Not sure about the turning circle, others have commented on it, but I haven't found it to be an issue.
Reliability is practically bullet-proof, certainly never had it stop out on the road. A little expensive to service, especially when compared to the equivalent models in the Ford / Vauxhall / Honda / Toyota ranges, but then the Volvo is supposed to be a more upmarket marque than the usual rep-mobiles.
Build quality is second to none as are the safety features as may be expected from a Volvo. My mother had a head on collision (other driver was at fault) at ~70mph in a V40 (the estate version) and walked away from it. The other car (a Peugeot 306) was destroyed.
I've had one of these since November - but the 2 litre diesel. Confused by your comment about rear windscreen wipers - do ANY saloons have them? I always thought they were only for hatches and estates.
Advantages: Useful extras like pull up booster seats, extra locking button for the children, strong car. Disadvantages: The lights stay on in the day. It's built like that. (safety purposes)
ashrafi78692 26.01.2009 ·
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