Volvo V40 1.6

Advantages: Spacious, Volvo Safety, Road Holding, Reliability
Disadvantages: Underpowered, Comfort, MPG

...I like Volvos. I would hope so now that I have owned 6 of them starting with a lovely, quick Volvo 360 GLT, through the 4 series, S40, etc I bought this V40 1.6 about 12 months ago as I 'needed' a car to get my dog around in after trading my Isuzu Trooper for a Mazda RX8. I didnt want to spend too much on a second car having just splashed out on the Mazda with the 'must have' toys', much to my wifes disaproval. After several fruitless searches of local garages I bumped into an old school friend at the Volvo dealership who introuduced me to this car which they had just taken in. It seemed to fit the bill nicely. It was an estate, ideal for the dog, and was in the price bracket I was looking at. After a test drive, the deal was done So, enough waffling, what are my views of the car. Lets look first at the exterior The car is...

Woodsa12 29.09.2006 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Volvo V40 1.6

VOLVO S40 - A true beauty

Advantages: Reliable, comfortable, good used prices, safe, secure, customer service
Disadvantages: image a bit dated now, high fuel costs

...I travel to work everyday by car, which means I need a good reliable car, but thats got a bit of an image to it too. I went for a Volvo S40, Volvo have always had the reputation of strong well built reliable cars and in the past ten years have been up their competing with the likes of luxry marques like BMW and Mercedes. --------- PRICE --------- We bought the car used at £7995, a bargain considering that brand new this particular model (the 1.8i) was over £17,000. Yet at seventeen k new, this is still around three k under the new price of a Mercedes Benz C Class and a BMW 3 series (its main competitors) and at a similiar price to the saab 9-3, the car it is most commonly compared with as saab and volvo are both sweedish firms. I was fair happy to pick up the volvo at what I thought was a low price. It is fair to say that...

gusgusrule 30.04.2004 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Volvo S40 1.8i

New Volvo S40 2.0D SE

Advantages: Low Price for Premium Badge, Styling, Build Quality, Handling
Disadvantages: Lack of cubby space, Boot too shallow

...Having owned this car from new , I can give it a firm thumbs up. The new S40 started life from scratch and carried nothing over from the older, duller S40. The styling is typically Volvo, but with a German'esque' look to it and a familiar Volvo shoulder line. It's clear that Volvo have aimed squarely for the 3-Series, and A4 - Infact the S40 is the Auto Express Compact Executive Champion 2004. Though the new S40 is smaller than it's predecessor, the wheel base has grown by 78mm thus giving more space inside, the extra width has given the S40 a more muscular look. Infact a friend described it as a 'S60 that has shrunk in the wash'. Based on a shared platform, the S40 shares it's underpinnings with the New Ford Focus and the Mazda 3, thus it is very good to drive and has superb handling. The steering is direct, crisp and well...

ihl123 09.08.2005 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Volvo S40 2005

Volvo V40 1.8 Bi-fuel

Advantages: Smooth ride,quiet & sticks to the road
Disadvantages: Extremely expensive servicing

...This was my first Volvo, my first LPG car and my first estate car. I had it from new for 1 year (only got rid of it 2 weeks ago due to opting out of company car scheme) The car was an SE spec so all the toys, electric everything and all leather,climate control etc. Firstly the fuel thing- LPG took a couple of weeks to get used to as it lacked power at low revs, pulling off required an extra few revs but after that there was no noticeable difference. Beware though this car has no spare tyre because the LPG tank is in the wheel well,a emergency aerosol tyre repair kit was provided and worked when I needed it but I do Know an owner who was stranded with a flat,This also compromises boot space and the usefulness of the estate is lost a bit as the boot floor has a large raised area.Dog owners beware my Lab struggled to get comfy in...

geoffers 20.06.2003 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Volvo V40 1.8

A Volvo is for Life, not just for Christmas

Advantages: Wonderful safety features!
Disadvantages: A little more expensive than some other cars!

...A Volvo is for life well in Shane?s case until he rights it off! Well, that not all together fair, okay so he hit the back of a Mercedes Lorry, then a Mondeo car rolled over the bonnet whilst he was on a single track road and then finally someone in a VW Polo hit the back of the car whist he was turning left. These incidents occurred in 300 series Volvo?s since then Shane has had on 440 SE, I have had a special edition 440 redline and currently a 440 turbo. Shane has progressed to a V40 1.8 limited edition (engine 1731cc but is a factory tuned engine) and she is gorgeous, well it is if you like this type of car! Anyway, following his accidents Shane has never been seriously hurt, he gained only minor whiplash injuries. So why do we stick with the Volvo cars? Well it all boils down to safety and comfort at a reasonable price. I...

wulise 05.02.2002 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Volvo V40 1.8

Volvo S40 1.8 AUTO

Advantages: Space, ride and comfort
Disadvantages: Running costs

...Having bought a nine year old a few months ago I didn't expect much, all I can say is I'm shocked - it looks stunning and hides its age very well, helped by the fact it remained on sale largely unchanged sice 2005. My needs were for a relaxed cruiser to drive from our home to my parents home 200 miles away. The car eats the miles effortlessly, and especially in automatic trim is a very relaxing drive. The main disadvantage - enhaced by the auto gearbox - is the fuel consumption, at 40mpg it is fine on a long motorway cruise, round town, however watch that petrol disappear at about 28mpg! One great advantage of that auto box however is the wonderful sport button by the shifter. The car drives relaxed and quiet, push that sport button and the 1.8 litre engine comes alive, the noise and pick up are superb, just keep an eye on that petrol...

leo85 22.09.2005 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Volvo S40 1.8 

Rock & Volvo

Advantages: Big boot, lots of buttons to press!
Disadvantages: Could do with some more power

...I've been the "lucky" owner of the last ever Ford Escort 1.6 model (2000 model). I must say that I was happy with it and it did the job but the time had come to slip into something more comfortable. Volvo is latin for "I roll". (see the great pun with the title now?) I've always admired Volvo's for their safety and although some say Volvo's are for Grandads, that is certanly not the case anymore. I'm the proud owner of a Black Volvo S40 2002 model. I've got the SE edition which adds a lot to the enjoyment of this car. THE KIT Climate control - set the temprature and the system will take care of the rest by turning on/off the aircondition to maintain a cool (or warm) temprature. Cruise Control - the SE edition comes with cruise control. At first I never thought that'd be something I'd use but after doing a few...

gekornro 14.04.2005 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Volvo S40 1.8 

S40 1.6 - From an owner to you

Advantages: Super safe, stunning looks.
Disadvantages: MPG isn't the best

...As a current owner of a 1.6 S40, I would like to share with you the joys of this car. The car is super safe, after all Volvo does mean "Rolling Iron", so you can expect all the safety features your dear old Granddad expected from his first Volvo. It all depends on what you are looking to get from your vehicle. If you are looking for complete peace of mind, knowing that should the worst come to the worst, you will be safe, then this is your car. If you are looking for a car that has stunning looks and decent performance, this is your car. Ok, so fuel consumption is not the best with this car, but that is to be expected. It is a 1.6, so it won't have the same MPG as your 1.0 run-around. It is also quite a heavy car, another sign of its immense safety. Take the versions with a few extras and this car soon becomes just as luxurious as...

ConcreteMonkey 30.06.2004 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Volvo S40 1.6

Volvo - makes my family feel safe

Advantages: The whole feel of safety, I drive my 18 month old daughter around and will never choose another make of car!
Disadvantages: Heavier on the fuel than I am used to, not drastically but costs more to run than my old 1 litre.

...I have owned a volvo v40 for nearly 2 years which I purchased from new. I was expecting so needed something bigger than my KA. My husband was also worried about safety so we opted for the Volvo. A little more expensive than we wanted to pay but it has been worth every penny. We travel long distances for holidays and visiting friends and it is always a smooth ride. My daughter hardly ever wakes up as it is quiet inside. I am not up to date on looking after a car, but I send it in for its service and touch wood there have been no problems. I think the car has lost some of the old view of what a volvo is whilst still keeping the safety and nice handling, I would recommend this car to anybody with a young family. I think the family pack is very helpful, child locks operated from the front and booster seats....

mkberridge 21.03.2005 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Volvo V40 1.8

Changing the appearance of the Volvo driver

Advantages: looks, build quality, dealership service
Disadvantages: insurance

...Having exchanged this car from a GTI and driving away in an estate the general opinion was, what have I done. This opinion did not last, the comfort factor, the build quality and the cars good looks changed my mind, that an estate wasnt just for the family. Volvo what to attract a younger customer for their cars in addition to the faithful Volvo owners that keep going back. I have driven this car now for over 10,000 miles and have found only a few minor problems, which on reporting to the local dealership have been sorted almost immediately. The customer service aspect has been extremely good. Lets go back to the car. The V40 has a more sportier touring approach to design than its big brother the V70. The 1.8 is a good starting point but I feel I will sooner or later upgrade to the 2.0 for that extra overtaking speed...

TLCK9 04.03.2001 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Volvo V40 1.8