Surprisingly high feel-good factor.
Who drives the Volvo V40?
I think almost every V40 on the road has some kind of advertisement on the side, a logo for a government agency or rental car company. Maybe the V40 falls between two seats? The die-hard Volvo people looking for a spacious family car - which the V40 is definitely not - and young people who prefer BMW and Audi to Volvo?
The other day I got to drive the Volvo V40 - as a hire car in the company's company. It was a 2015 model with the "old" 2 HP D115 engine. I note that there are currently 333 V40s for sale on Finn.no that are less than 3 years old. No less than 280 of these have a D2 engine. While neither are particularly cheap, might it be possible to get a good used car buy on the V40 these days?
The Volvo V40 is not a bad car. Read why.
Look-and-feel
I got a solid first impression, both aesthetically and functionally. First of all, I liked the seats with woven leather details, pleasant to look at - and not least to sit in. I liked the digital instruments. They look like conventional analog clocks, but are actually a digital display. The pointer on the tachometer, for example, is pure computer graphics. The two high-placed screens give a premium feeling. The award-winning center console is certainly beautiful - in a kind of Nordic Light Design - but it has too many buttons. I can't read what it says on them while I'm driving. The climate control is easy to operate, and the DAB radio could fortunately be operated from the steering wheel. There was also good sound.
When the key is inserted into the dashboard, the engine can be started and stopped with the Start button. The handbrake is elegantly sandwiched between the center tunnel and the driver's seat like on a sports car. The handle is made of soft leather. The center armrest and door armrest feel comfortable. I drummed my knuckles on some surfaces of hard plastic, but thought that this holds up well for premium class, - fully on par with the Audi A3 and BMW 1 series.
Driving pleasure
The PSA group's 1,6 liter turbodiesel with 115 horsepower is the same as that found in the Citroen C4 and C5, Peugeot 308 and 508, BMW 116i, Ford Focus and Mondeo, as well as the Volvo V60 and V70. I gave a four for driving pleasure when I tested the same engine in the Citroen C4 and a three in the Volvo V60. I think this drivetrain gave more driving pleasure in the slightly lighter Volvo V40. The gearbox was very easy to work with. The interchange is absolutely ideal for Norwegian roads. You can engage sixth gear from 80 km/h, and there it stays fine from 1200-1300 revs.
The torque is a whopping 270 Nm. I note that it seemed a little sluggish from a standstill, but as soon as I finished first gear, the response was good.
On the way home, I turned off the motorway at Vinterbro and followed Gamle Mossevei inwards towards Oslo. This is a very easy-to-drive car. I downshift, into the turn, step on the gas, upshift - playfully easy and totally effortless. The car itself likes to be driven sporty, but the D2 drive - which is based on utilizing the torque, is not distinctly sporty.
I give a strong four for the driving pleasure.
Comfort
The seats are nothing short of amazing. I mentioned they were beautiful to look at with exposed stitching and woven leather details. I particularly liked the rear seating arrangement with 2 shaped seats and a simpler middle seat. Behind the wheel, I immediately found a perfect driving position with full lumbar support, thigh support and the headrest was exactly where it should be.
During driving, the suspension provides good comfort without feeling soft. In terms of noise, you can barely hear the engine, but there is some rumbling from the road, especially on rough asphalt, which the V40 shares with other good cars in this class.
Place
The trunk is 335 litres, which is below average in the class (VW Golf: 380 litres, Citroen C4: 408 litres). You can fold down the rear seats, but it can be difficult to load large items due to the limited loading opening. The space conditions in the compartment seemed good. The rear seat is designed with two comfortable seats and a small middle seat. On long journeys, four passengers sit like kings, while I imagine that the fifth person will have it worse.
Safety
The V40 was tested in 2012 by Euro NCAP and received a top score. It was praised for having its own pedestrian airbag that automatically opens the hood slightly at the rear to soften any collisions with a lot of road users. Since its introduction in 40, the Volvo V2012 has been available with adaptive cruise control with emergency braking, but it was not installed on the test car. I noted the blind spot warning, and otherwise I would highlight good braking properties and good headrests as positives for the feeling of safety.
Economy
As a new car today, the V40 D2 Momentum costs NOK 320 in a special emission-friendly version with reduced CO000 emissions, while the regular price is NOK 2. That is 337-000 more than a similarly equipped Citroen C50. The C60 is an excellent car, offering a significantly larger boot but not as much fun to drive as the V000. You can also count on getting more in trade-in for the V4 than the C4.
The engine has proven to be durable and can withstand high km distances. The PSA engine is used in taxi traffic all over Europe, and you can therefore count on good operating economy.
I was not able to measure the fuel consumption, but the factory figures for mixed driving should be 0,38 liters per mile. My experience with other cars with the same models is that consumption is between 0,45 and 0,50. Not bad. "My" V40 also had an eco-meter. Completely unnecessary, as it is difficult to drive uneconomically with this drivetrain. Besides, I think eco-meters belong to the cars of the eighties.
Conclusion
Initially, I was of the opinion that there should be opportunities to make a good used purchase on the V40 now that it had arrived in a facelifted version. The Volvo with 115 HP turbodiesel is an ideal car for those who cover many miles a year. Many people would probably choose the V70 eDrive for that job, but I would choose a V40 D2, as long as I didn't have to carry large objects with me. If you buy a 1-3 year old V40 D2 with moderate mileage from, for example, a leasing company, you can expect many nice miles on the road with a high feel-good factor, without the car falling apart, and a good trade-in price.
An ideal car for car commuters.
- Very comfortable seats and driving position.
- Safety – both measured and felt.
- Expected operating economy.
- Small luggage space for its class.
Facelift for the 2017 models
Overall, the 2017 facelift is pretty minor. The most visible are the new grill and new running lights. These changes suit the car well. Other changes are mainly related to new color codes for the exterior paint and interior panels, including the steering wheel. It is now possible to order a dark roof cover for your new V40. Earlier this year, the engine was upgraded to 120 HP and torque 280 Nm at 1500 rpm.
We have driven the V40 Cross Country
See
