I’ve had the privilege of driving a few of the Volvo V40 models recently and I have to admit, that I quite enjoyed driving them. I’ve driven two petrol variants, the T3 and the T4  as well as Diesel powered V40 Cross Country. Admittedly, I did not quite enjoy the T4 as much as I was expecting if I had to chose a petrol powered Volvo V40 from the journalist batch that I got my hands on, I’d pick the T3, although my favourite of the batch was definitely the diesel engine.

Even though they are fairly aggressively styled, the V40 manages to maintain a sense of beauty with its high shoulder rear, integrated LED lighting and soft Swedish contours. Competing squarely with its German hatchback rivals, the V40 is undoubtedly the better looking car than the Audi A3, BMW 1 Series and even the newly revised Mercedes A-Class. Even though the Swedes have managed to get away with classing the V40 as a hatch, it is in fact replacing the previous model Volvo S40 and the V50.

The interior is typical of a car in this category and boasts premium leather and soft rubber with interior lighting being used cleverly to add to the internal ambience of the car. The build quality is definitely worth the price of the car and offers the driver a sense of security behind the double glazed glass and extra heavy doors. It is a Volvo after all and we’ve come to expect a certain level of warm cuddly feelings knowing that you’re seated in an incredibly safe car. So safe that it is also the first car that sports a pedestrian airbag and once again firmly placing the Swedish premium car brand at the forefront of vehicle safety innovation.

All 3 Volvo V40 models drive incredibly well and the car is pretty well planted onto the ground as a result of some clever weight distribution techniques and the placement of the engine in the front bay. The steering is responsive and as you’d come to expect from a car in this league it has adaptive powered steering to help keep things in check at various speeds. Boot space is pretty substantial for a car of this size and the usage of a very wide tailgate with low overhangs definitely helps with loading larger items. Rear passenger leg room is substantial enough to fit 3 large adults with the high design of the car helping to aid in shoulder space for rear passengers.

The highs:

• The styling. This is one hellava good looking car.
• The practicality of the car. The large boot with 60:40 rear split seats, the legroom in the rear & the solid built quality.
• The ECO mode. This was my favourite of the 3 themes that came with the car & I absolutely loved it.
• All Volvo V40 models come standard with with a 5yr/100 000km Volvo Plan.
• Volvo’s tend to be cheaper to insure.

 

The lows:

• The interior leather options. While I did have an all black version which I loved, I was also given a black & cream leather combo for the interior styling, which was probably the worst looking interior I’ve ever seen.
• Performance mode. These are not performance cars and theres absolutely no point trying to drive this car like a performance car either, so why the inclusion of a performance mode baffles me.

Here’s a link to the full spec brochure of the Volvo V40 including the Cross County and the Volvo V40 R-Design.