Volvo V40 lives up to its sporty looks

The Volvo V40 is a handsome looking car

Volvo has a reputation for building very safe and very solid cars and while safety is always paramount, the Swedish car manufacturer knew it would have to up its game to attract a younger audience.

It believes the Volvo V40 is that car.

To be honest, after my first couple of drives in the V40 I was rather confused. While it had the look and feel of something young and vibrant, driving-wise it was, well, quite reserved.

Then I discovered the very cryptic DSTC, which in fact is a very excellent sport mode in disguise.

The Volvo V40 is a good looking muscular hatchback, with a distinctive looking Volvo nose.

Inside, the cabin is spacious and I liked the padded-looking black upholstery in the very comfortable seats. Legroom is good, both back and front and while the boot initially looks quite small, it’s double spaced, with a storage compartment underneath the floor.

The Volvo V40 has three driving themes – Elegance, Eco and Performance

There are also some quirky little design features in the V40. I loved the illuminated gear knob – handy if you’re driving at night in an unfamiliar car and you’ve forgotten whether you have five gears or six (it happens) – and I also liked the panoramic sunroof and the hidden pull down cup-holders in the centre of the rear seat. The rimless rear view mirror was also an unusual feature.

A large display unit in the centre of the dash housed a SatNav and an excellent reversing camera.

The centre console was quite functional and straightforward, with a very good sound system which featured USB/CD/radio.

The test car was very well specced, with electric mirrors; auto lights; stop/start technology, which cuts out automatically when you’re stopped in traffic; Bluetooth, cruise control/speed limiter.

The reversing camera in this car is possibly the best I’ve come across to date. It was very simple to use, just showing you the wheelbase and the outer space needed to park your car.

Volvo is always very innovative when it comes to safety features and this car was fitted with Volvo’s new pedestrian airbag and City Safety, which stops the car if it detects a low speed collision is imminent. Thankfully, we didn’t get to test either of these.

One thing I didn’t like though was very immediate seat belt ding – basically, if there’s a bum on a seat and the engine is running the seat belt has to be fastened at once.

The interior of the Volvo V40 is quite luxurious and very comfortable

The instrument cluster in the Volvo V40 is all digital and has the look of a hybrid about it.

There were three different display themes, all showing different information – Elegant Blue, Eco Green and Performance Red, which could be changed on a stalk at the side of the steering wheel.

Our route kept us mostly on city streets, with some motorway driving also.

In normal mode, the six-speed diesel manual Volvo V40 I was driving was very sedate and offered a smooth and mature-feeling drive, which, while quite adequate, felt a little bit at odds with the vibrant and youthful look of the car.

But turn on sport mode and you have a totally different car. Most of the cars that I have driven with a sport mode option have a very visible button or dial to switch it on. Not so the Volvo. It’s almost as if they’re keeping it secret.

Hidden away in the MyCar programme under the very cryptic DSTC (the stability and traction control system) is sports mode. In fact, you turn off DSTC to go into sport. It’s never fully turned off though, it just makes the car more responsive to the driver.

There were lots of storage cubbies in the Volvo V40

Driving-wise, I found normal mode to be adequate for the slow moving nature of city traffic and cruising on the motorway. It felt really safe and was very fuel efficient.

However, this car really excels in sport mode. While normal mode is trundling along, sport is wide awake and alert.

You can feel the car come alive. It’s fast and responsive, handles well and really grips the road. It’s very quick at the lights and leaves other cars standing. It was really good fun to drive, although, as you’d expect, quite heavy on fuel.

You’ll never find yourself in sport mode by accident though – it deselects automatically when the engine is switched off.

Needless to say, Sport was my preferred driving mode but overall, I found the Volvo V40 to be a handsome looking, well designed, and well specced car which offered a cost conscious normal driving option for the daily grind as well as a fantastic sports mode for the days when driving just has to be fun.

The Volvo V40 is available to buy now, with prices starting from €26,995. The mid-range D2 SE model I was driving with optional extras cost from €34,500.

Tech Spec
Engine: D2 1.6-litre 115hp (diesel)
Acceleration: 0-100km/h in 12.3seconds
Maximum Speed: 190km/h
Combined fuel consumption: 3.6l/100km
CO2 emissions: 94g/km
Annual road tax: €160 (Tax Band A)

Visit the Volvo Ireland website or its Facebook page for further details.

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