Over the years, Volvo has earned the reputation of creating some of the safest and most durable cars in the world. It is not unusual to see a 240 series model with 300,000 or even 400,000 miles on the odometer. Volvo has a High Mileage club that keeps track of many of these well-traveled cars. An owner qualifies for membership at 100,000 miles.

Volvo continues safety reputation in new S40.

One of the company’s recent designs, the smallest in some years, is the S40 sedan and the station wagon equivalent, the V40.

These cars are built, not in Sweden, but in the Netherlands, and not on a Volvo designed platform, but on the platform of a Mitsubishi that is sold only in Europe. All of the above are now owned by the Ford Motor Co. Confused? Welcome to the new way of doing business in the automotive world. Manufacturers’ names and badges have lost a bit of their meaning.

But this is still a Volvo, with extra safety features such as a whiplash protection system for the front seat occupants.

Interior

The interior is nicely finished and has plenty of room for four fairly tall adults. The seats feel good with lots of somewhat hard-to-operate controls. Except on certain road surfaces, the interior is quiet. The instruments are backlit, clear and easy to read, and wonder of wonders, the stereo has a cassette and an in-dash CD player.
The cup holder (singular) for front passengers is a typical European design, a complicated and flimsy system that unwinds itself from the dash and covers up the CD player. The cup holder for the rear passengers was shy and would not unwind for the tester.

Exterior

The car has a modernized Volvo shape, quite pleasant, but it won’t turn many heads. It has GM-like running lights, which can fool the driver at night into believing that his lights are on when in fact his rear lights are not and main beams are not available.

Running Gear

Power comes from a DOHC, 4-cylinder, 1.9 liter, 16-valve, 160 hp, turbocharged engine and finds its way to the wheels through a sweet five-speed automatic transmission. A manual transmission is not available. This drive-line is the best feature of the car. The very lively engine zips from 0 to 60 in about 8.5 seconds and the transmission shifts seamlessly at just the right places.

On The Road

This is a pleasant car to drive. I wouldn’t go rallying in it, but it is stable and fairly good on back roads such as the Del Dios Highway to Escondido. The suspension feels fairly firm over most surfaces, but don’t go fast over a road transition dip or bump, the front of the car will clobber the ground. The spunky engine and compliant transmission stir the adrenaline when pushed, and the four-wheel disc brakes are superb. EPA estimates for fuel consumption are 22 city/32 highway. During testing I got 25/26 mpg overall.

Pricing and Equipment

Two S40 models are offered, the basic S40 and the S40 Sport Edition.

The base car is priced at $23,550 and has front and rear anti-lock disc brakes, a cargo net, keyless remote control with security system, central locking, dual heated power mirrors, dual front and side air bags, cruise control, tilt-steering wheel and alloy wheels. A cold weather package with dynamic stability control, heated seats and headlamp wiper/washers is $850, leather is $1,300, integrated child seat is $300, a moonroof is $1,200 and driver’s power seat adjuster is $450 or an upgrade package including trip computer, moon roof, and upgraded stereo is available at $1,900.

In addition to the base car standard equipment, the Sport Edition, priced at $27,400, comes with an upgraded stereo, leather seats, power driver’s seat, spoilers, stabilizer bars and a trip computer, the only option offered being the cold weather package at $850.

Summary

The S40 faces tough competition from the lower priced Audi A4 and the similarly priced BMW 3 series. For someone who appreciates a smaller, less expensive but well-equipped Volvo in the garage, and who is not an Andretti type who must have a BMW or Audi to throw around, this may be the right car. For a test drive, check out San Diego Volvo in Kearny Mesa, Carlsbad Volvo, or South County Volvo in National City.

Motoring since 1952, Austin Lynas has owned 54 cars and at one time raced mini-sedans in England. An aerospace engineer, he was instrumental in developing the anti-skid systems used in British military aircraft that preceded today’s ABS systems. Lynas can be reached by e-mail at osten@aol.com.