Test drive Volvo S40 2004 - 2007 sedan

Overtaking in Swedish

‹We already knows us here ››, proudly said the chief manager of the event before distributing the cars. And, having stood a theatrical pause and raising his index finger, he added menacingly: ‹... including the road police. Consider this! ››.


For more than a month in the elite-resort environs of the Spanish Malaga, the World Journalistic Test Drive of the New Volvo S40 was held. Each delegation was provided for two days (the first movement on the agreed route, the second wherever you want), there were many delegations, and the Russians were far from at the beginning of the list. By our arrival, the new ‹Sorokovka ›› already stained the eyes of the natives so much that almost no one perceived it as a new case for test drives the rarest. Usually, after all, you just have to stop for photography, as curious ones immediately appear. Who want to get all the information about the car directly from you right up to the transfer of the checkpoint. On the one hand, it pleases. It's nice to feel among the first carriers of practical information and, it is important to inflate the cheeks like that, share it with others. On the other hand, the street interest in the ‹object ›› sometimes annoys. It happens that they interfere with working. It happens that they’ll lead to the noise and nameplate ...


The remark about the police was quite relevant. On the test drive, the Volvians put the most powerful versions of the new S40, including the top 220-horsepower T5. The temptation to cite on the road was great, and someone was documented. It turns out that two cars were smashed to us. And five or six more people from our overseas colleagues were very severely fined for speeding.


Of course, we took this into account without a penalty and destruction. As for the courage ... it was, but not racing, but rather cognitive-travelers. Spain, Andalusia, seaside town with white yachts, empty beaches with a rustle of surf, autobahns of ideal quality, mid -Middle Age with winding, narrow, but quite decent roads ... And most importantly, a new car, which, in fact, is a speech.


Recall that the age difference between the old and the new generations ‹S camp ›› Volvo family is eight years (both were presented in Frankfurt in 1995 and 2003). It is clear that over such a period, all design concepts from the previous style ‹Sorokovka ›› left only some family Volvsky features; In fact, this is a completely new car. According to the design, as we see, in many respects, it is similar to the senior model sisters ‹Eighty ›› and‹ sixties ››. It’s good or bad thing to taste. There are brands in which models are not similar to each other (for example, Volkswagen: Golf and Passat exterior style is so different that an ignorant person is unlikely to call them relatives). Others, on the contrary, are prone to uniformity (take, say, Audi with her A4, A6, A8, which is also included in VW). The Swedes are just like that. In the Swedish family, everyone is similar.


But the interior of the new ‹magpies ›› turned out to be very original and all thanks to one bold design stroke. Pay attention to the ‹Beard ››, that is, the central console resembling a silver wave falling to the gear lever. The console is flat, about two fingers thick, and there is nothing under it! Neither wires, nor the decorative covers covering them. There, ‹Under the waterfall ››, a regiment for things is equipped. On a test drive, I was convinced that a more convenient place for storing various pressing small things (notebook, fountain pen, road atlas, cigarettes) simply cannot be found. However, not only practicality is interesting here. What is the contrast with the environment! In general, the salon is designed in a calm conservative style. And suddenly you have such an emotional techno-futuristic smear. As if in a brigade of designers among serious masters there was only one, inclined to hooliganism ...


As you can see, this conceptual frivolity was forgiven. Moreover, it was allowed to make even more radical: as an option you can order ... a completely transparent ‹Board ›› (it is called Iced Aqua‹ Frozen Water ››) for a conservative Swedish family, this is generally the top of freedom.


By the way, who is the master here? This is how to look. Stylish ‹Beard ›› invented‹ Hooligan ›› Designer Guy Burgyon. For the appearance of the machine as a whole, the current Volvo design director Henrik Otto is responsible. In fact, all Volvo models of recent years were created under the guidance of Chief designer Peter Horberi Figures more than weighty in his workshop. From the Swedish company, we recall, he first went to increase the head of the entire Ford-based ‹Prime Minister ›› Pag (Premier Automotive Group; includes Aston Martin, Land Rover, Jaguar and Volvo), and now the chef is appointed by the designer of the North American department Ford Motor (will instill in Americans the concepts of a European school!). His curatorial hand in the design of the new ‹magpies ›› is very, very felt.


Salon S40 is generally decent. Everything that is supposed to a car of this class is. The materials are solid, the finish is neat. Ergonomics is worthy, residential volume is normal. By the way, he is larger than the old ‹Magpes ››, despite the fact that the model has become shorter by 48 mm. The feeling of spaciousness (or what is customary to understand by the expanse in the car of the Model ›› Holf Class) occurs due to an increase in other ruts by 60 mm, a wheelbase by 78 mm, a 54 mm width and a height of 44 mm. Sitting is quite comfortable both in front and behind. The chairs are just magnificent cozy, such, tight -fitting.


Everything is convenient for use except the glove compartment. Although it is roomy, it is very narrow and very deep. Like a well. It is very inconvenient to reach out from the driver's place from the driver's place. If I had not immediately shifted from there to a shelf under the ‹Board ›!! the remote control of the navigation system (simultaneously I will note the system extremely competent), then without the help of a passenger-colleague, I could not get this remote control on the move. By the way, the exchange of opinions at the coffee stop (that is, at a stop for lunch and changing drivers) about this was like that. One colleague who managed to eat and drop into a wine shop: ‹a glove compartment for a couple of bottles of Spanish wine ››. Another that has just arrived is hungry as a wolf: ‹No, is better for a couple of buffes of Spanish sausage ››. To whom.


With visibility almost complete order. Almost because the lateral mirrors are small. True, the dead zones are small, and if you are still alive in you, the old ‹Zhigulevskaya ›› habit of looking around when restructuring from a row to a row, then there is nothing wrong. But still, it would be possible to make S40 a little more ‹Ha tipouchee ›› design would hardly have damaged, and overview would undoubtedly help.


In the movement is new ‹Sorokovka ›› is very good. True, I can’t say that the impressions were complete: out of the seven engines provided for the model (they are brought to the market gradually), I tested only two most powerful atmospheric 170-horsepower 2.4 liters and a turbocharged 220-horsepower 2.5 liters, both in-line in-line Five -cylinder. And with both, the car rides strongly. But it is clear that this does not mean the same. The habits of the version, of course, differ. Caster and hotter.


The first I got S40 2.4i about 170 ‹Horses ››, with a five-speed‹ automatic ››, allowing you to switch the transmission manually (mode +/-). ‹Autobatic ›› impressions of this version remained neutral when you go in a relatively dense speed stream and do not really twitch, the car does not present any surprises. Everything is predictable and expected. Individual burrows manifested itself when I turned on a narrow road and climbed into the low mountains.


Here is a typical situation. The road of hollow stretches upwards, an overtaking object appears in front, for example, a medium -tonnage truck running at decent speed. In order to make ›› it in conditions of limited overall space, it is very powerful to shoot ››. I get to his rear bumper, stick my nose into the oncoming, translate the selector lever into ‹Manual ›› and dumps‹ minus ›› I lower from the fifth gear (speed, I repeat, decent) to the second. Rather, I want to go down (the road is upward, which means that the craving is needed more), but I can’t go to the second at high speed ‹Automatic ›› does not let me in; Apparently, the electronics thus protect the engine from switching. I remain in the third gear and she does not have enough traction for dynamic acceleration on the rise. The speed drops sharply, and only then the second gear sticks. Here with traction, everything is in perfect order, but precious moments are lost. Obvoya turns out to be torn, multi -stage extra movements, excess nerves.


And now the same situation (overtaking on a short lifting), only by the manual mode I do not use ‹Automatic ›› in the machine mode. I stupidly give gas to the floor and ... and everything turns out in the best way! The car is going with thoughts for a second and is powerfully firing ››. The overtaking object quickly decreases in the rear view mirror ...


In general, in this particular situation and with this specific engine ‹automatic ›› in automatic mode, it works even more efficiently than in manual. Such a habits. At the coffee stop, I shared my impressions with my colleagues. They shrugged. Yes, they said, we know, you are not the only one, we had the same. And now you take the T5 version, also with ‹Automata ››, and feel the difference.


And I took the S40 T5 with ‹Automat ››. And I felt the difference. She could not feel. On the T5, the thrust with more than is enough for ‹all matters ›› both in manual and automatic modes. With any maneuvers, including mountain overtaking, to think about choosing traction tactics to nothing to lead. In each gear, you can accelerate well, the range of capabilities is wide. The turbocharged 220-horsepower engine goes to the maximum torque at 1500 rpm. and holds this bar up to 4800 vol./min. And the bar itself is very high 320 nm. (For comparison: the atmospheric 170-horsepower engine reaches its maximum 230 nm at 4400 revolutions.)


Then, at my disposal, T5 with a six-speed mechanical gearbox turned out to be this box for the new ‹Sorokovka ›› borrowed from S60 R. Naturally, with‹ Mechanics ››, the car is more quickly than with ‹Automat ›› already completely in sporting. The only thing I did not like in ‹Mechanics ›!! the behavior of the gear lever. For some reason, he vibrates quite strongly, in some modes vibration passes into a large cubmic if, by a city habit of always holding a hand on a lever, it is annoying. However, I do not think that there is a factory flaw. Rather, the car was simply godlessly wiped up before me. I saw how some journalist brothers rule, in particular, the hot Brazilian guys (we are just a rogue compared to them) for them, apparently, is not a buzz, if there is no smell of burning clutch. As the poet Joseph Brodsky noticed at one time, Brazilian drove this cross between Pele and Kamikadze. Maybe some kind of such ‹Pele ›› and shone over my car, bringing it to a nervous trembling ...


The turbocharged and atmospheric versions of the S40 differ, of course, not only motor-transmission habits. The pendants are completely different. For T5, Dynamic settings are provided for 2.4i Standard. The first, well -pressed option for active drive. The second for normal comfortable movement.


The DSTC course stabilization system behaves very vigilantly. Even being disconnected (there is an appropriate button), it continues to remain on the alert, and if something is wrong, it is quickly activated. True, with her work, she noticeably extinguishes the agility of the cars, especially in difficult turns, but on this occasion, let the Brazilian kamikaze are burning, and there is nothing to grieve for a normal driver.


The new Volvo S40 is not badly charged. In the large list ‹Pirogov ›› I would like to especially note the magnificent separate climate control, a very high-quality audio system with the Dolby Pro Logic II processor and, most importantly, the intelligent information system IDIS (Intelligent Driver Information System). The latter continuously monitors the behavioral nuances of the machine (focusing on the position of pedals, the movement of the steering, the operation of the rotation signals, etc.) and if the situation requires special driver's attention (for example, with high -speed maneuvers), the receipt of a secondary, distracting, distracting the receipt of a secondary In particular, the information delays the receipt of phone calls. So to speak, ‹Filter the bazaar ››. Of course, IDIS is a good additive in the piggy bank ‹safe ›› nominations. Which, however, is supposed to Volvo, is by no means empty. There is a complete set of pillows, and good crushed areas, and a special steering column (it goes 140 mm to the instrument panel under the pressure of the airbag, which in turn presses the driver), and unusually powerful crosses between the middle racks and under the instrument panel, and much more. By the way, the hardness of the body in the new S40 is 70% higher than that of the old.


The prospects of the new ‹magpies ›› are such. While the car goes to the market with the above engines of 2.4 liters (170 hp), 2.5 l turbo (220 hp), as well as with 2.4 liters (140 hp) with them a five -cylinder line It is exhausted. A little later four -cylinder engines will begin to pull up. In the spring of 2004, gasoline 1.8 liters (120 hp) and a turbodiesel 2.0 liter (136 hp) will appear. And in the fall, a 100-horsepower and turbodiesel is 110-horsepower, both with a volume of 1.6 liters. Until the end of 2004, it is planned to sell 70 thousand new S40, of which 20 thousand in America, 5 thousand in Sweden, 4 thousand in the UK and Germany, 3 thousand in Spain. In the rest of the markets, the company does not have such certain forecasts, but there is no doubt that the model will successfully go around the world (in a good way).


And there will also be transmission and body versions. In December, a V50 station wagon at the S40 in the fall of 2004 was presented to the Motor Show in Bologna. And in the same year they will put on the market the most ‹Tasty ›› version of the S40 T5 with all -wheel drive. In a more distant perspective, both a compartment, a Cabiolet compartment, and even a compact SUV (younger brother XC90) are loomed, but it is too early to talk about them, this is only ‹Embrace Plans ››.


In the Russian market, the sales of front -wheel drive sedans of the new generation Volvo S40 will begin in the second quarter of 2004. We were respected by the starting for Russia, the most powerful versions will be, in 170 and 220 ‹Horses ››, it is precisely those that were on our test drive in Malaga. Looks like the Swedes read Gogol: ‹What Russian does not like fast driving! ›› ...


The prices for the new ‹Sorokovka ›› at the time of preparation of this publication, unfortunately, were not announced. The Russian representative of Volvo believes that they will be 10-15% higher than the old one. Naturally, all other things being equal.

 
Sergey Sorokin
  

Source: Motor magazine [January-February 2004]