Test drive Volvo S40 2004 - 2007 sedan

The younger keeper of traditions

The new Volvo S40 debuted in 2003 at the Frankfurt car dealership. It is equipped with in -line five -cylinder gasoline engines of 2.4 l with a capacity of 103 kW/140 liters. with. and 125 kW/170 l. with.; 2.5 l, 162 kW/220 l. with. and four -cylinder turbodiesel 2.0 liters, 100 kW/136 liters. with. Gearboxes - five- and six -speed mechanical or adaptive five -stage machine with manual switching function.
This year, the gamma of the engines will be expanded by four -cylinder gasoline engines 1.8 liters, 88 kW/120 liters. with.; 1.6 l, 74 kW/100 liters. with., as well as a turbodiesel 1.6 liters, 81 kW/110 liters. with. In addition, the most powerful T5 model will begin to be equipped with all -wheel drive transmission.
The start of S40 supplies to Russia is spring 2004. Price - from 20,000 euros.
In the modern automobile world, there are not many companies that also attach a certain system of values \u200b\u200bto a solid vehicle.
Volvo, undoubtedly, enters the circle of these companies, relying on a bright personality, security and special sympathy in relation to the consumer.
Swedish cars are traditionally convenient, comfortable and comfortable. And recently, they have also acquired an expressive design, sports temperament, an original layout of the units. These properties are already perceived for granted on senior models of Volvo. And then, finally, the family features are fully transferred to the younger model - the new Volvo S40 sedan. Let's get acquainted?
You can talk for a long time about proportions, dimensions, belonging to a particular class, but one obviously one thing - the face of the machine determines the details. The bend of the wings and racks of the roof, rear lights, hoods, headlights, bumpers, radiator grille and other little things indicate a close relationship with the S40 with S60 sedan and the S80 flagship. An involuntarily begs comparison with nesting dolls: large, medium, small. Each has individual features, but everything is one family, a single style.
Photos and an additional bar to the portrait of the new S40 will help to evaluate the efforts of designers. From the point of view of the platforms, the pretty junior sedan is something like a trick in this line of nesting dolls. The S40 is based on the Ford Platform P1, and the S60 and S80 are built on the native Volovskaya. Outside, this fact of the biography is invisible. Is not it?
In the salon of the new sedan, you immediately pay attention to the original console: it is not continuous, but descends from the torpedo to the central tunnel with a kind of thin curved tongue. But the most pleasant thing is that this detail is the Sybiosis of the Scandinavian style with so popular minimalism. In the appointment of any button, it is easy to figure out. Such is the branded line of all Volvo - you can use any function without referring to the instructions.
The only claim is that the outer mirrors are small, and the intra -sulfate is not very good.
In the rear seats, in general, not bad. Of course, it is more doubtful than in the older Volvo, but from a car of this class it is a sin to demand more. But the landing -rack on the back is not without problems - you have to protect your head so as not to hit the sloping rack of the roof.
For the first time in the younger Volvo, and in general, in cars of this size it was possible to place in line with a motor compartment in line five -cylinder engines! These are close relatives of the very ones that are installed on senior models.
So, for example, the S40 T5 is equipped with a 2.5-liter engine with a low-pressure turbocharged with a capacity of 220 liters. with. and a superconditional mechanical six -speed gearbox from the S60R sports model. Needless to say, the dynamics of the car is impressive.
At times it seems - it is worth removing the chassis, as the nimble S40 will easily go to take off. However, we will return from heaven to earth and recall the chassis. The suspension in sports modification The speaker holds the car on the road perfectly. The S40 autobahn goes, as if along the rails, and if you pose on a mountain serpentine ... The exact reactions of the car to control actions and small rolls will deliver true pleasure to the active driver. Separate praise was earned by the operation of an electro -hydraulic steering amplifier. At high speeds and at small angles of rotation of the wheels, you sometimes forget about its existence - so mukhanically logically resists your palms of the rim of the steering wheel.
Of the shortcomings of the fastest modification of the new S40, I will note noticeable vibrations on the gearbox lever and the noisy work of the suspension on the roads with chipper asphalt.
After modification of the T5 sedan with a 2.4 -l engine with a capacity of 170 liters. with. And an automatic gearbox seemed to be a quiet starter. But this is only the first sensation.
It took very little time - it turned out that the comfortable S40 is also very frisky. Add here a clear operation of an adaptive machine, no less sharp steering, and you will understand why the car liked more and more every minute. Traveling on already familiar pits on the asphalt only added the advantages of this modification: the suspension in the option of the Standard coped with bumps better. The overall impression of the chassis is this: it is noticeably more comfortable and quieter than the sports option. In general, with an eye on our roads, a standard suspension is preferable to a speaker option.
I admit that before getting to know the new S40 there were fears that globalization would imprint and there would be too much in the car ... as if softer, Ford's features. They were in vain: the younger sedan was a typical Volvo.
It's nice when the new model works for the good name of the company, for the current image of its cars. In any case, the admirers of the brand will certainly appreciate this.
Robert Scheiber, director of the project of the new Volvo S40
- Working on the project of a new younger car in the Volvo family, we tried to achieve two goals: evolve on the outside and commit a revolution inside. That is, to preserve family features in appearance, find your own style in the design of the salon and implement the most advanced technical solutions. As a result, the new S40 has become a little shorter, wider and above the predecessor, but noticeably more spacious. We also managed to place a transversely large and powerful five -cylinder engine.
The work in the most important sphere - the safety of passengers can be considered revolutionary. It is noteworthy that, with its compactness, S40 retained passive safety at the level of larger Volvo models. This was achieved, applying a special deformable structure of the front part, supplying with inserts from particularly durable door steels and other elements of the body structure. To verify the safety of the new S40, they conducted more than 5,000 virtual clashes and 100 real Crash tests.
But that's not all. For the first time in the history of the automotive industry, the driver of intelligent informing the driver (IDIS), which we brought from aviation, was installed on the new Volvo. For example, it is able to disconnect a built -in mobile phone and navigation system in a complex road environment.
We have worked a lot on the suspension - as a result, the new S40 gives real pleasure from driving.
Volvo S40 is the firstborn of the new family. Following the S40 sedan will appear V50 wagon, and then a convertible.
SUMMARY
+ Expressive exterior and interior, good sled qualities, comfort, level of equipment, understandable management.
- insufficient visibility through the rear view mirrors, low openings of the rear doors.
Photo by the author and Volvo

  
 

A source: The magazine "Driving"