Test drive Volvo S40 2004 - 2007 sedan

Male/Female

One can only be surprised why the sedan cars-such impractical against the backdrop of universal-classes-continue to be in high demand in our country. If there is at least some explanation for this sedacle, then it must be interpreted, apparently, according to Freud. The sedan, for example, does not cause a woman’s car in his owner, like some hatch. True, here we recently rolled on two sedans, one of whom was definitely quite a girlish.
The promoted name is not yet the key to success. Take, for example, Volkswagen Jetta. At one time, through the efforts of the distillery of the German second-hand, these machines became known to our whole motorist. It would seem that the novelty, under the same name, could also join without unnecessary noise and dust, but the 2006 Jette PR is necessary. Models of ten years ago created a stereotype of an inexpensive unpretentious foreign car. Now it must be destroyed. And therefore, it was no coincidence that we were offered to try out not the most accessible of the produced, but Jetta with a two -liter FSI engine, in the Comfortline configuration, worth $ 30,000.
 
Volvo can also be classified as pioneers of foreign movement in Russia. Moreover, the Swedes also had to work pretty on correction of their own image. The new generation of the S40, for example, was created for a young audience, which means, in theory, cars of this series should be inexpensive. However, the car that we got to the test is more likely to suit luxury lovers-it already has a hatch, xenon, a leather salon, and a separate climate control, and a lot of all kinds of automation. Its price is close to $ 50,000, which, to put it mildly, is slightly discouraged even taking into account a more powerful 2.4-liter engine and automatic transmission.
HELLO AGAIN! In Wolfsburg, a very ambitious task was solved when a sedan that was not like their donor began to make on the platform of the fifth golf. It was required to change not only the image, but also the class belonging of the machine. That is why Jetta turned out to be much larger even more than Bora, received fashionable LED rear lights and a new VW corporate face - a massive chrome radiator grill. Now, in terms of size, and in spaciousness, and in equipment, the novelty is a full -fledged competitor to the medium -sized sedans of the D. segment.
 
But if you think about it, reincarnation did not change the main mission of Jetta. As she was ten years ago by a car for those who were not affordable for Passat, so she remained. You will find evidence of this in every detail. The new model is so similar to the older brother that even VW experts do not always determine where Jetta and where the Passat is.
 
The Swedish car designers, which created S40 two years ago on a common with Ford Focus II, C-Max and Mazda3 platform, jumped above their heads. The car turned out both recognizable and somewhere even aesthetic. In any case, there was no trace left from the gray, which was exuded by the former magpies unified with the same amorphous Japanese carisms.
 
Here you have the primary sexual characteristics. Jetta is the image of a young, well -secured burgher. Let the swollen sides hint at the beer stomach, but you feel readiness both for work and for fun. And S40, like any Scandinavian, is slightly rustic, but smart; It has a good taste and manners. These qualities are unlikely to leave indifferent serious customers.
 
Standard checkpoint for Volkswagen Jetta with a 1.6-liter gasoline and 1.9-liter diesel engine is a 5-speed manual, for the rest-a 6-speed handle. In addition, any model with a gasoline engine can be ordered with a traditional six -speed automatic, and diesel - with advanced robotic DSG, which allows the possibility of direct gear shift.
The second round. The most compact sedan in the Volvo lineup is different, however, not even a tight salon. Although Jetta has it a little wider, it is S40 that gives a feeling of space - there is more space for both in front and behind. The German car formally wins the volume of the luggage compartment, but the loading of a bulky luggage can cause problems - the opening is small in height. It is possible to increase the volume for transported goods in both car due to the back seats laid out in parts of the backs.
 
In the Jett salon you will find roomy drawers under the seats. And on the rear sofa Volvo - as many as two children's seats. Miniature pillows rise on a special mechanism, a bandwell forms in front of them - inventively and rationally! Even in the S40, provided to us for the test, various electrical regulations were provided for the front seats, and with memory for three drivers. For a German, an electric chair can be ordered for $ 850, and a leather interior-for $ 2500-2800 (but not for the Trendline configuration).
 
The standard equipment of both Volvo and Jetta includes ABS, emergency braking assistants and simple anti -industrial systems (advanced surcharge can be delivered). And a couple of important strokes to the issue of security. A whole system of pillows for protecting the front and rear passengers is placed on Jetta, including side pillows for sitting in front. The safety of people in the S40 is provided by six pillows, including inflatable curtains on all windows, and a system of protection against woven injuries.
 
There are differences in comfort. Volvo softer overcomes irregularities (although there is neither strong swing nor excessive roll in corners). Its five -cylinder engine, although it is listening at idle, but at high speeds it does not press at all on the ears.
 
Jetta in motion is sharper, more agile, but the suspension adapted for Russian roads gives the machine a more rigid move. The two -liter FSI engine is practically soundless in low speed mode, but with promoting its angry voice is becoming more noticeable and powerful. Volvo is always reliable, calm and as if more feminine in motion, and Jetta, on the contrary, demonstrates the qualities of a male - shows either signs of laziness or the temperament of a physical education.
 
The standard checkpoint for Volvo S40, depending on the volume and power of the engine, can be both five- and six-speed mechanics. But the Volvo buyers, who value comfort and convenience of management above all, usually choose a machine with an automatic adaptive transmission GEARTRONIC. It adapts to the driver’s driving, and in addition, it is equipped with two additional modes for winter or dynamic driving.
Another button. A weak spot S40 - the operation of the machine gun. He deals with switching speeds during acceleration and does not most adequately behave in transitional modes - he fusses when choosing a transmission as a student. To achieve the desired dynamics of acceleration, a gas pedal on Volvo has to work in a preemptive, almost discrete mode: now on the floor, then remove the leg, then again on the floor ... True, a day or two-and the car seems to begin to behave Better: either the adaptive brains of the automatic transmission learn a driver’s manners, or vice versa - the driver’s necessary reflexes are developed. Fortunately, everything else with S40: brakes, stability of the passage of turns, exchange rate stability - does not raise questions.
 
A mechanical gearbox with perfectly selected gear rates makes Jetta no less dynamic car, although the engine develops 20 hp. less. A convenient floor gas pedal and a very clear course of the gear lever turn driving into a gambling and pleasant process. The braking force is also easily controlled, although ABS works a little earlier than usual. The efforts on the steering wheel also correspond to expectations: at high speed, the steering wheel does not talk, at small speed - rotation is light.
 
The contrast in the driver sensations in Volvo and VW is so strong that sometimes you want to have at hand some magic button that would give the first sharpness in motion, and the second-softness and better acceptance. It remains to wait and see which of the automakers will offer such an option. We have already come up with a name for her - Male/Female.
 
The list of additional equipment for the new Jetta is very extensive. Of the useful, we highlight the ESP course stability system, combined with the electronic differential lock. Of the convenient - Hill Hold Control (automatically holds the car from rolling when touched to the hill). Of the curious - a radio transmitter working in the Homelink standard and designed to automatically open the garage gap. If you have to transport longs, and bulky, there is a reason to pay for the front passenger seat with a completely folding back.
Golf in the sand. It is difficult to explain why Volkswagen designers who have worked so noticeably on the exterior of the car, turning a popular hatchback into a sedan, refused to make changes to the golf interior. Opening the door with a chrome cantica, you want to see at least the low signs of luxury and inside, but you sit in a standard salon, in which plastic and tissue of equally saturated sand color dominate (a natural nut veneer is already for surcharge). The Jetta interior looks cheerful, but just the color as in the photo is the fastest dirty - there is a reason to look at other options when buying a car. And the central console with a climate control and an audio system causes a slight disappointment. The display posted here is characterized by promising dimensions, but after turning on it turns out that it is not even colored. However, Jetta’s interior does not judge by the criteria of business class, it remains only to admit that the order here is the order-a kind of German Standard. The steering column is adjustable in height and departure. The remote control buttons were not too lazy to put on the steering wheel. And the seats, although they have mechanical settings, are regulated in height and in wide ranges.
 
The future owners of the S40 are also not deprived of the surcharge service. The IAQS system with anti -allergenic filters constantly controls the quality of the air in the cabin. The folded external can illuminate the side space, and in the rear seat you can install a convenient table with cup holders.
SHE'S THE ONLY ONE. The S40 dashboard is an example of a successful balance between informativeness and unobtrusiveness. The steering column is tuned in two planes and is equipped with intelligible steering wheel switches. The pedal node is raised (calculating heels?), But it is perfectly configured in size and pedaling. The seats have quite soft pillows, a pleasant tight -fitting back profile and excellent headrests. Volvo, however, is good, however. Separate plastic details of the interior do not differ in outstanding quality, but it must be admitted that there is no hint of cheap smell in the S40 salon. Conflicting emotions are also caused by a soaring central console. The element, of course, is very spectacular and even practical (there is a niche for small things). However, small buttons shot down into a dense group - the solution is not the most successful. The disadvantages include the transmission control unit. When you move the automatic transmission lever, the entire design surrounding it is staggered, which does not add solidity. To large pluses is a powerful and pure sound of the Premium audio system, which is standardly equipped with external amplifiers and made on excellent Danish acoustics.

Text Ruslan Tarasov, photo Andrey Danilov

Volkswagen Jetta 2.0 FSI
 
Gasoline engine, 4 in a row
Working volume (cubic meter) 1984
Power (L.S. at about/min) 150 at 6000
Moment (nm at rpm) 200 at 3500
Front drive
Gearbox 6-speed, mechanical
Length/width/height (mm) 454/1781/1459
Equipped mass (kg) 1319
Maximum speed (km/h) 211
Acceleration to 100 km/h (c) 9.2
Fuel consumption (city/highway, l/100 km) 11.2/6.1
Price in Moscow (price of the tested car) from $ 28 901 ($ 30 577)
 
 
Volvo S40 2.4i
 
Gasoline engine, 5 in a row
Working volume (cubic cub) 2435
Power (L.S. at rpm) 170 at 6000
Moment (nm at rpm) 230 at 4400
Front drive
Gearbox 5-speed, automatic
Length/width/height (mm) 4468/1770/1452
Mass weight (kg) 1369
Maximum speed (km/h) 215
Acceleration to 100 km/h (c) 8.9
Fuel consumption (city/highway, l/100 km) 13.2/6.7
Price in Moscow (price of the tested car) from $ 30,900 ($ 49 741)

 

A source: "Autopilot"