Test drive Volvo S40 2004 - 2007 sedan

Evil relatives

A dashing sedan, an evil turbocharged engine and a drive to all wheels are not a sign of a class, but rather a diagnosis. The person who acquires such a car (introduced it at the wheel of improvisation or evoluish?), Is obliged to pathologically love the speed and probably knows what the appropriate adrenaline has a taste. Therefore, here to the place and carbon, and a huge anti -wing, and at least 18 inches of racing low -profile rubber. Without these taste amplifiers, a turbo-cocepting is similar to a children's sparkle.
Now get a lot to find the logic. Available: considerable power and all -wheel drive. But! All this is in the back of a rather big family sedan, with a bashfully lifted body kit, without a cruel sports suspension and any accompanying carbonate. Here are two examples: the new (for the Russian market) Mazda6 MPS and the VOLVO S60 2.5T AWD veteran.
Remember the relatives. Since both brands partially belong to Ford, it can be assumed that both Mazda and Volvo share one platform - the same, for example as Mondeo. But this is not so. The S60 was designed back in the late 90s and has more in common with other goetborg cars-with S80 AWD and XC70. The creation of engineers from Hiroshima also bypassed the unification. On the contrary, the Japanese were asked to develop the ideas laid down by themselves in the Luxe Mazdovsky brand Xedox. However, now the main thing is not related ties.
 
The Swedes position S60 as a sports sedan. It is difficult to understand that it should arouse the excitement, except for solid cast discs, especially if you put the car side by side, for example, from the 159th Alfa Romeo. Nevertheless, Volvo is a car of a wealthy family man who carries money to the cashier, knowing that it is as safe as possible. Even a version with all-wheel drive, which is combined with a turbocharged 210-horsepower engine, does not contradict this image. For our distances, snowy winters and humane gas prices, this is an optimal combination. Nevertheless, we take into account the low front spoiler installed on our S60 AWD, and a kind of anti -wing on the trunk and it is necessary to consider it a sports sedan.
 
Mazda6 MPS from its grater sisters differs stronger. She does not even turn her tongue in a female gender. This is Mazda! Nosy Moor with an unkind oblique squint and chubby lips of the radiator grille. The modification of MPS and behind is easy to distinguish from the usual Mazda6 - between the two muffler pipes on the body skirt, something similar to racing diffuser (decoration, of course) was formed.
 
For their class, both cars are quite spacious. Trunk - over 420 liters. The Mazda6 MPS salon is a little already, but in the Swedish car in the back row the place is smaller in the longitudinal axis. In terms of equipment, there are also no special advantages - empty, in the basic configuration, they are unlikely to interest anyone. So everything will solve the price and variety of options (Volvo, it should be noted, the choice is richer).
Neither Mazda6 MPS nor AWD in Volvo S60 fall under the definition of constant (Full Time). In the Swedish sedan, the torque on the rear wheels (from 5 to 50%) is transmitted through the multi -disc booth Haldex when slipping the front wheels. The Japanese is more complicated. A mechanical self -locking differential is installed in the rear bridge, and the electromagnetic friction clutch, which distributes the moment, obeys the Active Torque Split AWD system. Electronics takes into account the angle of rotation and the degree of screening of the car, lateral acceleration and traction of the engine and automatically switches from the standard dosing program to the rear wheels to sports or winter.
Family idyll. The Japanese car, as a more modern one, technically exceeds Swedish development. Here is the engine with the advanced direct injection system, and the all -wheel drive transmission, the work of which is comprehensively controlled by electronics. In the advantages of MPS, before the usual modification, a body should be recorded, the rigidity of which is increased one and a half times, and the suspension - the elements of the chassis of the fastest Mazda are designed for large dynamic loads. Maybe that's why the Japanese gives the impression of a tightly assembled car on the move, on which, without fear, he is ready to tear through unfamiliar provincies.
Volvo in motion is slightly different. Figuratively speaking, this car knows how to get along with the road, and not fight it, although just from the S60 AWD you subconsciously wait for some tank habits (and, by the way, completely in vain - it is 200 kilo easier).
 
The level of acoustic and vibrocomfort in Mazda6 is comparable to other class D car and a rumble of a promoted engine here more noticeable than, for example, in Audi A4 or even in Opel Vectra. In this sense, Volvo looks more attractive. It shakes less in it, and all the noises - both motor and aerodynamic - are unobtrusive. The S60 may not reach Lexovo comfort, but with such a liner as Subaru Legacy, it can compete on equal terms.
 
The Swed was disappointed with lateral mirrors. Probably, they were made by such kutsi to accustom customers to the BLIS advanced system (signals about the appearance of objects in dead zones), but it either did not work on our car or was not at all. In Mazda6 MPS, mirrors are better protected from dirt and distort it less.
But in the S60 AWD it is easier to achieve the desired microclimate. Effective blowing is obtained without unpleasant drafts. And the seats warm up quickly, although even at the maximum the temperature does not go off the point (which the heated seats of Mazda6 MPS sin).
The assets of two cars have both developed airbags and electronic pacifiers. Moreover, for a less powerful Swedish sedan, the latter, in our opinion, are especially relevant - it is better to order a car not with a simple anti -circulation, but with an advanced system for maintaining the DSTC course stability. And that's why...
 
The basis for the 260-horsepower four Mazda6 MPS was the atmospheric MZR 2.3 with a mechanism for smooth changes in the intake phases and balancing shafts. He received an enhanced crankcase and a crankshaft, a turbine and direct injection of Disi. Unlike competitors, Mazda motorist used a direct supply of fuel to the cylinders not to save gasoline (by the way, brand 98), but for an even more increase in torque. The Volvo motor is five -cylinder and works on normal gasoline. Thanks to the low -pressure turbine, he develops 210 forces and gives an almost maximum moment already from 1,500 rpm! The system for changes in the intake and release phases improves fuel and economic indicators and exhaust purity.
The reaction of loved ones. If you turn off electronic control in Mazda6 MPS, nothing terrible will happen - the machine is clear and predictable reactions. The Japanese with some bestial persistence, even sliding with all the wheels on a mixed heterogeneous coating, rushes to where you are directing the steering wheel. The drifts do not scare the drifts. Braking corresponds to expectations. Carrying out cannon starts (let the passengers also feel the taste of adrenaline), you should be prepared only to a small departure to the side and not delay with the moment of gear shift. The dynamics of the car on dry asphalt, frankly, are not for the faint of heart. And not only at lower speeds.
 
The all -wheel drive Volvo accelerates into the floor not so wildly, the machine hits a jerk, but on a slippery road it almost does not lose in acceleration, and with sharp braking it is even more stable. However, with disconnected assistants, the S60 AWD turns into a car with surprises. It can take place at least quickly, but does not tolerate the speed at the entrance and sharp turns of the steering wheel. Here's how everything happens: if the sensors fix the demolition of the front, they clip the clutch that is responsible for connecting the rear wheels, but at the moment when the traction is transmitted to the last, it is no longer to the place - it only causes the skid of the rear of the car. Automatic transmission prevents you from feeling how gliding depends on the gas - you have to actively and with extreme caution. And such extreme is not the most pleasant. If we talk about who tickles the nerves correctly, is Mazda6 MPS.
The main thing is camouflage. The interior of Mazda6 MPS does not force to select either flattering epithets or strong expressions. The dashboard is largely digitized, the purpose of the governing bodies is guessed without difficulty, ergonomics is compromised in nature - those who created the salon obviously wanted to please both smart, tire and thick. The pedals are raised above the floor more than what is desired. Outwardly, not outstanding chairs have a large course of adjustments. The three -spoke steering wheel is too large and deprived of the dumplings in the grip, but it is also tuned in a wide range and, in addition, the ass buttons of the BOSE audio system control. A pleasant detail is a short -term, clear in the work of the curtains of six -speed mechanics. She, like metal linings on pedals, hints at the extraordinary of the car. But everything else is a 100 percent camouflage for a civilian ointment-gray, considerable, practical. It is a pity that the designers did not bother to give the salon more sports. With its dynamic qualities, this machine is able to angry the owners of all -wheel drive Audi A4 3.2 Quattro and BMW 330IX, but the interior of MPS will definitely cause them an attack of sympathetic laughter. And for the color display of the multimedia system, it is insulting: according to the staffing table, we are only a compartment for small things.
 
EVERYTHING'S UNDER CONTROL. Before the era of S-series cars, Volvo designers in the interior of their cars were given priority to ergonomics, and starting with the S40 model, they began to pay special attention and aesthetics. But what you see here is, believe me, the sum of two E. And exactly so, with a capital letter (otherwise you will have a deceptive analogy with IKEA furniture). The two -tone leather S60 AWD salon performed by premium is hidden with exemplary quality and is pleasant even on the smell. Is the interior non -modern? But by this, he evokes even greater trust. There are no complaints about the pedal node and the steering column. The dashboard and the central console are comprehensively thought out. Each button, arrow, icon is under the control of the driver. Setting up the climatic system is not a test for IQ, as in some cars, but rather, on the contrary, a check for morons (we did not mean either ourselves or you). And the audio system is controlled without troubles, although in its class it is very advanced (has high power, equipped with a Dolby processor). The Swedes pierced only with the mirror buttons - it is not easy to find them in the dark.
Text Ruslan Tarasov, photo Andrey Danilov

Mazda6 MPS
Gasoline engine, 4 in a row
Working volume (cubic cub) 2261
Power (L.S. at about/min) 260 at 5500
Moment (nm at rpm) 380 at 3000
The drive is complete
Gearbox 6-speed mechanical
Length/width/height (mm) 4765/1780/1430
Equipped mass (kg) 1665
Maximum speed (km/h) 240
Acceleration to 100 km/h (c) 6.6
Fuel consumption (city/highway, l/100 km) 14.1/8.0
Price in Moscow from $ 42,300
Volvo S60 2.5T AWD
Gasoline engine, 5 in a row
Working volume (cubic cub) 2435
Power (L.S. at about/min) 210 at 6000
Moment (Nm at rpm) 285 at 1800-5000
The drive is complete
The gearbox is 5-speed
Automatic
Length/width/height (mm) 4576/1804/1428
Mass weight (kg) 1440
Maximum speed (km/h) 210
Acceleration to 100 km/h (c) 7.7
Fuel consumption (city/highway, l/100 km) 15.0/8.2
Price in Moscow from $ 40,900

 

A source: "Autopilot"