Wilvo S40 test drive since 2007 sedan

He and she

It is more difficult for any object to have instructions more difficult. Guide to action.
Life is our complex thing, but at birth we do not get general leadership or instructions for special cases. Attempts of their compilation were: the Gospel, Qur'an, Capital, instructions for putting on a condom, but what to rely on if Marxism turned out to be a dogma, you are a hereditary atheist and, in addition, can not read? I recommend trusting the main instinct, and leave the introduction to the psychoanalysis of Sigmund Freud to your secretary
Girls to the left
In Toyota Avensis, I found a typically feminine character. Of course, this is a subjective opinion, but the behavior of the car coincided with the habits of all my previous friends - from the school bench to this day. Maybe someone was lucky in life.
First of all, it does not make sharp rash movements. For example, this is her reaction to a sharp press on the gas pedal. The gearbox is mechanical, but the car freezes for a second, as if it would throw casually: dear, did you think well? To convince her of the firmness of intentions, I continue to hold the pedal in the floor. Having recognized my right, Toyota smoothly, but powerfully accelerates.
In life, Avensis rolls easily, not paying attention to small bumps and potholes found in the way. Not that he does not notice at all, but simply swallows them without visible damage to himself and the satellite.
Serious, threatening the obstacles of Toyota, also bypasses easily and naturally. The steering wheel is amazingly light, and the change of course occurs almost imperceptibly. Slightly to the right, then slightly to the left - and we are again on the rolled rut. I didn’t even have to slow down - moving towards the intended goal almost always occurs at a constant speed.
Boys right
Volvo S40 is unambiguously male. Like Avensis - with a pronounced character. He is not a macho, not a muscular rocking, but simply the right, purposeful guy, which in America is called Self Made. With a tough character, but if your life goals coincided, he becomes a devoted friend and partner.
Excessive straightforwardness and firmness of character are manifested in the rigidity of the suspension. Volvo painfully perceives all the bumps of the life path and, like a real and devoted friend, honestly shares all the troubles with a partner. A person who has decided to connect his life with him will not be easy roads. The Volvo S40 finds roughness on any path, and only on the finish line, which seems to be any of us in the form of a wide and even highway, it flies like a bird.
The male hardness of character is manifested in the steering. Despite the presence of hydraulic power, it is much more rigid than that of Toyota. Volvo does not really like to turn off the intended path and is ready to change the intended course only in unforeseen situations in order to avoid the imminent clash.
But if the path is free and serious obstacles is not visible, then Volvo is rapidly breaking away, barely feeling a friend's leg on the gas pedal.
A rich bride
These cars are related to one significant detail - the correspondence of appearance and internal content. Toyota is modern, but strict, preferring a calm business style and does not tolerate hints of acidity. It is dressed strictly, unlike the younger sister Corolla in fashionable glasses, but with taste. She is firmly sure that she is not loved for appearance, but for the content, and prefers not to stand out from the surrounding crowd.
The interior decoration of Avensis strictly corresponds to the appearance. The only fashionable decoration can be considered the finish of the front console for marble and multi -colored fabric upholstery of seats and fragments of door upholstery. The most modern geometric pattern, but in pastel colors pleasant to the eye.
Toyota is comfortable, cozy, and you get inside, like a female embrace. But it requires constant attention and does not tolerate a familiar attitude. For example, it does not allow you to relax and put your left hand on the armrest of the door or on the ledge of the window opening. Only one type of relaxation is allowed, for which a site is provided for the driver's left leg.
Noble bachelor
It is believed that women are more organized than men. But practice proves that the most organized people on the planet are male Kholostyaks. They support the perfect order in the kitchen and in the workplace in the office, always know where their favorite shirt hangs and socks are lying. And Volvo in this sense is more organized - the abundance of messages in the cabin, additional grids and straps for securing the load in the trunk allow you to place every little thing at the place intended for it, and not to put everything in the glove compartment, as in a ladies' handbag.
Volvo is more organized in the organs of additional control - all buttons are taken to the front panel. It is enough to stretch out your hand in the usual direction and turn on the near light or fog lights. And do not cast an excess look, albeit briefly, to the switches located under the wheel, as in Toyota.
In appearance and interior, Volvo is even more conservative than Toyota. A little old -fashioned, but elegant. The entire salon is designed exclusively in one color: in this case - gray. Gray skin and gray plastic. Leather, not a leatherette. Dear plastic, not waste from the production of basin for washing. And if in Toyota the seats create a feeling of home comfort, then in Volvo the comfort dominates, in the male sense of the word. Comfort inherent in expensive weapons and high -class sports equipment. The comfort of a working leather chair, if you are in front, and the comfort of a soft and expensive sofa in the living room - if you are a passenger.
MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE
Shake, stand under a cold shower and forget about the old man Freude. We turn for a while into true Marxists who prefer material.
We deliberately did not dwell on the technical details of Toyota Avensis and Volvo S40. Moreover, the chances of the machines proposed for the test were artificially equal - Toyota with a 1.6 liter engine, but with a mechanical gearbox, and Volvo 1.9 liters, but with a machine gun. Three hundred grams of the difference in engine litting in this case are equal to thirty horses of the difference in power. But, as a rule, an automatic gearbox in the hands of an ordinary driver is able to eat this very difference. We assume that the chances of both cars were equal on the road. Moreover, the Avensis lineup involves the installation of 2 -liter engines, and on the Volvo S40 with a 1.8 liter engine - a mechanical gearbox. It all depends on the thickness of the wallet and ambitions. By the way, in the sense of minced meat, both cars are practically identical - electric lover, mirrors, windows, air conditioning and other joys of life are guaranteed to you.
Both Toyota Avensis and Volvo S40 belong to the same middle class, which is confirmed by approximately equal price, at least in Moscow car dealerships. So put it in the direction of Marx, turn on a hot shower, and may the old man Freud bless you.
 
The autopilot thanks the Moscow representative office of Volvo Car International A.B., (095) 974-1003, and LLC SP BUSINESS KAR, (095) 310-7534, for the cars provided for the test. For the period of the test, the cars were insured in the company RESO-Garantia, (095) 250-3600, 255-6834.
 
Model/Modification Volvo S40 Toyota Avensis 1.6
The manufacturer Volvo Car Corporation Toyota Motor Co., Ltd.
The manufacturer of Holland Japan
BODY
Type sedan sedan
Number of doors/places 4/5 4/5
ENGINE
Gasoline type with electronic injection gasoline with electronic injection
The location of the front transversely transversely
Working volume (cubic cub) 1948 1587
Number/location of cylinders 4/rowing 4/row
The diameter of the cylinder x Piston stroke (mm) 83.0x90.0 81.0x77.0
Compression degree 10.5: 1 9.5: 1
Power, kW (L.S.) at about./Min. 103 (140) at 6100 81 (110) at 6000
Moment (nm at about./Min.) 183 at 4500 145 at 4800
The number of valves per cylinder 4 4
TRANSMISSION
Front wheel drive on the front wheels
Gearbox four -speed automatic five -speed mechanical
SUSPENSION
The front independent spring, with a reptile stabilizer, an independent spring on double triangular levers, with a reptile stabilizer
The rear independent spring, with a reptile stabilizer Independent multi -link spring, with a reptile stabilizer
STEERING
Type gear-rake with hydraulic pill
eating a gear rack with a hydraulic wrap
The diameter of the turn (m) 10.6 11.6
Brakes
Front disc, ventilated disk, ventilated
The rear drive drum
ABS four -channel with electronic control four -channel with electronic control
Wheels
Tire size 195/55 VR 15 185/65 HR 16, 195/60 HR 15
Alloy wheels, 6JX16 '' 5.5 J, 6J
Dimensions/Opam/Weight
Length/width/height (mm) 4480/1720/1390 4490/1710/1430
Wheel base (mm) 2550 2630
The track front/back (mm) 1450/1470 1480/1450
Clearance (mm) 150 140
Mass, dry/maximum (kg) 1230/1770 1195/1730
Dynamic characteristics
Maximum speed (km/h) 200 195
Acceleration to 100 km/h (sec.) 10.8 11.7
Economy
Fuel consumption (l/100 km):
highway 6.2 6.1
city 10.7 10.6
The price of the weaved in Moscow from $ 28 thousand $ 26 thousand.
Who else
If it comes to customer sympathies, it is stupid to compare Avensis on our market and have been selling 40 Volvo on our market. But in the automotive world, the son is always responsible for his father. And here everything is quite obvious. Avensis ancestor is a well -deserved, respected Carina E. Predeper S40 - we have not used any special trust or love for the 400th series, which was not called. And stupid, and unreliable, and even obvious failure of the concern.
The new Volvo was able to turn the trend. The dealers even hastened to call her a hit of the season. The name is not too justified, given that S40 sales cannot yet overtake even a much more expensive 90 series. But, whatever you say, success is evident. And largely due to active marketing policy. Here is its characteristic example. Maxim’s advertising agency, which promoted Volvo products to the Russian market, as well as Pfizer, has found a kind of cooperation for its customers. In the background of advertising of the Pficeri remedy for nausea called Bonin Maxim proposed to give a photo of Volvo S40. And the Swedes agreed! They were by no means embarrassed that the consumer would have the feeling that it was in new cars that Volvo is very rimming, and the driver behind the wheel of this car could not do without Binin. Let the sensation arise! The main thing is to flicker as often as possible to potential buyers.
Very actively engaged in attracting Russian buyers and Toyota. Her presentation was held with us even earlier than in Europe. And the main charm of New Toyota, according to dealers, is that she has no enemies at all. It does not cause wild delight among customers, but convenience, ease of management, a balance of interests of the driver and rear passengers, in general, everyone is noted by the general balance. And they pay much less attention to the appearance, although the chief engineer of Toyota Motor Corporation Tosiaki Isis stated with pride that the main task of the creators of the model was to develop a new style solution of the body, work on which began already in the 93rd year and led to brilliant results.
Nikolai Kachurin, Alexey Ilyin (photo), S. Ilyin/D. Pestov (photo)
 

Source: "Autopilot"