Volvo S40 (2004-) Review

Comfort and Equipment

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The seats are typically Volvo: comfortable and supportive over long distances without being constricting. Noise levels are low, even wind noise tested at over 130mph on Volvo's high-speed test track, and the air-con is effective. It includes an automatic air-quality sensor to keep out noxious fumes. The standard suspension rides smoothly and quietly over bumps while keeping a firm hold on big movements, but the Sport suspension - fitted to the T5 and optional on others - lets more bumps through to the occupants and sometimes crashes out on sharp edges. It's well-rounded on the whole, though.

The new S40 is two inches shorter than the old one, but both wider and higher. It also has a wide cabin with less pronounced shoulders on the doors than in the S60, and interior space is on a par with the larger model. Boot space is smaller in the stubby tail, but still generous; the body shape suggests the S40 could be a hatchback, but it isn't. The rear seats fold, though, with the cushions flipping forward and the backrests folding down into the vacant space to create a low and flat load floor. Two cupholders occupy the centre tunnel, and some versions have a pocket on the front of a rear seat cushion. Movable dividers within the boot help keep cargo in place, a neat feature. The glovebox is a disappointment, though. It's small, despite the promising lid, but the encroachments either side of the space are there to protect knees in a frontal impact. Spacewise, the estate is more about style than load carrying, but it does have the same fold-flat seats as the saloon.

The stereo sounds good, especially with the optional surround-sound Dolby digital sound processing, and the controls are neatly integrated into the centre console - which has the fringe benefit of making the stereo impossible to steal because the components are dispersed. But the menu-driven operating logic of the stereo controls takes some getting used to. The CD player is in the console, either as a single-slot unit or a one which lets you feed in several CDs, Some controls are duplicated on the steering wheel, with sat-nav controls on the backs of the spokes. The optional sat-nav includes a screen which retracts into the top of the facia.