Think Volvo, think safety, right?
That's certainly true for the Volvo V40, which not only scored the full five stars in the
EuroNCAP tests, but also achieved the highest ever rating for pedestrian safety, a record
that still stands today.
However, safety doesn't have to be boring, and although the V40 shares much with the
Ford Focus, Volvo's designers have expended a lot of effort on giving the V40 a look all
of its own.
It's worked, too, and you don't need to take our word for it, with the V40 coming second
only to the XC60 in Volvo's global sales figures for 2013.
Despite its Focus underpinnings, it's unquestionably a Volvo, and much of that stems from the strong
shoulder line that runs from the front all the way to the rear lights which, by the way,
feature a rather delicious bit of detailing in the way they illuminate.
The interior, too, is unmistakably Swedish.
That means some appealing technical finishes, some of the best seats in the business, and
a wide range of adjustment.
There's also the now familiar floating centre stack that still looks fresh and provides
a little extra storage space, something the cabin isn't short of anyway.
It looks a bit of a button-fest at first glance, but everything's logically placed, and we've
always appreciated Volvo's blindingly obvious climate controls.
The dashboard is well laid out, with a clear focus on the driver, and we particularly like
the thick-rimmed steering wheel and the chunky column stalks.
The instruments are now entirely digital and they boast exceptionally clear graphics and
a rather elegant design by default, with two other modes - Eco and Performance - if you
fancy a different look.
They've spent a bit of time on the animations, too, with smooth transitions between menus
and a rather fun silhouette that appears when you turn the car off.
Although not standard on all models, Volvo's Sensus Connect system offers a range of functions
including navigation with full European mapping and UK post codes, DAB digital radio, Bluetooth
connectivity, the ability to store tracks on the built-in hard drive, and an extensive
array of vehicle configuration options.
One particularly neat touch is that the owners' manual is built-in to the system so there's
no need to reach into the glove-box and thumb your way through the index.
Volvo have opted to move the rear seats slightly inboard, and this gives rear-seat passengers
a better forward view and a little more elbow room, although this does obviously make it
a little tight for whoever gets the middle seat.
Headroom also is only adequate.
Still, there are some neat touches back here, such as the little space to store your phone
and other goodies, plus a pair of cup-holders hidden away in the middle seat.
Space in the boot is respectable with 402 litres loaded to the roof with the seats in
place, and although there's a handy underfloor compartment, it's a £100 option, while the
space-saver spare wheel and jack the lives beneath is a £150 option.
Drop the rear seats and total space increases to 1,032 litres floor to ceiling, and as long
as you've added the flexible load floor option you'll have a usefully flat area to play with,
although it's a shame there's nowhere to store the parcel shelf when it's not in use - it
doesn't quite fit in the underfloor compartment, either.
Now, engines, and there's a few to choose from.
They're all turbocharged, and the range starts with 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol units
with 120, 150 and 180hp, plus a 2.5-litre five-cylinder with 250hp.
The diesel range starts with the 1.6-litre D2 unit with 115hp as fitted to our car, and
moves up to a pair of 2.0-litre units with 150 and 175hp.
The D2 diesel is likely to be of interest to many because it achieves incredibly low
CO2 emissions of just 88 g/km making it free of road tax, with an official economy figure
of 83.1mpg.
While we couldn't get anywhere near that during our testing, we notched up a fairly consistent
average around the 55mpg mark, although on a longer journey a figure in the low to mid-60s
should be easily achievable.
On the road, it's a little lethargic below about 1800rpm but if you can keep it in the
somewhat narrow power band it's a surprisingly strong performer, with 0-62mph taken care
of in 11.9 seconds.
The six-speed manual gearbox has been given a great shift-action that makes stirring your
way through the ratios a pleasure, but the 'box does feature rather tall gearing, and
some of the ratios are spaced oddly apart - presumably in order to achieve those killer
economy and emissions figures - but the net result is that it's not difficult to fall
out of the power band and find yourself in no man's land until the boost builds again.
That said, once you've grown accustomed to it, it's not difficult to extract the best
from it, and I have to say for an engine with a modest 115hp it does an admirable job of
keeping up with fast-moving traffic.
It's fairly well subdued while it's doing it too, with just a few subtle diesel noises
entering the cabin, while both wind and road noise are also kept at bay.
While Volvos have traditionally been given a rather stately set of road manners, the
V40 actually goes about its business rather well.
It's not desperately involving, but there's just enough enthusiasm behind the steering
and the body control to keep things interesting, although we did notice a tendency to crash
into larger surface imperfections and make a bit of a din when driving over speed-bumps.
So, back to safety for a minute.
All V40s are fitted with the company's City Safety system as standard, and this applies
the brakes automatically if it detects a collision is imminent from speeds up to 31mph.
You can upgrade this system by specifying a £1,900 Driver Support Pack which adds an
array of sensors including a radar unit in the front grille and a set of cameras and
other sensors mounted on the windscreen.
These combine with ultrasonic sensors around the car to provide features such as blind
spot warning, cross traffic alert, lane keep assist, plus a system to detect obstacles
in your path and warn you via a series of lights at the base of the windscreen, and
these also glow threateningly at you like an angry Cylon if you get too close to the
car in front.
The system also provides what is perhaps the best adaptive cruise control system we've
driven, matching your speed to that of the vehicle in front, applying the brakes to maintain
a set distance if required, and even allowing you to change gear on manual cars without
cancelling the cruise function.
On automatic models, it will even brake smoothly to a standstill and pull away again in stop-start
traffic.
All very impressive.
You might be wondering how much all of this is likely to cost you, and the answer is potentially
less than you think.
The V40 range starts at £18,995 for the T2 petrol, with the diesel models starting from
£20,795.
It can all get a little pricey if you spend too much time ticking boxes on the option
list, with our D2 test car coming in at £31,870 after nearly £6,500 of options.
Keep it sensible, though, and the Volvo V40 represents a value for money, stylish, practical
and typically safe alternative to the usual suspects.