In March 2012, the Swedish company Volvo delighted visitors to the International Geneva Motor Show with a new five-door premium hatchback called the V40, which displaced two models from the assembly line at once - the S40 sedan and the V50 station wagon. Within a few months, the car went on sale in the European market, after which it reached other countries.
For the car show in Geneva, scheduled for March 2016, the Scandinavians equipped an updated version of the "forty", which noticeably freshened up in appearance thanks to the head optics with the branded "Thor's Hammer", received an expanded range of available interior trim options and replenished its functionality with new "chips" but it did without any technical metamorphosis.
The second "release" of the Volvo V40 instantly catches the eye with its external style - the tightly knit, dynamic hatchback looks swift even in static, and the complex and at the same time harmonious plastic of the five-door body adds sportiness and a bit of aggression to it. The front end of the car is minimalistic, but beautiful and stylish - the "core of the composition" is the radiator grill with vertical slots, and it is complemented by headlights with LED "hairpins" of the running lights that evoke Thor's hammer.
Well, the most impressive for the "Swede" looks like a textured rear end with bizarrely curved lights, a glossy overlay under glass and a massive bumper, although in profile the five-door is really good - a long sloping hood, a falling roofline with a "window sill" tending to meet it and embossed wheel arches.
"Ve-forty" is a typical representative of the European "golf" community: its length is 4369 mm, height - 1420 mm, width - 1783 mm. The wheelbase of the car is 2647 mm of the total length, and its ground clearance does not exceed 133 mm. The "travel" weight of the Swedish hatch varies from 1357 to 1498 kg, depending on the version.
The interior of the Volvo V40, designed in the characteristic style of the Scandinavian brand, combines elegance, luxury and sportiness. The main role here is assigned to the monumental front panel with a "floating" center console, decorated with a color screen of the multimedia complex, a branded "climatic man", four "twists" and a whole keyboard of control buttons. A rather large multifunctional steering wheel does not stand out from the overall design, as well as the classic "instrumentation" with a color board of the on-board computer, optionally giving way to a digital "dashboard" of instruments with an 8-inch TFT display.
Finishing materials are the strong point of the Swedish five-door: the interior meets the riders with soft plastics, natural leather, aluminum decor, and in certain configurations also with unlacquered wood inserts.
In the front part of the "forty" cabin there are comfortable seats with dense side support bolsters, optimal adjustment ranges and a sufficient supply of free space. Although the hatchback is considered a five-seater, its rear sofa is clearly molded for two, and it does not shine with excess space in the legs and overhead.
The luggage compartment of the Volvo V40 "flaunts" the correct shape, high-quality finish and a double floor, under which is placed a compact "spare wheel" and the required tool. But its volume is small - from 335 to 1032 liters (with the back of the "gallery" laid in a flat area).
Specifications. For the second incarnation of the Volvo V40, a wide range of power plants is offered (six gasoline and three diesel at once), combined with uncontested front-wheel drive.
- Basic version T2 equipped with four-cylinder turbocharged and direct fuel injection engines of 1.5 and 2.0 liters, delivering 122 horsepower and 220 Nm of torque (only the rev ranges in which thrust is available differ). The first option mates exclusively with a 6-speed "mechanics", and the second - with a 6-band "automatic".
- Under the hood Volvo V40 T3 hiding in-line "turbo-fours" with direct power supply of 1.5 or 2.0 liters, having the same performance - 152 "mares" and 250 Nm of maximum thrust. In the "junior" case, an automatic transmission works in tandem with the engine, and in the "senior" one - a mechanical one (both there and there for six gears).
- The next modification in the hierarchy T4 equipped with a four-cylinder 2.0-liter unit, equipped with direct injection and a turbocharger, the output of which has 190 horsepower and 300 Nm of torque limit. Both a 6-speed manual transmission and a 6-speed automatic transmission are fitted with it.
- The "top" performance stands apart T5, the engine compartment of which is "occupied" by a 2.0-liter "four" with two turbochargers, direct fuel injection and variable valve timing, developing a herd of 245 "heads" and 350 Nm of torque and working with an 8-band "automatic".
Gasoline "forty" spend 6.3-9.8 seconds on acceleration up to the first "hundred", are able to gain maximum 190-240 km / h and on average "eat" from 5.5 to 5.9 liters of fuel in combined driving conditions.
- Diesel modifications of the Volvo V40 called D2, D3 and D4 are equipped with an in-line four-cylinder 2.0-liter turbocharged engine and a direct power system, producing 120, 150 and 190 horsepower and 280, 320 and 400 Nm of rotational potential, respectively.
Together with them, 6-speed boxes, "mechanics" or "automatic" are used, providing a sprint up to 100 km / h in 7.2-10.5 seconds, a peak of 190-230 km / h and an average fuel consumption of 3.4-4.2 liters per "Mixed hundred".
The second “release” of the Volvo V40 is based on an upgraded Ford C1 platform with a transverse engine, and its body structure is almost entirely made of high-strength grades of steel. The front axle of the car is suspended by means of an independent suspension with MacPherson struts, while the rear is multi-link architecture.
The steering system "Scandinavian" is expressed by a rack and pinion mechanism with a built-in electric amplifier, and its brake complex is formed by "pancakes" on all wheels (with ventilation in the front) and modern "assistants" - ABS, EBD, BA and others.
Options and prices. In the Russian market, the Volvo V40 is not officially sold, but in Europe it is sold like hot cakes. In the countries of the Old World, the updated hatchback will appear closer to the summer of 2016, and the pre-reform version, for example, in Germany, can be bought at a price of 23,450 euros.
Standard on the car are installed: front and side airbags, ABS, EBD, BA, ESC, hill start assist system, an audio system with four speakers, a multimedia center, air conditioning, 16-inch steel wheels, power windows for all doors, as well as external mirrors with electrical controls and heating.
