Dad's view: Enjoyable, and perhaps the most commuter friendly Volvo ever, the S40 T-5 does everything well, but the premium fuel it requires hurts at the gas pump where you get about 22 mpg. I would give a long look to the amply powered non-turbocharged version that gives much better fuel mileage on regular.
I would recommend you drive the Sports Package over rough roads to make sure that is what you had in mind. In terms of daily driving, there is an urgency you can almost sense from the turbocharged engine. It seems to challenge you, sweetly, mind you, but nevertheless the prodding is there. Fortunately, the handling is quite good, the government test scores very high, and the brakes steadfast.
Outside of the small rear view mirrors and limited visibility, my problem was with the small amount of space given to your feet. If you have large feet or are wearing shoes with a lip on the soul you had best see if they don't get caught on the bottom of the clutch pedal. This is one car that those who have over a 12 shoe need to test in traffic. Other than that this was a satisfying ride, and if it weren't for the absolutely knockout in the guise of the V70 R, it would be the best Volvo has produced in a long while.
Young working woman's view: Here is a quandary I have yet to solve. Is this Volvo a sporty car, a family friendly car, or a commuter car? You see, with the options Volvo offers, you can have it your way as the S40 teases you with a bit of each of these ingredients, but does not offer any in significant quantity. As a family hauler the standard fold-down rear seats are nice but the cargo hold isn't all that big and interior storage is at a premium. As a sporty car it is quick, but unless you go with the turbocharged engine, hardly fast. And, as a commuter car the gas mileage is adequate, but not exceptional.
There are a lot of good and bad things in this Volvo. The key is strange looking and the part that fits into the ignition is made of plastic. The fact that the end is easy to get caught in pockets and purses gives me second thoughts as to why this was considered a good idea. Furthermore, the ignition switch itself is difficult to locate as it is on the dash, but behind the windshield wiper control. Perhaps over time it would be easier to find on a dark night. Another problem was that when I pressed the remote opener for the trunk lid nothing happened. I did not hear a click, whistle, or even see the lid open by itself. All the remote does is unlock the lid. You have to reach under the license plate light holder and push the handle up in order to release the trunk lid. This is difficult to do when carrying a couple bags of groceries and even messier when the weather is inclement. The worst feature, however, was the fact that you have to pull the interior door handle twice for it to open. Perhaps this is a safety feature, but it is plain annoying to me. Again, over time perhaps I would get used to this ditto action to get out of the Volvo, but I question the thinking.
Naturally, there is also a lot to like with this Volvo. First and foremost are the safety features you get even on the base model. This includes front and side air bags, full-length side head curtains, electronically controlled anti-lock brakes, whiplash reducing seats, a body cage constructed of four types of steel, and a capable suspension. The optional Xenon headlights are powerful and the turbocharged engine has little turbo lag and spools up quite quickly, which is good because the main power starts to flow at only 1500 rpm and stays online to over 6000 rpm. I found that the engine runs out of oomph at 6000 despite the fact there are more revs left.
As a business major I find the pricing of the Volvo S40 of interest. If you opt for the base model it is even less expensive than the previous generation Volvo S40 and you get a 2.4-liter five-cylinder engine, lots of safety features, and enough power to get out of the way if you choose the manual transmission. When the optional automatic is chosen the non-turbocharged S40 has its limitations when you are carrying a family and luggage as the 168 horsepower is just adequate. You have to add on several thousand more dollars to your credit limit to get the more energetic T-5 model. Of course, besides the much more powerful engine you get foglights, a power driver's seat, front and rear spoilers, upgraded interior trim, automatic climate control, a trip computer, five-speed automatic, and the 218 horsepower engine as well as available all wheel drive. If you decide you need the all wheel drive model you also have standard sport suspension.
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Outside of the small rear view mirrors and limited visibility, my problem was with the small amount of space given to your feet. If you have large feet or are wearing shoes with a lip on the soul you had best see if they don't get caught on the bottom of the clutch pedal. This is one car that those who have over a 12 shoe need to test in traffic. Other than that this was a satisfying ride, and if it weren't for the absolutely knockout in the guise of the V70 R, it would be the best Volvo has produced in a long while.
Young working woman's view: Here is a quandary I have yet to solve. Is this Volvo a sporty car, a family friendly car, or a commuter car? You see, with the options Volvo offers, you can have it your way as the S40 teases you with a bit of each of these ingredients, but does not offer any in significant quantity. As a family hauler the standard fold-down rear seats are nice but the cargo hold isn't all that big and interior storage is at a premium. As a sporty car it is quick, but unless you go with the turbocharged engine, hardly fast. And, as a commuter car the gas mileage is adequate, but not exceptional.
There are a lot of good and bad things in this Volvo. The key is strange looking and the part that fits into the ignition is made of plastic. The fact that the end is easy to get caught in pockets and purses gives me second thoughts as to why this was considered a good idea. Furthermore, the ignition switch itself is difficult to locate as it is on the dash, but behind the windshield wiper control. Perhaps over time it would be easier to find on a dark night. Another problem was that when I pressed the remote opener for the trunk lid nothing happened. I did not hear a click, whistle, or even see the lid open by itself. All the remote does is unlock the lid. You have to reach under the license plate light holder and push the handle up in order to release the trunk lid. This is difficult to do when carrying a couple bags of groceries and even messier when the weather is inclement. The worst feature, however, was the fact that you have to pull the interior door handle twice for it to open. Perhaps this is a safety feature, but it is plain annoying to me. Again, over time perhaps I would get used to this ditto action to get out of the Volvo, but I question the thinking.
Naturally, there is also a lot to like with this Volvo. First and foremost are the safety features you get even on the base model. This includes front and side air bags, full-length side head curtains, electronically controlled anti-lock brakes, whiplash reducing seats, a body cage constructed of four types of steel, and a capable suspension. The optional Xenon headlights are powerful and the turbocharged engine has little turbo lag and spools up quite quickly, which is good because the main power starts to flow at only 1500 rpm and stays online to over 6000 rpm. I found that the engine runs out of oomph at 6000 despite the fact there are more revs left.
As a business major I find the pricing of the Volvo S40 of interest. If you opt for the base model it is even less expensive than the previous generation Volvo S40 and you get a 2.4-liter five-cylinder engine, lots of safety features, and enough power to get out of the way if you choose the manual transmission. When the optional automatic is chosen the non-turbocharged S40 has its limitations when you are carrying a family and luggage as the 168 horsepower is just adequate. You have to add on several thousand more dollars to your credit limit to get the more energetic T-5 model. Of course, besides the much more powerful engine you get foglights, a power driver's seat, front and rear spoilers, upgraded interior trim, automatic climate control, a trip computer, five-speed automatic, and the 218 horsepower engine as well as available all wheel drive. If you decide you need the all wheel drive model you also have standard sport suspension.