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Volvo V40 Review & Road TestReview by www.new-car-reviews.co.uk
Summary Unlike virtually all of the competition, the Volvo V40 was designed as an estate from the ground up. Its target market is the 'lifestyle estate' buyer - carrying occasional loads, dogs or sports equipment. In this sector the V40's purchase price represents good value for money - although residuals are not as strong as some of the competition. Ride and road holding are more than adequate for the highly practical V40, suspension and chassis revisions in 2002 have resulted in a more supple ride that can cope reasonably well with uneven road surfaces as will as twisty roads. Engine choices include 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0 litre petrol units (none of which are really up to the job of propelling a fully laden V40), two turbo-charged 2.0 litre units and a torquey 1.8 litre GDI unit. The interior of the car is finished with high quality materials and feels very solid - although a little lack lustre - controls are simple to operate and logically arranged. The seats are very supportive and should help to reduce back pain on longer motorway journeys. Practically the V40 offers reasonable bootspace (despite the intrusion of the large wheelarches) and this can be extended by folding the rear seats to create a long wide loading area. Rear passenger seating is cramped with both head and legroom being limited. As you would expect the V40 is also a very safe car, thanks in no small part to the range of airbags fitted to the car, and managed to score 4 out of 5 in its NCAP crash tests. As the V40 has aged, Volvo has added additional equipment as standard and it now comes with a CD player, air conditioning or climate control, alloy wheels, most models also get leather trim with automatic transmission also available as an optional extra. NCAP safety and security tests: NCAP crash test results 4/5
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