| Long Term Test | Volvo S40 DRIVe |
| Arrival date: | | August 2009 |
| Price: | | £20,245 (including £900 of options) |
| Current mileage: | | 2,850-miles |
| Average economy: | | 49.7mpg |
| Relevant links: | |
Euro NCAP results for Volvo S40
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Been anywhere interesting?
The S40 has been thrust into action during its first month at
Car Enthusiast in its capacity as a wedding car at a Beamish Hall-based shindig. Okay, so to say it has been 'thrust into action' is slightly ridiculous, and in fact, it wasn't a wedding car at all, rather we just drove it to a wedding. But the Volvo isn't making as light work of its tasks as we'd hoped it might, so hopefully you can excuse some hyperbolic verb use this once.
Anything stand out...?
The DRIVe largely doesn't feel like an eco car, though it's given away at times by a gearbox whose five ratios are spaced quite far apart, which, coupled with a distinct lack of grunt, means the Volvo's too often out of its slightly anaemic power band; it's only
just on the right side of feeling underpowered if tasked with anything more than specifically eco-minded cruising.
However, our conclusion is that the S40 will probably post some tremendous fuel economy figures on a long motorway trip - in contrast to the sub-50mpg we're experiencing now. We'll try that at some point, because we were expecting higher mpg stats from our start/stop-equipped car.
...and for the wrong reasons?
A couple of issues, though the blame for the first can hardly be laid at Volvo's door: a flat tyre. It's a frustration and expense we could do without after only a few weeks with the car. Sadly we haven't had the chance to fix it yet (launch schedules being as they are), but we'll report fully next month. That low rolling resistance Michelin isn't going to be cheap.
The second gripe is with the boot. We've got no problem with its size or shape as compared to most other saloons, but its aperture is too slender. When you're used to running a hatchback (as was the
SEAT Leon which preceded the S40) you take for granted the day-to-day practicality it affords. The specific issue is that the luggage opening is about an inch bigger than the height of two-year-old Sammy and ten-month-old Mya's double buggy, which means it has to be slotted into the boot a certain way, usually successfully at the third or fourth attempt. Our Phil & Teds is one of the least bulky ones too, yet it still consumes the majority of the boot - and that proved a particular problem during said Beamish wedding weekend. With a car full of children, overnight bags, wedding suits and a full set of period costumes for the evening Victorian jousting re-enactment, we longed for the Leon's gaping fifth door, sans parcel shelf. That last activity didn't really happen, by the way - nobody ever takes my suggestions seriously.
Where next?
Costco, probably. After some initial enquiries it seems that everyone's favourite members-only multipack extravaganza warehouse is going to undercut the usual tyre suspects by around £30 - assuming the tyre can't be fixed, of course. We're not sure why a tyre that was fine one evening had deflated itself by the following morning, so maybe it'll patch up nicely? We'll let you know...
