New arrival: Volvo S40 DRIVe

Arrived: Aug 2009
List price (including options): £20,245
Average economy: 50.7mpg

The Volvo S40 DRIVe has been -

On Volvo's press fleet, though it hasn't been very far because it left Volvo HQ bound for Yahoo! Cars with little over 1,000 miles on the clock and still packing that slightly musky version of new car smell all Volvos seem to have.

The S40 DRIVe replaces a very popular SEAT Leon 2.0-litre TDI Sport, and having a diesel engine is about the only thing the two have in common. The SEAT is a five-door warm hatch whose target market is young buyers with driving enjoyment and style high on their agendas; the Volvo is a four-door eco saloon whose remit is fuel economy and safety, and whose target market is traditionally middle-aged middle England.

But Volvo is churning out some stylish cars these days - the S40 being one of them, we think, despite getting on a bit - and as it happens, in turning its smallest saloon into a green car it's endowed it with some of the most gangsta rap polished alloy wheels we've ever seen.

We're loving the -

Wheels, obviously, and the fact that the S40 won What Car's Green Car of the Year 2009 award. Thanks to measures like the slippery wheels and low rolling resistance tyres, lowered suspension, a blanked off front grille and a very frugal 1.6-litre diesel engine linked to start/stop technology, the Volvo's combined economy is a startling 72.4mpg. That's Toyota Prius-rivalling, as are its CO₂ emissions, pegged at 104g/km. This shouldn't cost us much to run.

We're also enjoying the alternative Swedish prestige that running a Volvo provides, and the fact it seems extremely spacious for a saloon that appears so compact from the outside. We haven't put its practicality to the test fully yet, but a thoughtful feature already impressing us is the flap in the boot floor that you can lift to tie a solitary shopping bag to. Whether the Volvo proves utilitarian transport for the rigours of two pre-school children remains to be seen, but we're confident.

But not so impressed by -

The lack of pace. At this point it might be prudent to admit that I've already run a Volvo S40, some time ago before I was a motoring hack, and it's etched into my memory as an, ahem, interesting experience. The last generation S40 that came into my possession was a very high mileage, multiple previous owners example, resplendent in sun-blighted matte red with a brown interior and a ventilation system that freely spat fungal spores at occupants. It was the slowest car I'd ever driven. And like this new car, it was labelled 1.6 D.

And while this particular engine feels, oh, about four times as strong, I'd be lying if I said its performance is riveting. I'm looking forward to some gargantuan mpg figures though, while 177lb.ft seems to be enough torque from the 108bhp oil burner to deal with hills and other such urban perils. The start/stop system is of particular interest too; the technology is, in my opinion, one of the most innovative fuel-saving steps of the last few years. In the Volvo it adds almost 10mpg to the standard DRIVe's combined mpg figure though of course in the real world the benefit depends on where you're doing most of your driving, as a stop-start system is of no use while cruising on the motorway.

We're looking forward to -

Small fuel bills, ample boot space, leaving the SEAT Leon's jarring ride behind and convincing our friends that Volvos aren't actually that dull after all. There's something else here too: can a small saloon still cut it as transport for a young family when really an urban mini-SUV crossover thingy would probably appeal more? It probably can, sure, but there'll be Ikea trips, a possible house move, Christmas and hopefully some gig-related drum carrying activities to contend with over the five months it's with us. Stay tuned.

Mark Nichol