Volvo S40 2.0 Diesel 136BHP : THRUST HOUSE FORTY

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A decently powerful diesel engine plumbed into the nose of Volvo's small but perfectly formed S40 makes an attractive combination. By Andy Enrightâ€¦

The S40 2.0-litre 136bhp diesel makes a perfect case study in how far Volvo have progressed in the past few years. Many buyers still associate Volvo with big estate cars, the company's excellence in more compact vehicles, executive saloons and, latterly, luxury 4x4s having passed some less well informed customers by. The latest S40 model moves the Swedes into a new echelon of competitiveness and this 136bhp 2.0-litre model is probably the best of the bunch. Small Volvos haven't always been great but this car will certainly upset a few applecarts.

The engine itself may sound familiar to those with their finger on the industry pulse. It's the same diesel unit that's found beneath the bonnet of the latest Ford and Peugeot models and it's a little gem. It's turbocharged and has second-generation common rail technology featuring moving rails. The injection system operates under immense pressure, ensuring extremely fine distribution of the fuel particles. This helps promote both good performance and low emission levels. With the help of piezo-electrical injectors, the fuel can be portioned out in several small injectors during each combustion cycle, helping cut noise levels and improve efficiency. So much for the science bit. In reality the diesel engine - helped in no small part by a slick six-speed manual gearbox - certainly cuts the mustard. A top speed of 130mph and a sprint to 60mph time of just 9.2 seconds suggests a sporting car. An average fuel consumption figure of 50.4mpg suggests a lawnmower. The appeal of the S40 is the way it combines a refreshingly brisk turn of pace with outstanding economy without feeling insubstantial in any way. Quality oozes from every pore. True, if lighter weight componentry was used, Volvo could have maybe eked a couple of extra miles per gallon from the car and improved upon the already excellent 148g/km of carbon dioxide emissions but Volvo is a brand that campaigns under Ford's Premier Auto Group so it has to look and feel the part. Fire the diesel engine up and you're treated to a light off beat thrum at idle. There are no cold weather histrionics or clatterings that will have your neighbours slapping antisocial behaviour orders on you. You'll be constantly reminded the car sips from the black rather than the green pump not by any vocal sibilance but rather by its prodigious mid-range acceleration. Nose onto a motorway on-ramp at 30mph and give the S40 its head and it can easily warrant the attention of the boys in blue by the time you attempt to merge with the traffic. What's more this sort of torque is enormously addictive to exploit and you can do so reassured in the knowledge that you're not getting a sound wallop in the wallet every time you give the right hand pedal a prod.

"Quality oozes from every pore"

The S40 2.0-litre diesel makes a great motorway car, taking long distances in its stride. Ride quality is very good and if you couple a 63mpg cruising ability with a twelve-gallon fuel tank, you can easily see cruising ranges of around 750 miles. This S40 certainly isn't about to make many oil companies rich and nor will it unduly swell the coffers of the British insurance industry, the insurance rating of Group 10 being almost laughably reasonable. Volvo has made some small incremental improvements to the car's look and feel. At the front end, the chrome-framed `egg-crate' grille has been reprofiled and features a bigger Volvo badge. Clear lensed headlights and a wider air intake look a little more distinctive, while at the back there's a revised LED tail light assembly as well as a modified bumper, boot handle and tail pipe design. Drop inside and the key design feature remains. It's a centre console that's a softly contoured moulding featuring supremely easy to use controls and fresh air behind it. You can even specify aluminium or semi-transparent plastic finishes and everybody who gets in will notice it. This is probably the neatest interior design feature we've come across since the original Audi TT was launched. Like that TT's cabin, the S40's feels like it belongs on a motor show stand. This time around, the controls have been altered while the centre tunnel storage area features a smaller handbrake and a revised armrest for better driver comfort. The S40 rides on the same basic chassis set up as the Ford Focus, the Mazda3 and the Volvo V50. That's not to say the S40 is simply a rebodied Focus. Although the underbody, subframes and suspension layouts are the same on all these models, there's vast scope for tuning of individual aspects so all will drive differently. Volvo haven't skimped when it comes to safety and they claim that the S40 is as good to crash in as the flagship S80 saloon. Making a small car as safe as a big `un takes some doing and it's only when you look at some of the finer points of how Volvo have achieved this that you realise quite what this commitment means. It involves casting the turbo housing as one with the exhaust manifold so that the engine is more compact when mounted transversely, giving more space for crush zones. It means developing the Intelligent Driver Information System which monitors how hard you're using the throttle, brakes and steering and will hold incoming telephone calls or satellite navigation instructions until things have calmed down so as not to distract you in the middle of a manoeuvre. It means using four different grades of high tensile steel for crash protection. Would the S40 look a little sexier with BMW-style flame-surfaced concave flanks? Probably. But side impact protection involves having as much deformation space as possible which is why it's slab-sided to keep its occupants looking good. Five versions of the 2.0-litre diesel-engined S40 are offered. The S specification model opens proceedings at £18,120 while the top specification R-Design SE Sport variant is pitched at £22,920. The S model features 16-inch alloy wheels, a CD stereo, driver and passenger airbags, an inflatable curtain, a height adjustable steering wheel, dynamic stability and traction control and electronic climate control. The SE model adds 17-inch alloy wheels, a choice of aluminium, wood or iced aqua trim, rain sensing wipers, a trip computer and a whole host of other electronic gizmos. Body coloured side mouldings and front fog lights are also included. If you want to go further, the ritzier R-Design Sport, R-Design SE Sport and SE Lux derivatives really pile on the equipment while the 180bhp D5 five-cylinder diesel piles on the power. The Volvo S40 has quickly established a reputation as an uncommonly high quality compact saloon. The 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine merely reinforces this impression and seems to be the `smart money' pick of the range. It's a vehicle that is very easy to buy and run and which imposes astonishingly few compromises. A small Volvo that's genuinely desirable? That's about the size of it.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Volvo S40 2.0 Diesel 136bhp range
PRICES: £18,120-£22,920 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 10
CO2 EMISSIONS: 148g/km
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 130mph / 0-60mph 9.2s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 37.7 (extra urban) 62.8 (combined) 50.4mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and curtain airbags, WHIPS seats, side impact protection system
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 4468/1770/1452mm