Volvo S40 T5 : SAFE CRACKER?

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Volvos latest S40 T5 offers a swift, stylish and safe alternative to mainstream Compact Executive saloons. By Andy Enright

The Volvo S40 T5 sounds like a surefire winner. Marry Swedish build quality and subtle design with the promise of serious performance and market it at a price well below the mainstream luxury marques and you have a certain recipe for success. Small Volvos have long been popular in the UK from the Dutch built 340 models through to the uninspiring but popular previous generation S40. The latest model is a good deal slicker thanks to recent revisions and the T5 variant we look at here is the performance flagship.

It hasnt set an easy task for itself. Although its bigger brother the S60 goes head to head with cars like the BMW 3 Series, the Audi A4, the Jaguar X-TYPE and the Mercedes C-Class, the S40 T5 sits in a sub-niche thats a whole lot more difficult to classify. Whilst the cooking versions of the S40 compete with cars like the Volkswagen Jetta and the SEAT Toledo, this £22,335 sporting version competes pricewise against mid-range models of the premium marques. Although this section of the market has been proved time and again to be a dead end, Volvo are gamely trying again.

The T5 certainly has the power to make an impression. Thanks to recent revisions, theres now 230bhp (10bhp more) from the turbocharged in-line five-cylinder engine and its difficult to find a challenger to compete with it at this sort of price. Whats more, its not as if Volvo have merely planted a big engine in a rep-spec car. Sit inside the S40 and it feels at least on par with a Mercedes in terms of interior fit and finish.

So wheres the catch? Shouldnt the T5, despite its somewhat ambiguous market positioning, be a guaranteed sales success? In short, no. The key issue with the S40 T5 is that other S40 models make a whole lot more sense. Yes, it would be worth the premium for the added asking price and running costs of the T5 if it offered entertainment by the bucketload but its immediately apparent within a few yards of moving off that the T5 is more high-speed smoothie than all-out funster. The on-paper performance data are mightily impressive; the 149mph top speed and the 6.

3 second sprint to 60mph being figures that far pricier offerings from the prestige German manufacturers are quite unable to match. When it comes to showroom appeal, the S40 T5 may well gain a few conquest sales.

"When it comes to showroom appeal, the S40 T5 may well gain a few conquest sales"

More demanding customers who insist on a longer road test may well be less convinced. Both power and torque curves fall away dramatically beyond 5,000rpm which means that you wont get too much benefit beyond a slightly raucous engine note by really extending the car. Its best work is done between 3 and 4,000rpm where its mid range punch makes it a devastatingly effective overtaking weapon. Below or above this relatively narrow band, however, the T5 feels weak and the throttle pedal feels disappointingly vague.

The brakes, whilst undeniably strong at first, also feel a little spongy and several high speed stops overwhelmed their retarding power noticeably. Drive the car about in a relaxed fashion and it feels fine. Ask a little more of it and it feels a little unconvincing. The same goes for the handling.

Safe and secure is the byword here, with a stability control system that can be disengaged but automatically re-enters the fray if you really get out of shape. The steering feels pleasantly direct when cruising but when cornering hard it lacks feedback, the same going for the cars overall body control. Grip is very impressive but in wet conditions the effect of that large engine thrown out ahead of the front axle will result in mild, if safe, understeer. Drive the T5 hard then and it raises more questions than it answers.

It will also consume fuel at a determined rate, certainly nowhere near the 32.5mpg combined figure Volvo quote. Compensation is offered in the case of a CO2 emissions showing of 208g/km which makes it one of the cleanest cars in its class and also an insurance rating of Group 15. If the T5 is impressive when cruising but less so when charging, why not save the expense and just opt for a lesser S40 model that may not have quite so much power but wont lack its poise in quite such a ready manner? Its an apposite question and its hard to find many justifications for the turbocharged T5.

Volvo has made some small incremental improvements to the cars look and feel in recent times. At the front end, the chrome-framed egg-crate grille has been re-profiled and features a bigger Volvo badge. Clear lensed headlights and a wider air intake look a little more distinctive, while at the back theres 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.

Its a centre console thats 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 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. Better cupholders, bigger door bins and an auxiliary input for the stereo under the armrest are all included while the instrument panels also looks a little racier.

Theres now the choice of Nordic Light Oak for the floating centre stack or Virtual White if youre feeling minimalist. The spaceball gear selector is present and correct on manual cars. As with the previous S40, Volvo can only do so much with the wheelbase and space in the rear is a little tight but the huge boot comes as some consolation. Volvo havent 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 its 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 youre 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 its slab-sided to keep its occupants looking good. Although the Volvo S40 T5 looks impressive on paper, its depth of talent is in fact disappointingly thin. Despite its dynamic shortcomings, theres still a great deal to commend it.

The downside is that these qualities are shared with the rest of the S40 range at far less expense to the consumer. Almost everything T5-specific about this car is at best a qualified success. The T5s problem is exacerbated by the amount of very talented rivals that while not offering its outright pace, can nevertheless display a subtlety and feel that this S40 so manifestly lacks. Still, if speed is of the essence and you dont care too much how its achieved, this Swede might be worth a try.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Volvo S40 T5
PRICES: £22,335-£23,635 on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 15
CO2 EMISSIONS: 208g/km
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 149mph / 0-60mph 6.3s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 32.5mpg
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