Volvo’s all-new S40 has arrived at last. The cars now on sale in South Africa were all built in Ghent, Belgium, but we can expect to see local production in full swing before the end of this year.
While the previous S40 was developed alongside the Mitsubishi Carisma and built at the Japanese company’s factory in Holland, the new car shares genes with the current Ford Focus. Both cars are built upon the Ford C1 platform, as are the next generation Focus and the Mazda3, but the engineers say that the engineers for each brand have worked so hard at injecting their own “dynamic fingerprint” into their vehicles that you’d be hard pressed to detect any similarities between the models from the driving seat. I’ve now driven both, and would be loath to argue with them on that point.
The new Volvo is shorter, wider and taller than its predecessor, with more interior space. Wheelbase and track have both been extended and the wheel-in-each-corner architecture allow for nimbler handling, with the added bonus that the rear doors are wider.
The new Volvo S40 shares the same interior safety system as found on the larger Volvo models, including WHIPS (Whiplash Protection System), SIPS (Side Impact Protection System), side-impact airbags and inflatable curtains. Depending upon whether you buy the S40 2.4I or the S40 T5, you also get stability and traction control (STC) or the fancier dynamic stability and traction control (DSTC) which helps the car regain its composure when the tyres let go. Both versions have powerful ABS brakes with electronic brake-force distribution to the rear wheels and automatic panic-braking assistance that monitors how hard you’re nailing the stoppers and then gives a helpful boost if necessary.
Interior frills there are aplenty, although in typical Volvo fashion the controls are simple and the dash uncluttered. One interesting feature is the brand-new IDIS – intelligent driver information system – which was influenced by fighter aircraft technology. This electronic “secretary” keeps the driver from being distracted by the optional built-in cell phone or any of the car’s electronic devices when it senses that he’s too busy to worry about trivia. The system monitors accelerator, brake and clutch pedal as well as turn signal use and delays any beeps and buzzers until things have quietened down a little in the cockpit. IDIS is standard in all versions of the S40, although the phone is not.
Both launch models of the new S40 use five cylinder in-line engines mounted transversely up front to drive the front wheels. In the case of the S40 2.4 the engine is naturally aspirated and displaces 2,4 litres for an output of 125 kW and 230 Nm, whereas the rather brisk T5 squeezes 162 kW and 320 Nm from just 100cc more, thanks to a low-pressure turbocharger. The T5 manual makes very good use of the lovely six-speed manual gearbox that was developed for the S60 R, while the entry level S4 2.4 gets by with the latest version of Volvo’s five speed manual box. Both models can also be had with Volvo’s superb Geartronic auto transmission that allows manual or auto shifting. This is one of the nicest such transmissions around.
At the launch I drove the S40 2.4 with both auto and manual gearboxes and the T5 auto version for 500 odd kilometres along some of the most enjoyable roads in the world, around Nelspruit. The car is really superb, with outstanding handling and very brisk performance from both engines. With prices ranging between R227 000 for the 2.4 manual and R275 000 for the T5 auto it’s very capable of taking on the very best its German opposition has to offer.