Safe-bet drive
A car of refinement, the new Volvo V40 delivers respectable performance from an engine that offers economy that many a motorcyclist would envy, while innovation provides a world-first safety feature, as Pete Burnard discovers...
A car of refinement, the new Volvo V40 delivers respectable performance from an engine that offers economy that many a motorcyclist would envy, while innovation provides a world-first safety feature, as Pete Burnard discovers...
IT'S a Volvo Jim, but not as we know it – the new V40, that is.
The front end looks like its modern Volvo siblings.
The rear is reminiscent of – depending on your age – the C30 hot hatch/coupe or the P1800 ES, that sublime coupe estate that looked like an amalgamation of the best bits of the Saint's P1800 and the Reliant Scimitar GTE.
So as you may have gathered, it's a good looker, in my book at least.
But just as we got you used to them, you can forget the old S for Saloon and V for Versatile estate badging.
Antique dealers will have to look elsewhere for long-case clock carriages.
And anyone who tries to put a Great Dane in the back just hasn't got a Scooby Doo.
The V40, Volvo's first five-door hatch in a couple of decades, is targeting the premium hatchback market.
With the VW Golf, BMW 1 Series and Audi A3, Volvo is pitching against some seriously-talented, established competition.
Then there's the all-new A-Class Mercedes but this sector of the market, which has long been popular locally, is burgeoning in the UK, too.
So there is probably room for another newbie, especially one as stylishly sleek as this – even shorthouse moi can stand alongside a rear door and touch the shark's fin aerial in the middle of the rear of the roof.
Those sleek looks don't seem to impinge on the passenger cabin, where a panoramic glass roof makes for a light airy feel when the power blind is retracted at least, and there is plenty of room up front.
But although it sailed through the 'can I sit behind myself' test, things might be a bit less happy behind a very tall driver.
Passengers are otherwise very well looked after, though. A chilled glovebox stops the choccies melting plus there's a fair supply of stowage spaces and a decent boot – not as big as some, but usefully wide with rear seats that fold flat and a false floor that can double as a loadbay divider.
When it comes to interior design, materials and fit, Volvo takes no prisoners.
The transparent gearlever that illuminates at night might be a bit gimmick – I can't be sure, I had to get it back before nightfall – but you can't fail to be impressed by the soft-touch, quality materials, the floating centre console and the standard five-inch colour screen.
And the high-tech instrumentation would not look out of place in something costing twice the price.
Rather than conventional dials, the V40 gets a screen dominated by a large, high-tech analogue speedo where the numbers that appear every 20mph light up only as you near that speed.
Fire the motor up and a temperature gauge and tacho appear to slide out from behind either side of the speedo and a gear indicator slips out on top of the tacho. Yes, bikers, you will feel at home, it is a gear position indicator, not a nagging reminder to change up or down.
Of course with the focus on emissions there is a change up/down prompt, over on the right hand side where it mimics and visually balances the fuel gauge over on the far left.
Despite the pretty intuitive system, I never discovered the 'themes' available which change the colour of the display but that's the trouble with premium cars these days – it takes days if not weeks to figure out what everything does. I bet even some owners never manage it.
But I did figure out how to start Jacksons demonstrator, a D2 SE in a distinctive shade of grey, and head off for the west coast.
As the drive goes on you start to appreciate the superb seats in a way you couldn't in the showroom: a great combination of comfy and supportive.
The driving position is fine, with bags of room around the pedals, and the six-speed gearbox is light and positive, while the electromechanical power steering is no lighter or less communicative than most others.
Performance from the 1.6 diesel is respectable, if hardly electrifying.
Its 115PS are almost exactly what the old 1.6 Lotus-Ford twin cam used to punt out way back when cars were lighter and there is a useful amount of torque around the lower and middle rev range, so it feels stronger than the bare figures suggest.
The overriding impression at the wheel is one of refinement.
I have never been less aware that there was a diesel under the bonnet. It was only when I met up with snapper Adie Miller, got out and heard the clatter that it really dawned on me that this was an oil burner.
The ride, too, is top drawer – honed on British B roads, apparently, but not at the expense of more than acceptable handling.
Not downright sporty but stable, predictable and safe – it is a Volvo, after all.
While safety has always been a Volvo strong suit, the small oil burner majors on economy – not something that springs to mind when you mention the brand.
It's so frugal – with CO2 emissions of between 94 and 99g/km – that the nice Mr Osborne won't even ask you for Vehicle Excise Duty while you can drive it in mayor Boris's London without having to pay the congestion charge.
So what does it mean for local motorists?
It makes the V40 a good pre-emptive purchase for if/when our cash-strapped States looks to we motorists for its lost/squandered millions.
You can bet your bottom krona that they'll sell any extra levy as a green initiative and doubtless enough of you will fall for it.
Still, in the meanwhile although the official combined figure of 74.3mpg is going to prove elusive here, V40 owners will be able to enjoy a premium driving experience in a conveniently-sized car while enjoying the sort of economy that many a motorcyclist will envy.
It's also a very convenient companion with hill-holder, a boon locally, easy set-up Bluetooth across the range for those who must stay connected on the move and it also lets you stream music, and there's also an assist system to take the pain out of parallel parking.
But, saving the best to last, the V40 is outstandingly safe.
Its City Safety system monitors traffic ahead by laser and brakes automatically to minimise the impact or even avoid a crash altogether.
It reduces collisions by 20% and now works up to 31mph rather than the former 19mph.
Other collision avoidance systems include a cross-traffic alert radar system which helps when reversing out of a parking space – yes, anathema to advanced motorists but with the layout of half our car parks and the need to keep the tailgate accessible at the supermarket, inevitable sometimes.
And there is an improved blind spot information system.
But we've seen all those before.
A significant new Volvo should always include a world-first safety feature so, tah-dah.... enter the world's first pedestrian airbag.
It works between 12 and 31 mph and, if sensors detect contact with a pedestrian, it releases the rear end of the bonnet and deploys an airbag.
The airbag protects the pedestrian against contact with the underbonnet hardware and also covers the lower part of the windscreen and the hard, unforgiving A-pillars.
If the twin halos of green-friendly economy and pedestrian-friendly safety appeal, there's hardly anywhere else to look in the sector.
But there's more to it than that.
Even if you're one of those who find safety a turn-off – yes, they do exist – you can enjoy a genuinely premium stylish alternative to the established class-leading herd, while downsizers will hardly miss their bigger cars at all.
