Volvo V40 D2 SE Nav: arrival

On fleet since: October 2012
Total mileage: 3,340 miles
Official combined mpg/CO2: 78.5mpg/94g/km
Actual mpg: 48mpg
Costs: £0 so far
Engine: 1.6 D2 common-rail turbodiesel
Trim: SE Nav
Performance: 0-62 in 11.2 seconds/ 118mph top speed
Power/torque: 115hp @ 3,600/199 lb ft @ 1,750-2,500 rpm
Insurance group: N/A
List price: £22,795
Options fitted: Drivers Support Pack (£1,850), Park Assist Pilot (£850), Power driver’s seat (£600), Winter Pack (£500), Active TFT and illuminated gear knob (£350), Flexible load floor (£100), Passenger airbag cut off (£25).
Price as tested: £27,795

Pros: Safe as a bank vault, green as a Martian on a space hopper, good looks.
Cons: Options send the price uncomfortably close to £30k, the boot looks a little bijou, cream seats.

Read more long-term test reports
Road test: Volvo V40 D2
 

Why are we running a Volvo V40 D2?

Volvo is a premium car brand and yet in recent years its place in the market’s established order has generally seen it playing second fiddle to German rivals. Not that there’s any shame in second fiddle; the dominance of BMW, Audi and Mercedes has reduced many would-be competitors to standing at the back forlornly bashing themselves over the head with a tambourine.

In the best traditions of its products, Volvo has proved resilient and with the launch of the new V40 earlier this year, we detected the strong whiff of a comeback. Previous Volvos called V40 have been compact estates but this is a premium hatchback facing off directly against Audi’s A3, BMW’s 1 Series and the Mercedes A-Class. It’s a big money market sector and on first acquaintance, the V40 seemed well capable of making an impact. 

That’s why we’re running a V40 for a long-term test. We want to see whether Volvo’s first proper entrant in the premium hatch arena really has got the right stuff. Our model has the entry-level D2 diesel engine with middle-ranking SE trim and Volvo’s smart new integrated satellite navigation system. It’s a combination that’s expected to sell big and be a particular hit with the fleet customers who make or break the bottom line of cars like this.

First impressions

Even in this relatively ordinary spec, standing on modest 17” wheels, the V40 looks good. It may be a family hatchback but it retains a hint of the long roofline and stretched profile seen on V40 estates of old. The lines pinch in towards the car’s pert rear, which would be the V40’s best angle were it not for a narrow boot opening which might set alarm-bells ringing among owners of bikes, pushchairs or big dogs.
 

Get in and you spot the ‘floating’ centre console that’s been touted as the stylistic high-point of Volvo’s interiors for some years. It still looks clean and elegant but the cluster of small buttons at its heart remains daunting. More successful are the brushed metal touches on the door inserts and the frameless rear-view mirror.

Volvo’s managed to give the V40 a cabin of perceived and actual quality without aping the Germans. It feels fresh and modern, the digital displays working particularly well. The seats look fantastic too; whether their pristine cream fabric will still be as unsullied in a few months’ time is another question.    
 

What do you get for your money?

The going rate for this V40 is just under £23,000 without options and that puts it in the same ballpark as BMW’s 116d, Audi’s A3 1.6 TDI and the Mercedes-Benz A180 CDI. Specifications will need to be taken into account but you aren’t going to get this for a whole lot less than these Teutonic alternatives.

It raises obvious questions over how the V40 is going to leverage an advantage in the eyes of prospective buyers. Hopefully our long-term test will shed some light on this but two key areas immediately jump out at you.
 

The first is running costs. The advantage is slight over the 1.5-litre Mercedes but the Volvo is the greenest car in this company with 78.5mpg official combined economy and tax-friendly emissions of 94g/km. It can be driven into London’s congestion charge zone for free too.

The second of the V40’s trump cards is safety. In September 2012, Euro NCAP gave the V40 the profile-boosting title of ‘world’s safest car’. It’s basically scored the best overall results of any car ever tested in the NCAP crash tests.

This is largely thanks to the presence under the V40’s bonnet of the world’s first pedestrian airbag, which shoots forth to cushion hard points at the front of the car if an impact with a pedestrian is detected. In addition, Volvo’s City Safety technology detects impending collisions and applies the brakes automatically to stop a crash or lessen its impact.

It’s amazing stuff and there’s more because on top of the standard safety kit, our car has the £1,850 Driver Support Pack fitted with all kinds of sensors and driver aids to make avoiding trouble on the roads that bit easier. In practice, the car bleeps and flashes lights at you a lot but it means well and ‘the world’s safest car’ should be cut some slack.  

What's next for the Volvo V40 D2?

We’ll be breaking the V40 in gently with some congestion charge free commutes into central London, then it’s off to the Malverns and the Morgan Motor Company to test a trio of their unflinchingly retro sports cars. The main aim alongside thoroughly evaluating the car will be not putting any of those elaborate safety systems to the test.


 

Volvo V40 D2 SE Nav: arrival
Volvo V40 D2 SE Nav: month two
Volvo V40 D2 SE Nav: month three
Volvo V40 D2 SE Nav: final report
Read more long-term test reports
Road test: Volvo V40 D2
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On Bing: more Volvo V40 pics