Volvo S40 T5 AWD

[MrElussive]

Hey guys,

If you look at the time, you'll see that I'm posting at 4:48AM. I have to wakeup at 10:30AM for a Biology exam and I just finished studying so if my spelling or grammar is poor, save it.

The lease of the RX300 ends soon and since my brother is the primary driver of the vehicle, I talked to my dad and we decided we should get what is best for him. My brother knows nothing about cars and has absolutely no preference on the vehicle. Wanting to maintain the same price range of the RX300, I have narrowed it down to a few cars, but the Volo S40 seemed to stand out. I test-drove a Volvo S40 T5 AWD in automatic yesterday...I requested a manual, but they didn't have any, but it's no big deal since the vehicle will be leased in auto form anyways.
So the car looks really nice in person. The interior dash is kind of weird, it is hollow behind it. No pictures on the internet or the brochure showed this at all, it seems like really clever cost-cuttting. The car looks really sporty on the outside and tastefully modern styling on the inside. Audio and HVAC controls were okay, not the best, but fine once you get used to them. Trunk space and interior room were pretty good for a car of this size.
As for the drive, I still have not come to a full conclusion, but I can tell you I was pretty disappointed. The engine has a pretty nice sound to it, but it just feels slow....the engine was never willing to "rush" for me at all when I punched it. The brake feel was kind of spongey and not very confidence-inspiring....the brakes seemed adequately strong but I was really hoping for typical European car brakes that just feel really solid. I must say, the handling was quite nice. The ride quality was really comfortable when it came to absorbing bumps; body roll was really well-controlled and the AWD makes the car feel really planted to the road. The steering was nice, light yet very communicative.
BUT, I don't know if it was the lack of a manual transmission or maybe the traffic conditions at the time (perhaps a combination of both), there was just no european spirit to this car. The vehicle looks so much more sporty than it drives because I just had no desire or confidence to whip the car hard....it was the same overall driving feel of my aunt's Volvo XC70 wagon and I was just really disappointed.
I think if I can get the proper lease price, I will go ahead and order this car for my brother as I see nothing wrong with it for his purposes, but it was just really disappointing for me. The salesman was comparing it to the new 3-Series and he said that he went on a ride-and-drive with one too. The guy knew his cars quite well (we were talking about cars in general for a while during the test drive), and I have no experience with the E90, but even the E46 3-Series' driving experience completely blows this S40 away.
Maybe I need a solo test-drive with this car in manual form, maybe it was the streets full of commuters trying to get home, but I was just unimpressed especially at what you have to shell out for a fully-loaded S40 T5 AWD ($40K, the way I configured it). I am being harsh here, but the only plus side I got out of the test-drive was that it made me realize how amazing my car is.

OWNED !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks,
MrElussive

P.S. I took some random pictures of a S40 T5 AWD sitting in the showroom and I will post them up when I'm not so tired.

 

[tool fan]

I think asthetically they look nice as well. I just think Volvo and I picture MOM

 

[jrt67ss350]

I've driven the new S40 T5 in both auto and manual forms - both were FWD models. From what you describe, apparently the AWD system must chew up a fair bit of power in these cars because the T5s I drove both felt pretty damn quick.

However, the rest of my assessment of the car was pretty much spot-on with your remarks. I like the styling of the new S40 - it looks like it would be a really sporty car. Unfortunately, the driving experience is disappointing in that regard. It drives and feels like a stereotypical Volvo. However, I think the backseat in the S40 is much more cramped than in the 3 series (especially the e90) or in the Audi A4. Interestingly, my salesman also made lots of comparisons to the 3 series and the A4 and told me he had been on a ride and drive with those two cars - both cars that I realized are in a different league after my test drives with the S40. The salespeople must be trained to make those comparisons with the customers.

If you can get your hands on a T5 manual you will be incredibly disappointed. I was completely amazed at how crappy the manual transmission is in this car. The shifter is without a doubt one of the worst shifters I have ever experienced - it feels like it is connected to the transmission via rubber bands. There is no feedback through the shifter - it can be difficult to figure out where you are at in the shift pattern and where you are pushing the shifter when you are negotiating a turn and shifting spiritedly. The shifter in the car I drove made unsatisfying noises when shifted - like a combination of plastic hitting plastic and fabric rubbing together. On top of all this, the clutch was utter shit. No tactile feedback at all. The clutch was way too light, the friction point gave you no tactile feedback through your foot, and the clutch pedal felt really cheap and flimsy. The clutch pedal is also too small. The clutch/shifter/gearbox feel like they belong in something like a Chevy Prizm (hell, I've driven a manual Chevy Prizm, and the manual transmission in that car felt better than in the Volvo).

I was incredibly disappointed by this car - I had driven the auto immediately after they came out (when the manuals weren't available for sale yet). I liked the car styling-wise, and like you, I thought that the manual would overcome some of the car's disappointments. However, I was even more disappointed by the manual car - I have crossed the S40 off my list as a potential replacement for my '87. The S40 is more along the lines of a Saab 9-3 than a 3er or A4, but the 9-3 is a much better car than the S40.

 

[deutsch100]

Hey Emile,

Good Luck on the Biology exam!

If you are willing to spend $40k on an AWD Volvo, why not spend less and get a 325xi E90? If your brother doesn't care...spend less, get a better car and get free maintenance.

Volvo has come a really, long way...but I still think of Swedish, soccer mom. BMW, Audi and even a C Class is much more appealing than a Volvo.

 

[Kirby]

Having owned Volvos in the past, I am not surprised by your experiences. Volvo builds a good, safe, reliable car with a comfy ride. But, except for a modified/tuned 240, all are just average in the handling and performance department.

I remember test driving the C70 convertible with the turbo. I too was disappointed on every aspect of performance. Great looking car, but handled average, and the convertible had cowl shake like a flexible flyer sled.

 

[MrElussive]

Kirby and deutsch, you guys both bring up good points. As far as Volvo has come, their cars still have the boring soul of a Volvo.

jrt67, that's a great review. I was debating whether I was just being harsh on the car, especially with the salesman trying to defend the things I was knocking, but I was definitely right on target. It really is unfortunate that the S40 looks much better than it drives, and it doesn't even look that sporty to begin with.

 

[codex57]

What's wrong with an RX330?

Oh, and that weird dash? It's a feature. Volvo's promoted teh hell out of it. You can even get it in different textures like wood, aluminum, and clear (so it shows the electronic guts). Suprised it wasn't in any brochure or that no one mentioned it. Called a "waterfall" design or something like that.

 

[epj3]

I do like the looks of the S40 though

 

[bmw046series]

What's wrong with an RX330?

Ahh It's Japanese!

 

[MrElussive]

Codex, the dash looked just like a waterfall, so that name for it makes sense. As for the RX330, our RX300's headlights got stolen once, my friend's RX330's headlights got stolen once as well. We're tired of stolen headlights so nothing from Lexus (with xenons) for us.

Eric, that's the funny thing. The styling is conservative yet on the sporty and nice side. It looks pretty good overall and does not give too much of an impression of sport, and it STILL drives far worse than it looks.

 

[Bmw 325i 7803]

Hey guys,

If you look at the time, you'll see that I'm posting at 4:48AM. I have to wakeup at 10:30AM for a Biology exam and I just finished studying so if my spelling or grammar is poor, save it.

I remember reading somewhere that "cramming all night" actually decreases your performance on an exam the next morning, with the exception being if you never studied the material before then the overnight cramming will help you out. On the contrary, if you have been studying, paying attention, and know the material fairly well, studying all night is actually detrimental.

So how'd it go?


Yes, the S40 looks nice outside, but it certainly does not drive as good as it looks...

 

[MrElussive]

The exam went pretty well. I crammed as much material into my MINI Cooper-sized brain and I was able to answer most of the 100 multiple choice questions. Staying up until 5:30 to be well prepared did make it worth it !!!!!!!!!!!