November 5, 2003. Copyright, 2003, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Volvo S40 -- Big car safety in a smaller package
By Neil Winton

LONDON, November 5, Graphic News:  VolvoÕs success over the years has been built on its reputation as a leader in car safety and its new little S40 builds on this tradition, offering many impressive new features to protect the lives of drivers and passengers.

The new safety features are hardly revolutionary and often make only a marginal extra contribution, but will be welcomed by car buyers as positive steps forward.

The S40Õs crumple zones are designed with four different qualities of steel, so that the deformation process in an accident starts with lesser strength steel and ends with the strongest, which is closest to the passenger compartment.

The collapsible steering wheel is designed to collapse horizontally, to provide the optimum position for the airbag.

The S40 boasts the Intelligent Driver Information System (IDIS), which holds off incoming telephone calls if the computer reckons that the driver is being harassed by pressure on the road. If IDIS data shows that the driver is accelerating hard, overtaking, or braking, it will delay phone calls until the excitement has died down.

The S40 also incorporates safety features used by its bigger siblings, the S60 and S80, like the Whiplash Protection System and the Side Impact Protection System.

Volvo is introducing what it calls the Òunique, super-slim, free-floating centre stackÓ, which links the controls of the audio system, the integrated phone and the air conditioning system in a thin, central console which offers extra interior storage space behind it.

The styling of the S40 makes it look like a scaled down version of the S60 and S80, and is probably what BMW is referring to when it talks about ÒRussian dollÓ styling, where cars from a manufacturerÕs range look as though they come from the same mould. BMW has eschewed this tendency with its latest 5- and 7-series, and has taken plenty of criticism for daring to be different.

Volvo, now owned by AmericaÕs Ford Motor Co., wonÕt have to face down this type of critique with the unobtrusive shape of the S40.

The S40 uses many of the same components as the recently launched Mazda3 (Ford owns about a third of Mazda) the Ford C-Max, and the new Ford Focus to be launched next year.

Power is provided by a choice of 6 engines -- two 4-cylinder motors of 1.6, and 1.8 litres, two 5-cylinders of 2.4 or 2.5 litres, and two common rail diesels, a 1.6 and 2.0 litre, the fruits of a cooperation deal with FranceÕs Peugeot.

Prices start at around 22,700 euros, and peak at 35,000 euros for the T5 SE 2.5 turbo, which produces 220 bhp.

The new S40 goes on sale in Europe and North America early in 2004.

Competition Ð Audi A3/VW Golf, BMW Compact, Mercedes A class.

Verdict -- Competent all-rounder. Volvo calls the S40 a ÒpremiumÓ product, but might find sales difficult when confronted with similarly priced cars with BMW and Mercedes badges.
/ENDS