callycarexpert's Full Review: 2004 Volvo S40 Sedan
Let me start off by saying that the new 2004.5 Volvo S40 is such a huge improvement over the outgoing S40. Several years ago when the old S40 came to U.S. shores, I was disappointed with the cars driving characteristics, style, power-train, and overall cramped feel. The new 2004.5 Volvo S40, may not be the largest car in its class, but now it has loads of style, a high-tech and modern interior with ample room, and as it’s a Volvo, an amazing amount of safety features and class leading crash ratings. I am currently in the market to purchase a car for my son when he goes off to college, and as a parent, the Volvo’s safety ratings and overall solid feel make me feel comfortable having my son drive it, while the new-found style of the S40 aroused the interest of my auto-savvy teenager. So, this past May, shortly after the new S40 reached dealer showrooms, my son and I went and took an extensive test drive of a base engine 2004.5 Volvo S40. It didn’t turn out to be the ‘perfect’ car for our needs, and I’ll explain why in my driving impressions of the S40.
Exterior: When I saw pictures of the new S40 being previewed in several of my auto magazine subscriptions, I was impressed with how “hip” and stylish the new S40 appeared. In my opinion, it pulls off Volvo’s ‘new’ styling direction much more successfully then the S60. Although small in size, the S40 doesn’t look tinny or cheap, but sporty and sophisticated.
Interior: Stepping into the S40, the element that first caught our eyes was the S40’s unique ‘waterfall dash’. Basically, the center stack is very thin, flowing from the dashboard to the center console. This setup, beyond the purpose of looking ‘ cool’, enables a small storage area behind the center stack. Think of the S40’s center area as the first ‘flat-screen Tv’ of automotive center stacks.
Moving beyond this novel feature, the S40’s seats are wide and supportive, and in the model we tested, featured a grippy and sporty fabric on the seats that felt very durable and comfortable, and was much more sophisticated then the generic cloth found in many base models of other car models. I am not to tall, 5㤒, and I was able to find a comfortable driving position in the S40.
The steering wheel is leather wrapped, and had nice grooves to rest your fingers. Overall the ergonomics of the cars center stack was a little puzzling at first, but after staring at it for a little while, everything seemed intuitive.
The interior materials seemed to be of high quality, with many soft touch plastics. Cost cutting was not apparent. The back seat of the car was larger then the previous S40, yet it still wasn’t abundant in space. Two adults will fit pretty well, but there legs will likely rub up against the back seat. Now on to how the car drove.
Driving Impressions: Out on the road, the new S40 feels very tight and nimble. Partially this is do to the cars compact size, but also due to the sturdy new platform that also underpins that new Mazda 3, and the new European Ford Focus. Anyone who has reservations about re-badging, should not be worried as the S40 felt like a Volvo should, solid and safe.
The car goes around turns with surprising gusto. There was no tire squeal, and the car handled flat and without drama. On city and highway streets the Volvo rides surprisingly well for a car with such a short- wheelbase. The suspension is firm, yet compliant and it soaks bumps rather well.
My main shortcoming with the drive of the car was the base 168 hp 4 cylinder in the car we were driving. It sounded wheezy under full throttle, and although not slow, it failed to move the car with any authority. Around town the engine was fine, but when I took it on the highway and floored it at 60 mph, I was rewarded with more noise then actual acceleration. Obviously moving up to the more powerful T5 would solve this problem, but it is also quite a bit more expensive.
Overall Reaction. Our test car had a sticker of about $27,000. That’s a lot of money for a base Volvo with a base engine, and no leather upholstery. At the time, when the car first came out, the dealers were obviously not to willing to deal, yet recently discounts have popped up in local papers, along with attractive lease rates.
In my son and I’s opinion we felt the new S40 was almost good at everything, and had no real major flaws, yet it didn’t produce any emotion in either of us. It was just a nice safe car, we would recommend, and surely be comfortable owning or driving, but it didn’t make me want to get out my checkbook. Also fears of typically poor Volvo resale (although it is to early to judge on the new S40), cautioned us from purchasing the S40.
Overall the new S40, is a significantly better car then its predecessor, and if you care utmost about safety, it is probably the car for you, however if you care more about driving excitement, take a look at an Acura TSX. It is about the same price and has many more standard features. Also, if the base S40 isn’t sufficient, try looking at the more expensive, sporty, and powerful T5 model. No T5’s were available to test drive when we were looking, but it might be a viable alternative for many,
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
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