Volvo S40
Volvo S40/V40/V50 | |
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Overview | |
Manufacturer | NedCar (1995–2004) Volvo Cars (2005–present) |
Production | 1995 – present |
Body and chassis | |
Class | Entry-level luxury car / Small family car |
Chronology | |
Predecessor | Volvo 440 |
First generation | |
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Overview | |
Production | 1995–2004 |
Assembly | Born, Netherlands |
Body and chassis | |
Body style | 4-door sedan 5-door station wagon |
Layout | FF layout |
Related | Mitsubishi Carisma Proton Waja |
Powertrain | |
Engine | 1.6 L I4 1.8 L I4 1.9 L turbocharged I4 Standard in North American models and only available in North America 1.9 L diesel I4 2.0 L I4 2.0 L turbocharged I4 |
Transmission | 5-speed automatic |
Dimensions | |
Wheelbase | 2000-01: 2550 mm (100.3 in) 2002-04: 2557 mm (101 in) |
Length | 2000-01: 4470 mm (176 in) 2002-04: 4521 mm (178 in) |
Width | 2000-01: 1720 mm (67.7 in) 2002-04: 1717 mm (67.6 in) |
Height | 2000-01: 1410 mm (55.5 in) 2002-04 S40: 1423 mm (56 in) 2002-04 V50: 1426 mm (56.1 in) |
Second generation | |
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Overview | |
Production | 2004–present |
Assembly | Ghent, Belgium |
Body and chassis | |
Body style | 4-door sedan 2-door coupe |
Layout | Front engine, front-wheel drive / four-wheel drive |
Platform | Ford C1 platform |
Related | Mazda3 Ford Focus Volvo C30 |
Powertrain | |
Engine | 1.6 L I4 1.6 L diesel I4 1.8 L I4 1.8 L E-85/Petrol I4 2.0 L I4 2.0 L diesel I4 2.4 L I5 2.5 L T5 turbocharged I5 2.5 L D5 turbocharged diesel I5 |
Transmission | 5-speed manual 6-speed manual 5-speed Geartronic |
Dimensions | |
Wheelbase | 264 cm (104 in) 271 cm (105 in) |
Length | 446.8 cm (176 in) |
Width | 177 cm (70 in) 188 cm (83 in) |
Height | 145.2 cm (57 in) 150.3 cm (66 in) |
Curb weight | 1399–1426 kg (3084–3144 lb) |
The Volvo S40, V40 and V50 are entry-level luxury cars / compact executive cars produced by Volvo Cars. There have been two generations, the first launched in 1995 and the second one in 2004. The last one is listed by Forbes as one of the best luxury cars for young affluent drivers.[1]
First generation (1995–2004)
In the summer of 1995 Volvo released the S40 saloon (sedan) and V40 estate (wagon). They were built in the Netherlands at the NedCar factory, a pre-Ford joint venture between Volvo and Mitsubishi Motors. It was based on a common platform with the Mitsubishi Carisma, but the Japanese version did not sell as well in Europe. Despite the shared platform, the S40 and Carisma are not the same car. Of the 5,000 parts on the cars, 4,000 were unique to each. Of the remainder, 650 were produced by Volvo and 350 by Mitsubishi. Volvo's traditional emphasis for safety and ergonomics were thus easily identifiable in these models too.
In 2000 the 40 Series went through a facelift ("Phase II"), and a number of technical improvements were simultaneously introduced, such as improved engine management, direct (diesel) fuel injection, extra safety features, larger brake discs, new front suspension and steering, revised rear suspension, larger tyres and a slight widening of the track width.
The 40 Series cars were equipped with a 1.9 L diesel or 1.6, 1.8, or 2.0-litre fuel-injected gasoline engines, with low (2.0T) and high (T4) pressure turbo variants at the top of the motor range. The 1.9-litre was the only engine available in North America.
In the UK trim levels were base, SE and CD.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/Volvo-V40.jpg/200px-Volvo-V40.jpg)
Second generation (2004–present)
Introduced in the middle of the 2004 model year, the second generation S40 (known as the 2004.5 Volvo S40) introduced a new design based on the Volvo P1 platform built at the Volvo Cars factory in Ghent, Belgium. At the same time, the V40 was replaced by the V50 estate, also based on the P1 platform and built in Ghent. The S40 was nominated for the World Car of the Year award for 2005 and won the Canadian Car of the Year Best New Sport Compact award for 2005. It has also been elected the South African Car of the Year for 2005 by the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists.
The chassis for this car and the majority of its components were developed by Volvo, some of the suspension system has been developed by Ford (Europe) but still tweeked by Volvo, and the powertrain was developed by Mazda. The top of the line S40 T5 AWD, as well as the 2.4 and 2.4i, powertrain is still made by Volvo.
The S40 T5 (one of the several variants of the S40) features a 2.5 L (2521 cc) five-cylinder fuel injected engine with a light-pressure turbocharger. The valvetrain has four valves per cylinder and is a DOHC design. The engine is transversely mounted at the front of the vehicle and drives the front wheels, as was with the first generation.
Marketing
In early 2004, Volvo started an ad campaign called The Mystery of Dalarö in which 32 residents of the same Swedish town bought the same car on the same day from the same dealer. The advert was produced in a documentary style by director Spike Jonze.
2008 Facelift
The S40 was refreshed for 2008, offering refined sportiness and increased premium feel. The new S40 moves closer to the Volvo S80 while the new V50 is more like the new Volvo V70. Further improvements include improved audio systems, increased storage space and new safety features like Emergency Brake Lights which flash rapidly during hard braking to alert traffic behind the car. The new S40 also comes with optional Active Bi-Xenon headlights which point the light beam in the direction of the road as it curves.
The T5 engine got a performance increase of 10 horsepower, giving an output of 230 hp. Also during the second half of 2007 the D5 engine will become available with a manual gearbox, offering 400 Nm of torque compared with the automatic transmission's 350 Nm.
Volvo Car Corp has recently announced that the S40 will be discontinued at the end of the decade and the next generation S60 will fill that niche as the new entry level luxury sedan. The S40 may be reintroduced as a four door hatch and the V50 will instead be the estate variant for the next generation S60, same as the new generation V70 became the estate for the second generation S80.
Restricted Sales
Due to less income on a PZEV for the manufacturer, Volvo has forbidden sales of the S40 PZEV cars outside California, Florida, Vermont, Connecticut, Arizona, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York, Oregon, Maine, New Jersey, Rhode Island, New Mexico and Washington[[1]].
Engine specifications
Specification | S40 1.6 | S40 1.8 | S40 2.0 | S40 2.4 | S40 2.4i | S40 T5 | S40 T5 AWD | S40 1.6D | S40 2.0D | S40 D5 |
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Power kW/hp/rpm | 74/100/6000 | 92/125/6000 | 107/145/6000 | 103/140/5000 | 125/170/6000 | 169/230/5000 | 169/230/5000 | 80/109/4000 | 100/136/4000 | 132/180/4000 |
Torque Nm/rpm | 150/4000 | 165/4000 | 185/4500 | 220/4000 | 230/4400 | 320/1500–4800 | 320/1500–4800 | 240/1750 | 320/2000 | 350/1750-3250 |
Acceleration 0–100 km/h (manual/auto) | 11,9 s/- | 10,9 s/- | 9,5 s/- | -/10,6 s | 8,2/8,9 s | 6,8/7,2 s | 7,1/7,5 s | 12 s/- | 9,5 s/- | -/8,5 s |
Top speed km/h (manual/auto) | 185/- | 200/- | 210/- | -/200 | 220/215 | 240/235 | 230/225 | 190/- | 205/- | -/220 |
Fuel consumption l/100 km manual | 9,5/5,8/7,2 | 10,1/5,7/7,3 | 10,2/5,7/7,4 | - | 12,4/6,6/8,5 | 12,5/6,4/8,7 | 13,5/7,3/9,6 | 6,2/4,2/4,9 | 7,6/4,8/5,8 | - |
Fuel consumption l/100 km automatic | - | - | - | 13,2/6,7/9,1 | 13,2/6,7/9,1 | 13,7/6,9/9,4 | 15,1/7,2/9,6 | - | - | 9,7/5,5/7 |
References
- ^ "Top 10 Luxury Cars for Young Drivers". forbesautos.com. Retrieved 2007-07-28.