Designers, like writers, crave inspiration and a desire to stand out from the crowd. For all the right reasons, too.
So what on earth is the poor designer to do when confronted with a request to introduce a new luxury mid-range family hatchback into, what many may consider to be a saturated marketplace? A marketplace flooded with Volkswagens, BMWs and Audis. Not only look to the competition but draw on the past, all the while looking to the future. And that partly helps to explain the new Volvo V40.
This is the second generation model because its predecessor was launched in 1996, manufactured until 2004. My uncle was the proud owner of one of these, until he hit a deer while travelling at speed on the motorway. He was lucky to be alive but then he was driving a Volvo, renowned for its safety features. Looking back at the original V40 it followed a long line of Volvos of that era with their slightly rounded edges, the manufacturer slowly breaking away from its trademark straight lines of the ‘80s. There were a lot of curves on earlier models and in common with many manufacturers these are being revisited with today’s offerings.
The Swedish manufacturer has always offered something slightly different and the new V40 continues along this road. It can be easily recognised as a modern Volvo, sharing much in common with its larger brothers. But there is no doubt that while the brand has resurrected the V40, the model we have before us shares nothing in common with its ancestor, apart from the distinctive Volvo emblem of course and its flawless safety record. Today’s V40 is clean, fast and perhaps most interestingly of all, a hatchback. The original V40 was offered in either saloon or estate variants.
For me, an important test currently, is whether a car has a large enough boot to carry a cumbersome tandem pushchair. It’s not a fair test by any means but one that is necessary in the current state of the Saunders family made up of two little rascals of two years old and a little over two months. Harriett, our eldest despises the very thought of having to sit in the front of the pushchair but eventually gives in after a long day’s walking. Heidi is perfectly happy sleeping all day long. Anyway, you can see the necessity. A great many vehicles have boots that do not allow for such a large item. I thought the Volvo was going to join them and after a few attempts, I was about to give up when I decided to push the split fold rear seats down. This allowed me to manoeuvre this bulky, awkward item into position and to my surprise and delight, I was then able to pull it back into the boot. The boot is just wide enough to accommodate the length of the pushchair as you can see from the video at
testdrives.biz. The parcel shelf has to be removed, though. This extremely tight fit means that the same procedure has to be endured to remove the pushchair from the boot. And so it takes a little while and a little biting of the tongue in removing and refitting baby seats. This is the first hatchback tested that has actually been large enough for our tandem pushchair.
Externally, it’s a distinctive vehicle, the R-Design model tested, complete with alloy wheels and fog lights in the front bumper, make it look sporty, helped by its poise on the road. I like the twin exhausts and the curvaceous boot.
But I cannot seem to open the rear doors without pressing the keyfob a couple of times.
Inside, the V40 is well appointed with black leather seats, all round electric windows, sat nav and heated front seats. If the middle seat in the rear isn’t being used there’s a comfortable armrest and the edge of the seat cleverly conceals cupholders, accessed by the pull of a lever.
Equipped with a slick six-speed manual box, engine stop start and a traditional handbrake (albeit in an off centre position), this 1.6-litre petrol Swede delivers capable performance while returning over 30mpg.
New price range:
£19,995 - £31,065
0-60mph: 8.8secs
Top speed: 130mph
Power: 150bhp
Watch the video at
www.testdrives.biz
