Interior features include leather seating surfaces, steering wheel, handbrake lever and gearshift knob; "simulated" wood trim; premium speakers; and a trip computer.
Just as people do, some vehicles have a higher profile than others. I’m not talking size here, but how they register with the car-buying public. In marketing speak, that would be "how this vehicle enters into your purchase intentions." Not too many of you have purchased Volvo’s V40 wagon or its sibling S40 sedan since their autumn 1999 introduction as 2000 models. After driving a 2003 V40 500 miles recently, I think you may want to reconsider.
Developed in a joint venture with Mitsubishi whose "Charisma" version never reached these shores the S40 and V40 were designed as entry-level Volvos for folks who couldn’t afford more upscale models. Hopefully, these new Volvo buyers would be younger, but no matter their age, the "40s" would introduce them to the brand, and as their income increased they’d buy other Volvos. That’s automotive marketing 101. Now you need a reason to consider this car.
Let’s start with the name. The V in V40 wagon stands for "versatility." Volvo says owners "perceive the V40 as a sedan with a long roof and not as a traditional wagon vehicle." I say kudos to Volvo for at least calling a wagon a wagon, something most auto-makers are loath to do, because station wagons "don’t clinic well" with focus groups. With Volvo’s long history of producing wagons, the company is more comfortable marketing that body style. In the V40’s case, it’s a 15-foot-long, 2,822-pound, five-passenger wagon riding on a 100.9-inch wheelbase. Think Subaru Legacy/Outback or VW Jetta wagons for size comparisons.
Restyled for ’03 via a rounded egg-crate grille, body-color bumpers and side moldings, the V40 comes as single, one-trim-level model (price: $25,560) with a bunch of standard equipment. (The equally attractive S40 sedan is $1,000 less.) There are two major option packages: "Premium" and "Sport," the former being luxury oriented and the latter geared to the enthusiast driver. One thing all Volvos are known for is safety, and V40 buyers don’t get shortchanged. Standard safety equipment includes dual-stage front airbags, side-impact airbags plus an inflatable side curtain and four-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock and EBD (electronic brake force distribution). Along with the Premium Package, our bright red test wagon added the very worthwhile "Climate Package" ($850) with heated front seats, headlamp washers/wipers and traction control.
There’s only one engine, a 1.9-liter, dual-overhead cam, 16-valve, four-cylinder with an intercooled, twin-scroll turbocharger that produces 170 horsepower (up 10 from ’02) and 177 pound-feet of torque. It’s mated to a five-speed automatic transmission the only gearbox available one of the rare instances where a five-speed auto is standard with a four-cylinder. Plus it has a winter shift mode and adaptive shift control that quickly learns your personal driving style and alters the shift pattern to match it.
The transmission is a major contributor to the V40’s EPA fuel economy ratings of 22-city/30-highway. Probably 80 percent of our test miles were on the open road. The rest were around town during some of the coldest temperatures of the winter. Still we managed almost 29 miles per gallon, helped by our light right foot and that adaptive shift technology.
The V40’s fun-to-drive factor gets a big boost from its four-wheel independent suspension. It consists of MacPherson struts up front with a 19-mm stabilizer bar, and a multilink setup at the rear with a 13-mm bar. Road-holding qualities are good, though the shocks are biased toward a comfortable ride rather than handling prowess. For that you’d also need a tad tighter steering and better tires than the standard 195/60 mud and snows on 15-inch alloy wheels. Optional or as part of the $650 Sport Package are 215/50s on 16-inch alloys. Sport also adds more supportive front bucket seats, "aluminum-look" inlays instead of wood trim, front and rear spoilers and a leather steering wheel.
Volvo figures the "value" of the Premium Package is $4,140, not the $2,495 it charges. Considering you get a power glass moon roof; leather seating surfaces, steering wheel, handbrake lever and gearshift knob; chrome exterior door handles; "simulated" wood trim; premium speakers; and a trip computer, Volvo has a point. The V40’s cabin looks and feels more upscale than most small wagons. The switch gear should be familiar to any current Volvo driver, and I’ve even made peace with the no-buttons audio system.
The Climate and Premium Packages brought our V40’s sticker price to $28,905. That seemed high to us at first for a small sort of luxury wagon. But when we added up everything that list price includes (and don’t forget, you can negotiate), we reconsidered.
Volvo likes to say that the S40 and V40 offer "Volvo virtues at an affordable price." We’d agree, adding that some of those virtues are hard to find in the V40’s competitors. We’re also glad we remade the V40’s acquaintance.
Get information on the Carlisle Import-Kit/Replicar Nationals on the Web at www.carsatcarlisle.com.

