I've finally got round to having a test drive of a Volvo V40, middle of the range SE specification.
It’s inevitable that I’ll make comparisons with my trusty 2003 Focus Ghia.
The seats weren't too bad but certainly not as comfortable as those in my Focus. Also the seat material felt hard and abrasive compared with the soft velvet of my Focus. The manual seat height adjustment felt strange as it made the angle of the seat cushion and the fore-and-aft position alter as it went up and down ~ the electrical adjustment in my Focus just goes straight up and down. Even with the steering wheel adjusted as far forward as possible I couldn't get as far away from the steering wheel as I would have liked.
Headroom was restricted, and my head touched the top of the door frame as I got in and out ~ and I’m not tall. The interior felt cramped and somewhat claustrophobic ~ I’ll have to take ‘er indoors to sit in one because she suffers from claustrophobia.
The clutch and gear change actions were smooth ~ and there was a totally unnecessary indicator on the right of the fascia to tell you when to change up and down!
The start/stop function worked OK. When we came to a stop at traffic lights I put the car into neutral, applied the handbrake, and released the clutch. The engine quickly restarted when I pushed the clutch pedal down again. The accompanying salesgirl said it wasn’t necessary to apply the handbrake at traffic lights ~ is this the way people are taught nowadays? The salesgirl said that the start/stop function could be permanently disabled but I’m not sure I believe that. I think it’s more likely that it would need disabling before the start of every journey.
The handbrake was on the left of the gear lever (not behind), and my forearm touched the centre armrest when I applied the handbrake.
There was room for the optional spare wheel in the well of the boot provided that you removed the jack and wheel brace, and the standard leak sealant equipment.
The salesgirl said that if you hit a pedestrian, the pedestrian airbag (which comes out at the rear of the bonnet and covers the windscreen) could just be rolled up and put back into its container. I'd believe that when I saw it!
After eight years of owning a car which has self-adhesive balance weights out of sight on the inside of the alloy wheel I was surprised to see that the V40 has clip-on balance weights on the outside of the wheel. Surely they must leave a mark on the allow wheel when they’re removed? I hope that the wheel balance isn’t so critical that weights on the outside (as well as on the inside) are absolutely vital.
I didn’t have time during the test drive to try out all the fascia-controlled toys
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As far as buying one, at the moment I’m undecided because of the could-be-better seat comfort and the restricted headroom.
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