2005 Volvo S40 and V50 - Consumer Guide Automotive

Category	S40 2.4i, man. Rating (See All Ratings)	Premium Compact Car Average Rating

Acceleration	5	6

Fuel Economy	6	5.3

Ride Quality	7	6

Steering/Handling/Braking	6	7.3

Quietness	6	6

Controls	7	6.9

Room/Comfort/Driver Seating (front)	7	6.3

Room/Comfort (rear)	4	3.6

Cargo Room	3	4

Value within Class	5	6

Total Score:	56	57.4

Ratings: Maximum 10 points per category

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2005 Volvo S40 and V50 Review

Volvo's entry-level line adds wagon and all-wheel-drive variants for 2005. The S40 sedan is joined by a wagon called the V50. Both offer base 2.4i and sporty T5 models and have a 5-cyl engine. 2.4i models are front-wheel drive and have 168 hp. T5s offer front- or all-wheel drive, are turbocharged, and have 218 hp. The S40 2.4i is available with a 5-speed manual transmission or a 5-speed automatic with manual shift gate. The V50 2.4i comes only with the automatic. T5s offer a 6-speed manual transmission or the 5-speed automatic. Standard on every S40 and V50 are antilock 4-wheel disc brakes, front side airbags, head-protecting curtain side airbags, and traction control. AWD versions come with a sport suspension that is optional on other models. Other options include an antiskid system, 17-inch wheels vs. standard 16s, navigation system with pop-up dashboard screen, and in-dash CD changer. Leather upholstery, sunroof, and heated seats are also available.

Competition

Consumer Guide® Automotive places each vehicle into one of 17 classes based on size, price, and market position. Premium Compact Cars are similar in size but more expensive than Compact Cars. Premium Compacts have more standard equipment and an upscale image when compared to Compact Cars.

Our single Best Buy in the Premium Compact Car class is the Acura TSX. Our Recommended picks include the BMW 3-Series and the Saab 9-3.

News

The smallest Volvos may soon add extra-sporty R-models with "hot car" chassis and cosmetic upgrades. Few near-term changes are expected otherwise, but S40/V50 will be the basis for several near-term additions to the Volvo line.

Confirmed for a spring 2006 U.S. debut is Volvo's first hideaway-hardtop convertible, a replacement for the recently discontinued soft-top C70. It keeps the C70 name, and will use the 218-hp 2.5-liter turbo 5-cyl engine that powers S40 and V50 T5 models. Among the features is an industry first: head-protecting curtain side airbags that pop up from the doors, this to make up for the lack of fixed roof rails from which to deploy the curtains.

Volvo has also confirmed the C30, a sporty 2-dr hatchback spinoff debuting in late '06 as a 2007 model. Said to be 8 inches shorter than the S40 sedan, it targets the Audi A3, Lexus' new IS and other premium compacts, which implies a starting price of around $20,000.

Ford Motor Company's Swedish branch is also pondering a V50-based baby SUV with AWD, plus styling cues from the big XC90. Likely to be called XC50, it would be related to a redesigned Freelander at Land Rover, which is also owned by Ford. No firm word on timing yet, but the XC50 should show by model-year '07.

2005 Volvo S40 and V50 Road Test >

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