Sporty glam for Volvo V40

Volvo describes their V40s as “premium” hatchbacks and this is not an over-statement because the spruced up Volvos are not only class leaders but good-looking, comfortable and pleasant to drive.

The 2-litre engine line-up (both petrol and diesel) remains the same except for the T3 automatic which is powered by a 1.5 turbo-petrol engine. Transmissions vary from six-speed manual to six-speed- and 8-speed auto boxes.

On offer is a choice of Kinetic, Momentum, Inscription and R-Design levels, priced from R351,100 to R459,700. A stand-out feature (available as standard on some models and optional on others) are new all-LED T-shaped headlights nicknamed “Thor’s Hammer “ (already an eye-catching feature on the XC90), at this stage restricted to only the more expensive R-Design and Inscription versions. New handsome alloy wheels, a black vertical slatted grille and a choice of new colours add further enhancement.

Smartened living quarters

The living quarters have also been smartened with a centre stack choice of finishes between glistening black to wood grain. Leather seat covering choices are cream, brown or black (also in two-tone). An odd option is a rather strangely patterned “City Weave” material which is likely to divide opinion.

I like the fact that the lighting of the dials can be changed, inter alia to red, to add a touch of sportiness. Rather strangely though, Volvo persists with its wagon-wheel steering wheel instead of a much more attractive smaller and sportier wheel.

The cabin oozes quality and is spacious, well insulated, sublimely comfortable and richly endowed with a ritzy sound system, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, digital instrument cluster and electric driver’s seat with settings memory.

Five-star safety

Volvo built its name on safety and the V40 continues this tradition as one of best-performing cars in the world with a five-star rating in the Euro NCAP safety tests and its class-leading standard safety equipment such as seven airbags, ABD, EBD, ESC (stability and traction control), Cross Traffic Alert, Driver Alert System and much-lauded City Safety with uses autonomous braking to avoid collisions with vehicles travelling ahead.

Additional safety options include Blind Spot Information System, Cross Traffic Alert, Driver Alert, Lane Keeping Aid, Collision Warning with full auto brake and pedestrian and cyclist detection, and Adaptive Cruise Control.

At the media introduction in Cape Town I drove various versions of the refreshed range, mainly on short drives in city conditions which presented no real opportunity to get a good feel for handling and performance levels - although it was enough for me to fall for the charm and performance of the power-rich D4 whose 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel engine churns out 140kW and 400Nm from take-off and continues in an impressive upward surge. The slick and quick eight-speed transmission is a perfect match for this power factory, whether under the whip or on stop-start commuting duty.

On the other side of the scale the D2 stood out for its sip-sip use of only of only 3.4-litres/100km, but to achieve this it would be necessary to endure the rather sleepy 88k/W engine.

Ruggedly-handsome Cross Country

Of the two 40 body shapes I prefer the Cross Country version. The more ruggedly-handsome, recreational-friendly Cross Country T5 AWD Inscription is the most expensive in the spruced up V40 line-up and it, too, comes standard with lots fancies including the Thor’s Hammer LED headlights, 18-inch Metallah alloys, rear parking sensors, dual-zone automatic climate control, cruise control, digital instrument cluster, good sound system and electric front seats with memory. It can also be personalised with numerous optional extras.

I didn’t have an opportunity to drive this vehicle on gravel and unpaved back roads, but on the black top the Cross Country dishes up a comfortable, quiet ride in a cabin that is as smart and comfortable as the rest of the line-up. The new two-litre under its hood produces 180kW and 350Nm, yet with the assistance of its well-cogged 8-speed transmission, it claims to use only 6.4-litres of costly forecourt juice per 100km.

All the V40 and V40 Cross Country models in this country are sold with a price-inclusive five-year/100,000km warranty and a five-year/100,000km full maintenance plan.