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Ninety-five percent of the time, the S40 still manages to give BMWs and Audis a run for their money by producing the same solid Teutonic feel. However, in the crucial five percent of the time, the Volvo’s weakness is apparent. The Swede’s kryptonite is quick left-right; right-left corner transitions. The S40 generates huge amounts of body roll, that coupled with understeer, can cause the S40 to completely miss the apex of a corner. This could have been quelled by shutting the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) off, but unfortunately, it automatically turns itself back on in the event that the car detects a hint of slippage from the drive wheels. The less than sports sedan handling could have been offset by a rocket-like performance ala the T4, but with the absence of forced induction in the 2.4-liter engine, that’s not the case. The normally aspirated inline-5 pushes the S40 smoothly, but not as blistering quick as one would have hoped. Still, give it enough flat space, and the S40 can push to 100 km/h from a standstill in 8.9 seconds. Fast, but not that fast enough, considering that the Honda Accord V6 can do the same feat in 7 seconds flat. Likewise, though the transmission is responsive, if you push the throttle hard, a delay in power delivery, similar to turbo lag, is noticeable. The manual override doesn’t seem to help either as there’s still a waiting period before the computer computes for an up- or downshift. Fuel economy, which used to be an ace up Volvo’s sleeve (thanks in huge part to the light-pressured turbo system) isn’t anything to be bragged about in the S40. It does 5.67 km/L in a city environment, compared to the T4’s previous record of 8.60 km/L despite the T4 enjoying 30 more horsepower and 70 Nm more torque. Though the weighty body may not give the S40 a kart-like agility, it still is the unparalleled highway cruiser. It eats miles effortlessly, giving the occupants a high level of comfort thanks to a solid granite-like build quality (shaming even some of the Germans). The Noise Harshness Vibration (NVH) levels have been improved; in tandem with the supportive seats and comfort-tuned suspension, makes for the perfect vehicle to spend the entire afternoon in. However, the impressive package still makes the people at the back feel a bit shortchanged with the less-than comfortable knee room. |
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