Volvo V40 Review – Hot Blue

Opening

The Indian luxury car market is dominated by the German automakers, but now the scenario is changing. There are some Italian brands, some Japanese SUVs, British off-roaders and the Swedish too. After designing safe and utility-driven vehicles, Volvo has got a lot of zing and zang in its design. The present day Volvo designs have that glam factor that makes one have a second glance.

Volvo is increasing its footprint in India by not just increasing its dealerships but at the same time even increasing its products in India. The latest to join the bandwagon is the V40 hatchback. This is different from the V40 Cross Country as it doesn’t get the body cladding, which makes it look trendy and stylish. We lay our hands on this new hatchback from Volvo. So, how does this luxury hatchback perform? We share our detailed review. Read further as the mystery unfolds.
 

Appearance Exterior

What Volvo has done with the V40, can be a case study. Most of the luxury hatchback buyers are young and they need something that is very catchy. With the V40, the Scandinavian designers have made the hatchback look trendy. The Rebel Blue colour and the 17-inch alloy wheels enhances the styling. After going through the entire colour range options, it is the Rebel Blue that the best colour to pick. This should be Hot Blue than Rebel Blue. Hotter than the reds available on the competition hatches. The other colours are elusive but this is intriguing one and will make several heads turn around.

The front of the V40 looks sharp with the blacked-out front grille and a subtle thin strip of chrome. The V40’s headlamps are like hawk-eye shaped and it gets a thin strip of LED on the fog lamps. The silhouette of the V40 is sleek and with the low profile tyres and machine-cut R-Design alloy wheels, one can drool all day long over it. The rear is an uber stylish with the black and blue styling.

Appearance Interior

The interiors of the V40 gets black leather upholstery and this does look a bit dull, especially after being overwhelmed by the exterior styling. The front seats have been carved by an artist and that is the only continuation that the V40 has with the exceedingly elegant exterior design. The buttons and controls are ergonomically sized, and then one can change the instrument panel colours for different moods. Switching to different modes doesn’t change the instrument panel colours. There is a Comfort, Eco and Sport theme designed instrument binnacles.

The centre console has a neatly following design however there are a lot of buttons on it. The steering wheel is chunky and good to grip. There inserts of brushed aluminium on the dashboard, other than that it is majorly black interiors. There mentions of R-Design inside as well and there are very tasteful without being loud. The centre screen is very small in size and we wish it were a bit larger. There is no reverse parking camera, and there are only sensors all around the car to park it.

The space that the Volvo V40 offers is good especially for the front row. There is sufficient back, thigh and side support by the front seats with enough headroom and legroom for tall people. The rear row is fine when it comes to seating for two, however the thigh support could have been better.

The V40 has been made for those who are under 30, and their family owns multiple luxury cars. The boot too is large enough to hold three to four of their LV suitcases. Ideal pick for them to take it as a weekend getaway with friends. If they are driving in city and wish to park, there is the park assist. With the help of sensors, it parks the hatchback and the driver just has to brake whenever it is required.

Performance Drive

The Volvo V40 comes with a 2.0-litre diesel engine and this churns out 150bhp of power and 350Nm of maximum torque. This is the most powerful hatchback in its segment and this comes mated to a six-speed self-shifting transmission. The V40 comes only with a diesel engine and one downside of this engine is its noise. The diesel clatter is audible inside the cabin and it is a lot prominent during cold starts. Once the engine warms up, the noise does reduce.

Push the throttle and the engine does take a while to respond. This happens so in the comfort mode, where the engine has been tuned for comfortable cruising. Shift to Sport mode, and the throttle response sharpens and the gearshifts happen at higher engine rpm for better performance. This is a comfortable cruiser, however if you to move swiftly then get into the Sport mode. What is disappointing that even the top-of-the-line model doesn’t flappy paddles.

The ride of the V40 is pliant and doesn’t feel stiff or too soft. It can easily glide over potholes without any kind of issues. Though one has to be careful about its ground clearance as the underbelly can scrap on speed breakers. The handling of the Volvo is good and it has the readiness that its German competition posses, but it is the steering feel that is a bit of a let down. The steering feels disconnected at times, especially around bends making one lose some amount of confidence.

Tech Specs

Features

Competition All Specs

Conclusion

The Volvo V40 is stylish, trendy and powerful. Volvo has given what is required in a luxury hatchback and at Rs 28.8 lakhs (ex-showroom for the R-Design) this is a great option to pick. The design language of the V40 makes even the iconic hatchback designs fade, which are also available at the same price point.

Volvo is increasing its number of dealership but for metros, there are showrooms and service centres. If you want something that is contemporaneous and not very common, the Volvo V40 fits in your bill.
 

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