This is the all new Volvo V40, a premium hatchback alternative to cars like the BMW 1-Series and Audi A3 Sportback. To debut in Geneva, the V40 marks a start of a new generation, replacing the one that gave us the current S40 and V50. The new car sits on the Ford Focus platform, although EPS and suspension settings are unique.
The leaked video and images show a body that’s not quite a wagon, but more like a long hatchback. The design is unmistakably Volvo, following the styling direction of the new S60 and V60. The vertical tail lamps highlighting the shoulders, the wavy beltline, they’re all there.
But unlike the V50 and V60, the rear number plate is on the bumper here, not on the hatch, which now has a black panel housing the Volvo name.
Inside, it’s what we’ve seen from Volvo over the years (a good thing) but with a flashy new instrument cluster. The tacho is king, and a digital speedo resides within it. The auto gear knob now has the legend printed on it.
Reports mention six engine choices divided evenly between petrol and diesel. The flagship will be a 254 bhp turbocharged five-cylinder engine, expected to power the V40 to 96 km/h (60 mph) in 6.5 seconds. This is a Volvo the GTI boys don’t want to drag with! Some form of electrification will replace the fifth cylinder in some point.
Lower down, the petrols are four-cylinder turbos with 150 hp and 180 hp, while the economy king of the range is a 115 hp 1.6-litre diesel. As expected, all versions have stop-start systems and brake energy regeneration. Volvo’s City Safety system, which prevents accidents by auto braking, now works up to 50 km/h.
But the safety headlines are reserved for a new pedestrian airbag that pops the bonnet and transforms the base of the screen into a large cushion. Apparently, the driver will still see the road since the victim sinks into his V40’s hood! We’ll need a video to better see how this works.
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wOw! really nice! when can i see proton design car like dis..
I bet proton will never be able to design a car as beautiful as this V40. P3-21A is just simple plain design. Don’t dream to be a global car, if at the same time you are being bashed at home.
Skodas are very popular in Europe. And look at THOSE designs. So is VW all around the world, and well, look at em. Not ugly, but exciting or beautiful? Not many would say so I’m afraid. And it’s not like Japanese cars are stunners, are they? They look even more dated than the P3-21A.
The Proton is playing it safe, there is no doubt about that. But that’s not exactly a bad thing when you want to produce an affordable car for everyone.
If the features, price (outside of Malaysia), car (handling, safety, fuel consumption etc.) and dealership network (hm, using Lotus perhaps?) is right it could actually do well, even though some parts of Europe are scarred by the Protons of old (Wiras, mostly).
But that was long ago, and Europeans may not be as brand loyal as Malaysians are. They do buy plenty of Dacias, where really the brand never produced any in any way decent cars until a few years ago (not that you’d remember anyway, as they were mostly producing for the Eastern European market… and compared to those cars ANY Proton was a great high tech vehicle. Until not so long ago they produced cars that were essentially designed in the late 60s). Now however you’ll see Dacias everywhere (and no, look at them. Against the Dacia Logan or Logan MCV Proton P3-21A is Heidi Klum).
lovely curve..
one word: stunning!
shut up
nice..!
Sweet ….would like to see the S40………hay Proton look at this design
lovely, lovely car!
volvo getting more interesting
Wow!! Awesome design~~~ Would have definitely waited for this if I have not bought mine recently!! :(
I must say this is the most striking looking Volvo i have seen in a long time,the last being the hatchback C30 if i’m not mistaken.
It looks like the boys at Volvo are really making a serious effort to garner some market share in their respective segments.It’s a very refreshing design inside and out.
A brilliant effort by Volvo.
Cheers.
Fully agreed. BMW may be the king of driving, Mercedes-Benz may be the king of comfort, Lexus may be the best in reliability and Audi may be tops in fit & finish, but, for a car that manages to combine all, id have to give it to Volvo. Sure, loads of Volvo haters will bash me viciously, but the testament is simply that i have driven the all the compact execs, bar the Audi A4 (which those guys at Euromobil could only show me a showroom unit instead of test drives), and the S60 really shines. It’s truly an extremely competent car to drive, looks like someone designed it with passion, and most of all, incredible ergonomics!!
Oh, and has anyone tried out the base S60 T4’s banging stock stereo, which is basically a Harman/Kardon 8 speaker audio? That, itself alone, makes the rest (bar the optional Mark Levinson system on the IS250) shames the rest for clarity, base, as well as harmonics.
Well said David and i agree with you fully as well.Yes i have tried the S60’s stereo and it absolutely rocks bro!A mate of mine has it,like you said,the Volvo is the best all rounder.
Having said that,i own 2 classic Volvo’s which has been meticulously restored(no expense spared)which was given to me by my late father before i went to the U.S for almost 20 years.He kept both in prisitine original condition and i used to work on them when i used to come home yearly for my vacations(not much to improve on though,hahaha)
One is a 1963 Volvo P1800 Sports,bought brand new and the other is a 1971 Volvo 144s GT(extremely rare,only 3 was brought in and mine is the only one running),also bought brand new.They both have done more than a million kilometers since purchase,both have been overhauled personally by myself thrice each and they both still run on their original pistons and rings!!Truly bombproof engines David.Well engineered.
Such is the testament as how cars were built those days,they were really built to last,seriously,you just don’t find this kind of componentry quality anymore nowadays,as you know,i have been an automobile engineer for the last 26 years,but i must say the Conti’s still have this dept covered.
Good to hear from you.
Cheers.
Yea, Volvo which I thought would “disappear” eventually, has been quietly transforming itself well…it’s sometimes not a bad thing when you are owned by a foreign company, I bet the swedish people are happy….please make us happy too, dear Proton…
hopefully to sell at < 150K to compete Golf TSI
A… station wagon? Well, half of it? V40 should be between C and D segment I’d say, and Volvo is a premium brand, so I’m expecting a higher price. But 150k would be very nice, I agree. Wait for a second hand one in 2 years… it might be far below 150k by then. :)
Volvo used to be the king of dull designs.. Now that the title has been swapped to japanese’s hand.. hahahahah
pls bring it to malaysia
But Malaysians are usually not so much into station wagons, at least the 5 seater ones. But yeah, this looks good, perhaps it could do well.
Chinese money being put to good use
love the detail and silhouette…
Love the exterior and interior design. More could have been done with the dash design but its good as it is now. When is the new S40 design coming?
Looking at the current price of this range…I’d say the price would be around RM170k+.
Looks amazing. Definitely better looking than the new Focus. Imagine if Volvo have a racing division. I’m sure they can churn out more horses out of the five cylincers ;)
p/s: Why are we associating everything with Proton? Even if for comparison, find a similar comparison please.
No a. I compare to the japanese… Korean is doing a good job at keeping up with the design trend. P1 not that far from the japanese la.. some say better, hahaha..
What a waste of trunk space. I’d grab one only if it’s a 7 seater.
Europeans have fewer children, so they rather have more space for a bicycle or shopping or whatever in there. Also wagons are somewhat popular as company cars, as one may need to carry a few goods to customers (for example IT professional bringing along a few servers, you don’t expect him to arrive in a Ford Transit, right?). Or what if you are disabled and need a wheel chair? Trying to fit one into a hatchback or even sedan could be very difficult, but a station wagon should be better.
Of course for the ASEAN market wagons make less sense, unless they are 7 seaters. Who knows if the V40 will be imported…
i love it…like really really really love it.
Me too…
Stunning indeed! Too bad it’s too expensive for me..
Proton boleh buat laa design macam Volvo nie….tapi kalau jual harga sama macam volvo nie korang boleh beli ka haaa…cakap pandai…volvo tu korang takkan beli punya…macam bagus aje bercakap
mungkin boleh..tapi xkan nak harga sama. Volvo dah dikenakan mcm2 cukai kannn…
Wow..wow…wow….Volvo..!
Its nice… The style will last long…
Crv…. The rear blacked out bar where the ‘volvo’ sign is at is like the crv, but dont get me wrong, the honda jazz has the same thing going on with the glossy black addition to the rear under the rear window, the crv adapted it, and it looks like xc60 concept.
http://www.welt.de/multimedia/archive/01022/volvo12_jpg_DW_Son_1022299a.jpg :)
mcm adik XC60….. finally, volvo is not an uncle cars anymore!