Safety in its name, the Volvo...the V40!

Last weekend, I was a Federal Auto, taking a test drive of the V40 T5.  First of all, the sales advisor, Rajen is really professional and know what a Volvo is.  He introduced every single feature of the car, in detail, showing all the setting, from lighting to interior to safety, everything, I meant, all!

Look at the LED DRL, isn't it looks sharp!  Some might ask, where is the fog light?  The car headlight is smart enough to avoid having it nowadays, similar to the Merc A-Class.  This elegance car is equipped with Active Bending Light that assist navigation in dark country road.

The front of the V40 look moderate, but the rear is freaking sexy.  The brake light is smart as well, where under emergency braking, it flashes before turning on the emergency signal light!  Rajen even ask me to test everything, taking the car for a longer route, from sport setting, to steering setting and the auto parallel park feature.  This thing works wonder, it spot the empty space in between of 2 cars, guide you on the brake and gearshift, it will then take over the steering and move into the space flawlessly.

Even the interior lighting comes in rainbow colour choice.  The digital speedo looks analog and has 3 settings, Elegance, Sport (in Red) and ECO mode.

When I took the A-Class for a test drive, the ECO Start Stop just will not activate, and now I knew why! In the V40, the same feature will only activate in external temperature of below 30C, since the compressor will stop, with only blower working. What a thought, I will not want to be stuck in a hot hatch with hot air blowing in my face.

I also tested the City Safety feature, not to mention the standard Blind Spot warning light.  At 0-50km/h, when the car detect a possible frontal collision, the car will auto brake and stop the car.  Rajen actually place a construction barrier in front and let me drive to it.  These people at Volvo are really confident in their safety.  7 airbags, if activated at the same time, might create enough floatation in the car.  Of course, Volvo signature whiplash protection system is a must, reducing possibility of hurting your spine in a rear end collision.

So, what's the complaint?  The NVH of this car is not as expected, with surrounding vehicles noise intruding into the cabin.  When compare to the A-Class, V40 did badly and it is noisy, removing all the comfort of a luxury hot hatch.  The T5 uses a torque converter 6-speeder, rather than a dual clutch unit, but this might proof to be reliable in the long run.

The T5 also comes with a Cross Country variant, mainly with different body kit, roof rail and interior dual tone seat and center console.  But these item make it looks like it is for a family man instead.

With 5-year unlimited mileage warranty, inclusive of yearly maintenance cost @ 20,000km, what are you waiting for...If safety is your priority, want a hatch C-segment, this is a very good contender.