Some of the Volvo V40's sensors are not very well integrated into the car's design
We have already analyzed the new Volvo v40 both while stationary and on the move. It is time to review the equipment it brings and what the brand asks us for the car. Remember that the Volvo V40 is one of the candidate cars for Internet Car of the Year 2013, Can vote from here y win an ipad mini
Equipment
The Volvo V40 can carry a very extensive equipment, especially in terms of security. As standard, it has seven airbags, ESP, active head restraints, etc. It also comes standard with systems that are very unusual or non-existent in the competition, such as the Active City Safety (system that detects vehicles and objects in the path and warns and even automatically brakes the vehicle).
A brief review of the most innovative systems that we can find in the Volvo V40:
Active bonnet with Pedestrian Airbag (standard on the entire range): in the event of a collision, the bonnet rises to protect the pedestrian as much as possible, while an airbag deploys on the windscreen and the car's pillars to prevent impact against hard surfaces. According to what I could read in the instruction book, in case the airbag deploys, the driver does not completely lose his vision and can be picked up by hand to continue driving. The system works up to about 50 km/h and according to EuroNCAP it is extremely effective to minimize collision injuries.
The City Safety system detectors are well integrated into the windshield
Pedestrian and obstacle detector (2.000 euros included in the "Safety" pack): by means of a radar (which, by the way, looks quite ugly on the front), the car detects pedestrians, vehicles and objects both day and night. I haven't tried it with pedestrians, but with objects yes. I used the packing box of a refrigerator as an obstacle and the system detected it in all the tests, although it did not always avoid the hit when braking at the last moment. Either way, I find it interesting and effective.
City Safety (standard on the entire range): It is similar to the pedestrian and object detector only it works for moving objects. It calculates the speed difference between our car and the previous one, warning when there is a risk of impact and braking when the impact is imminent. It avoids the accident if the speed difference is up to 35 km/h although I have not been able to test it (the fridge box did not have wheels). Yes, I have been able to see the risk warning on several occasions, with a red light projected on the windshield and an acoustic signal. At higher speeds, it only lessens the consequences of the hit.
Volvo “On Call”: a common system in the US but not widely used in our country. Through an application that can be installed on a SmartPhone, the car can call emergency in case of an accident, locate the car via GPS or inform its owner if the alarm has gone off, among other things.
The amount of technology at the service of driving can sometimes overwhelm
active cruise control (2.000 euros included in the “Safety” pack): The Volvo V40 is equipped possibly one of the best active cruise controls I've tried. On the motorway it works great and works with two parameters: the cruising speed and the safety distance with the car in front.
You indicate a cruising speed and the car adapts to the existing traffic. If, for example, the car in front slows down, our car adapts to its speed. If the vehicle in front speeds up or takes a detour, the Volvo car accelerates to cruising speed. If we are behind a car slower than the speed we have set and we activate the left turn signal, the car identifies the maneuver as an overtaking and begins to accelerate even without having changed lanes yet, shortening the time of the manoeuvre.
The On Call system monitors the well-being of the car and its passengers
Active Lane Departure Warning (2.000 euros included in the "Safety" pack): it works from 65 to 200 km/h and consists of a camera that reads the lines of the road. When we approach the line and we have not activated the indicator, the car interprets that we have lost our way and gently moves the steering wheel to avoid leaving the lane. If the system interprets that we do not react (we do not exert force on the steering wheel) an alarm beep sounds to “wake us up”. It works quite well although it doesn't always read the road markings and sometimes even if I move the steering wheel we still drift out of the lane. In my opinion it is an extra that should be essential on the highway.
We can program the minimum distance we want with the preceding car
Blind spot indicator: luckily an increasingly common system in generalist cars. The car detects objects in the blind spot and turns on a light on the corresponding pillar, next to the mirror. It seems to me much less unpleasant than the tremendous beeping that Opel uses, for example, although of course, the beep can be heard and the light implies that you have to look at the mirror.
Automatic parking and traffic alert: the automatic parking, as in other cars, detects the space to park and performs only the steering maneuvers, indicating to the driver whether to move the car forwards or backwards. It works somewhat better than in other cars I have tested, such as the BMW 1 Series, by parking in smaller spaces and with fewer errors.
I just can't find the grace of the traffic alert system. It is supposed to warn when we are going out on battery power and a car is coming, but it only works well when visibility is good... that is, when the system is not needed.
light change active (included in the “Ligth” package for 1.000 euros): apart from turning the automatic lights on and off depending on the ambient light, the system detects the rear position lights of the cars ahead and the headlights of those coming from the direction contrary and decides whether to turn on the long or short beam. It works quite well, but worse than other brands such as Audi.
Directional Xenon headlights (included in the “Light” package for 1.000 euros): they work very well. Since I haven't tested the stock halogen headlights I can't compare them. In any case, the directional or Xenon headlights always seem like a good extra for those who usually use the car at night (like me).
Signal recognition (included in the “Safety” pack): As always, the system recognizes the speed and prohibition signs and projects them on the hand chart. In this case it is more visual since the signals appear in full color, not on a monochrome screen as in other brands. Honestly, I do not see the need for this type of device for a person who pays a minimum of attention to driving.
Sensus ConnectedTouch: touch screen multimedia system. Like some mobile phones, it works with gloves on.
Apart from these unusual equipment, the car has (as standard or as an option) what is normal in high-end compacts: automatic lights and wipers, Xenon headlights, various leather upholstery to choose from, interior decoration options, etc. The list of extras is quite extensive and comes in packages, but fortunately they are not very expensive.
Price
The starting price of 23.600 euros is clearly below other "Premium" cars of the segment as Audi A3, Mercedes A-Class and BMW Serie 1. As the level of equipment and motorization goes up, that difference becomes even greater in favor of the Volvo. The problem is that this difference (between 1.000 and 4.000 euros According to various tests we have done with the online configurators) it may not be enough to convince potential customers to end up with more renowned models, such as the A3 or the 1 Series.
It should also be noted that German models possibly retain a higher resale value on the second hand market. Possibly the average buyer of the Volvo V40 is a somewhat more mature customer who does not plan to part with the car in the short or medium term.
Approximate starting prices are:
| Diesel | |
| Volvo V40 1.6 D2 Basic | $23590 |
| Volvo V40 1.6 D2 Basic Powershift | $25586 |
| Volvo V40 1.6 D2 Kinetic | $25010 |
| Volvo V40 1.6 D2 Kinetic Powershift | $27006 |
| Volvo V40 1.6 D2 Momentum | $26510 |
| Volvo V40 1.6 D2 Momentum Powershift | $28507 |
| Volvo V40 1.6 D2 Supreme | $28446 |
| Volvo V40 1.6 D2 Supreme Powershift | $30442 |
| Volvo V40 1.6 D2 R-Design Kinetic | $27672 |
| Volvo V40 1.6 D2 R-Design Kinetic Automatic | $29668 |
| Volvo V40 1.6 D2 R-Design Momentum | $28385 |
| Volvo V40 1.6 D2 R-Design Momentum Auto. | $30382 |
| Volvo V40 2.0 D3 Kinetic | $26790 |
| Volvo V40 2.0 D3 Kinetic Geartronic | $28865 |
| Volvo V40 2.0 D3 Momentum | $28940 |
| Volvo V40 2.0 D3 Momentum Geartronic | $30365 |
| Volvo V40 2.0 D3 Supreme | $30226 |
| V40 2.0 D3 Supreme GTronic | $32301 |
| Volvo V40 2.0 D3 R-Design Kinetic | $29452 |
| Volvo V40 2.0 D3 R-Design Kinetic Geartronic | $31527 |
| Volvo V40 2.0 D3 R-Design Momentum | $30166 |
| Volvo V40 2.0 D3 R-Design Momentum Geartronic | $32240 |
| Volvo V40 2.0 D4 Kinetic | $28650 |
| Volvo V40 2.0 D4 Kinetic Geartronic | $30725 |
| Volvo V40 2.0 D4 Momentum | $30150 |
| Volvo V40 2.0 D4 Momentum Geartronic | $32225 |
| Volvo V40 2.0 D4 Supreme | $32086 |
| Volvo V40 2.0 D4 Supreme Geartronic | $34161 |
| Volvo V40 2.0 D4 R-Design Kinetic | $31322 |
| Volvo V40 2.0 D4 R-Design Kinetic Geartronic | $33387 |
| Volvo V40 2.0 D4 R-Design Momentum | $32025 |
| Volvo V40 2.0 D4 R-Design Momentum Geartronic | $34100 |
| Petrol | |
| Volvo V40 1.6 T4 Kinetic | $28530 |
| Volvo V40 1.6 T4 Kinetic Powershift | $30604 |
| Volvo V40 1.6 T4 Momentum | $30089 |
| Volvo V40 1.6 T4 Momentum Powershift | $32164 |
| Volvo V40 1.6 T4 Supreme | $32101 |
| Volvo V40 1.6 T4 Supreme Powershift | $34176 |
| Volvo V40 1.6 T4 R-Design Kinetic | $31296 |
| Volvo V40 1.6 T4 R-Design Kinetic Powershift | $33371 |
| Volvo V40 1.6 T4 R-Design Momentum | $32038 |
| Volvo V40 1.6 T4 R-Design Momentum Powershift | $34113 |
| Volvo V40 2.5 T5 Kinetic Geartronic | $35570 |
| Volvo V40 2.5 T5 Momentum Geartronic | $37191 |
| Volvo V40 2.5 T5 Supreme Geartronic | $39283 |
| Volvo V40 2.5 T5 R-Design Kinetic Geartronic | $38446 |
| Volvo V40 2.5 T5 R-Design Momentum Geartronic | $39885 |
Conclusions
The Volvo V40 is a compact that offers above-average quality, sufficient space and outstanding safety equipment. Its access price is dangerously close to that of cars from other brands with a more “Premium” tradition. and with more roots in our market, which will undoubtedly limit their sales. The price-quality-equipment ratio seems reasonable to me, and the optional equipment does not have exorbitant prices. If space and versatility is your priority, there are obviously better options for this compact.
If you are looking for a very safe car, with low consumption, a good level of comfort and you want get a little out of the usual market, the Volvo V40 is your car. Of course, prepare your pocket because although it is not expensive for what it offers, it is not that it is a cheap car either.
2 questions about the lights, since I recently ordered the car with the safety pack and without xenon:
1. The car you tested had xenon?, because the one in the photos uses halogens.
2. On the web it says that the safety pack includes the change of automatic high beams (I have verified it in different configurators from different volvo countries) and when marking the safety pack it does not force you to take xenon headlights as if it forces you to take the parking sensors and the digital panel, with which I believe that the automatic high beams are independent of the Xenon
Hello, the one in the photos has normal halogen lighting, but I did not have the opportunity to use it at night.
Regarding the equipment packages (and prices), since they evolve over time, what we write does not always coincide with what exists at a certain moment in the market. I seem to remember when the car was presented to us with the press kit that the active light change was included in the "light" package, but perhaps they can also be ordered as an option outside of packages.
Regarding the configurators, if you look closely, at the beginning you accept a "disclaimer" that says that the information that appears on the web is not contractual and that they are free to change equipment and prices at any time... that is, that the The configurator of any country does not have to be 100% reliable and in the end it will be the dealer, through his PC application, who will tell us what equipment is available and at what price. And even so, sometimes they will call you later to tell you that what you have signed cannot be because it is no longer manufactured in that combination, etc.
regards
Hello friend, I have the mining d2, can I put gps on it?
sorry kinetic