Volvo S40 (2004 - 2012) 1.8 SE (06/07-09/09) 4d Owner Review

I know Volvo has a long and respectable history and I have known many proud Volvo owners over the years. And I had high expectations when I bought this, my 1st Volvo, as a result. The things I like: The seats are incredibly comfy and supportive, but then I'd expect nothing less. The adjustable height and lumbar support settings are also nice to have. It's lovely to drive even around town and it eats motorway miles with ease. It's by no means a racer nor is it very frugal, but then it was never going to be being a 1.8 petrol. (For better mpg go with the 'Drive' version). But the engine is strong enough and very smooth. The cruise control is easy enough to use and has a 2 button operation to remove the risk of engaging it by mistake. The boot although not big by saloon standards is deeper than expected and can easily swallow a pram and a weeks shopping. The all-round electric windows are handy and it has a lock option for when there are small people in. On that note the auto locking of the doors when you drive off is a nice touch and this can be turned on or off on the centre console. Everything feels well made and built to last and it's always reassuring that Volvo has exceptionally high safety standards. Things I don't like: Visibility is not great when parking and so parking sensors would definitely come in handy. There's no rear wiper!!! To me this is bizarre and annoying when it's raining, especially in slow moving town traffic. The gear ratios seem very short to me compared to previous vehicles I've owned, however it doesn't seem to affect reasonable mpg on the motorway. There is significant "rev hang", I found out what this is only today. This is when the revs increase slightly and seem to take an age to decrease when changing up through the gears (especially from 1st to 2nd). This is not a design fault and is apparently used by multiple manufacturers as a (complicated) means of keeping emissions down. Some of the buttons on the centre console, particularly the ones that control air flow into the car are small, fiddly and easy to press by mistake when changing gear. The ignition slot is located behind the indicator stick which to me is an odd place to put it. However despite these niggles (and they are mostly personal preferences). I would recommend this car to anyone. Volvo well and truly shook off it's grandad image with this S40.