SA Roadtests
South Africa
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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here probably applies to the models you can get at home.
*To read one of our road tests, just select from the menu on the left. Hover your cursor over the manufacturer's name, then choose from the drop-down menu.
*Please remember too, that prices quoted were those ruling on the days I wrote the reports.
Ven your writer a boy voz, “V” in a Volvo model designation meant a station “vaggon,” while “C” stood for coupé and “S” indicated a sedan. Today, “V” stands for hatchback although cross country models are still XC - unless they’re CC. That indicates cross country too, but not nearly as enthusiastically. More on that later.
The second and third Volvo V40 hatches to arrive on our front lawn recently were both two-litre, autoshifting turbodiesels kitted to midrange Excel specification. The engine lineup, two petrol motors and two diesels, is carried over from current models. A 1.6-litre Ford EcoBoost inline four produces 110 or 132 kW, dependent on specification, and the famous 2.5-litre Volvo T5 turbopetrol puts out 187 kW.
Diesel engines are the 1.6-litre Ford Duratorq producing 84 kW and a short stroke, 2.0-litre version of the five-cylinder Volvo D5 unit making 110 kW as a plain V40, or 132 kW in certain versions of the CC. This smaller engine is relabelled D3 - unless it’s the higher output D4. Enough: the gobbledegook ends here. Both test units, a plain V40 and a CC, were equipped with the D3 motor.
Although it’s only the 110 kW version and paired with a six-speed Geartronic automatic, the audibly diesel-powered V40 pulls willingly and does the zero to 100 km/h sprint in 9,5 seconds before topping out at 205 km/h. It is geared for economy at 2000 rpm for 120 km/h in sixth so if, for some reason, you’re holding gears manually at that point, roll on acceleration won’t be very strong. Best to just leave it in drive and let it kick down.
CC models are described as expressive all-road versions of the hatchbacks, with the driver siiting 40 mm higher in Cross Country than in the standard version. Wheel size goes up to 19”, contributing to an overall increase in ground clearance from 133 to 145 mm. They also ride more softly. The only ones offering all-wheel drive are those fitted with the 2.5-litre T5 engine.
Identifying trim items include a silver-inlaid chin spoiler, honeycomb mesh grille and upright daytime running lights, sculpted silver coated sills, roof rails and a contrasting rear bumper with integrated skid plate. Of our test cars, the CC did without proximity locking and its key fob had to be inserted into its slot in the dash before the starter button could be used. The CC’s virtual instruments were different too, coming straight out of Elite versions.
Because our test units were Excels, it was goodbye to toys like the electrically adjustable front passenger’s seat, bi-xenon headlamps with washers, the high performance audio kit with 7” display and Bluetooth, and a few interior lights that wouldn’t enrich your life much, anyway.
They still had the city safety function that works up to 50 km/h and helps you avoid nudging others up the rear, filtered climate control, leather upholstery, rain sensing wipers, cruise control, reversing assistance, proximity locking and push-button starting on the plain version, and autolock. All the usual bags and safety electronics are present and correct. In the interest of saving fuel, all V40s are fitted with auto stop-start. It can be switched off, but it defaults back on every time you restart.
The medium sized boot is neat and square, loads at upper thigh level and is only about 10 centimetres deep, so unloading is easy. A hinged and removable floor board reveals a loose oddments tray with basic first aid kit. The spare wheel is a steel spacesaver. A thoughtful touch is a pair of cotton gloves and a cover for the punctured road wheel, so you don’t have to get your hands or luggage dirty.
As expected, the rear seatbacks fold flat to extend the load volume from 335 to 1032 litres. The seat cushion is shaped for two, but three belts and head restraints are fitted. Spacewise, it’s a smallish car best suited to medium sized back seat passengers.
Quality, fit and finish of interior items is typically Volvo, the front chairs are comfortable and supportive and storage space is quite good. The chilled, tri-level cubby is decently sized and the central box holds eight standard CD cases comfortably. Vision outwards to side-rear and through the back screen is compromised somewhat by coupé styled windows and wide C-pillars. The opera windows help, but could be bigger.
More a compact luxury car for small families than a “vaggon,” the Volvo V40 provides an attractive and sporty alternative to the usual European choices available.
Test units from Volvo Cars SA press fleet
The numbers
Prices: R343 400 (standard) and R353 700 (CC)
Engine: 1984 cc, five-cylinder, turbodiesel
Power: 110 kW at 3500 rpm
Torque: 350 Nm between 1750 and 2500 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 9,3 seconds
Maximum: 205 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 8,2 l/100 km
Tank: 60 litres
Fuel: 50 ppm diesel
Warranty/Maintenance: 5 year/100 000 km Volvo Plan
For our review of the V40 1.6 T4, click here
This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.
I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material. If I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.
My reviews and launch reports appear on Thursdays in the Wheels supplement to The Witness, South Africa's oldest continuously running newspaper, and occasionally on Saturdays in Weekend Witness as well. I drive eight to ten vehicles each month, most months of the year (except over the festive season) so not everything gets published in the paper. Those that are, get a tagline but the rest is virgin, unpublished and unedited by the political-correctness police.
Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so they can see I do actually exist.
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SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8