It is a handsome car, sir. It is difficult to think of this as TWENTY years old. While car styling has moved on, the design really hasn't dated much at all and looks perfectly respectable in today's traffic. Thank you, Mr. Lloyd and Happy New Year!
Yes, Volvo's designers did an excellent job with this V40 in particular back in the day. This is a really late one too. You can tell it's a Mitsubishi based car if you drive it, but for the average owner of one of these, that's not necessarily a bad thing.
The facelifted Mark I V40s in particularly do look quite handsome. The V50s are undoubtedly better cars in virtually every way, but they have a very different design language.
A excellent review as always Sir, used to have a friend that had a early S40 and had a lift in one a few times. I also used to have the initial launch video of the S40 and V40 when they came out.
I think that there was such a disc, sir, but I can't remember what it contained now... Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting once again.
Excellent cars at a fair price. I had a 2003 S40 and it served me extremely well for 9 years. The 2nd generation S40/V50 (I also had one of those) was more of a driver's car but a notch down in quality and not as attractive in my opinion. Never really saw the point of the much-hyped 'floating' centre console. This may be based on a Mitsubishi (no bad thing perhaps), but it is old skool Volvo in many ways and delivered most of the benefits of the very desirable 850 and S/V70 in a smaller more affordable package. Time has been extremely kind to the Peter Horbury design for sure.
The second generation S40 is a much better engineered car. I drove in one of them to get to the review. This V40 offered one of the least memorable driving experiences ever, I struggle to use any other word than average to describe it. I don't agree that they are worse quality either, these are fine, but the later generation is a fair bit better made.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting The Mk2 is the better driver's car, I acknowledge this in my comment. So it should be. A decade newer, based on a superior platform and developed at a time when Volvo was benefitting from the very considerable expertise and resources that Ford ownership brought. The game had moved on massively from '95/'96 when the Mk1 was launched. I'm not an enthusiastic driver so the dynamic appeal factor is not that important to me anyway. I prefer the design of the Mk1 and although both cars were very good the Mk1 was the better of the two in terms of long-term ownership experience from new . . . 16 years in total for both cars.
Lovely interior really liked these, especially the pre face-lift CD spec model, with the info centre and digital fuel gauge, and lots of buttons behind the gear selector, such as switches for the windows, mirrors and automatic gearbox modes.
@lloydvehicleconsulting Yes, we do indeed, Mr Lloyd. If this car was more cosmetically perfect, it would be a very good buy and a future classic, Always was a handsome car in saloon or estate form.
I would suggest that these early S40 and V40 models would have been many owners entry into the Volvo family. I almost bought a 1997 V40 1.6 but bought my Dad's Toyota Camry instead. However the Camry was replaced by a Volvo V70. I really would love to see a Proton Impian Review. They had a lovely profile with a regal looking frontal treatment and nice interior.
I had an early s40 in 1.6 manual guise….it did feel a bit underpowered and I can only describe the gearbox as a bit floppy…but it was a really comfy car for plodding around in. These estate versions are a great piece of design
Yes, the 1.6 would be a bit slow, the 1.8 and 2.0 engines are a lot better. I don't remember if that would have been a Renault manual gearbox or another one on the 1.6....
Still looks smart 20 years later. I think the problem with the 1.8 and E10 petrol is not the fact it was clean but the fact E10 rots or harms certain older materials that may have been used in the fuel line...brass and old-style rubber come to mind or it will strip off certain lacquers that may have been used in internal corrosion protection of the tank and pipes rtc.
Yes, the Mitsubishi GDi engines in the S/V40s are quite rare, most petrols are the four-cylinder Volvo white block, but that is probably the root cause of the issues.
Another great review Sir. Great survivor & rare sight these days. Same colour & leather combo as my aunts last S40, she was an Institute of Advanced Motoring member, so got £2000 off her Volvo’s
I think we may have identified the typical owner for one of these Volvos, sir, they are more interested in beige leather interiors and dependability than the latest fads! Thank you ever so much indeed, sir.
Thank you for this video. This is one well used Volvo, it says a lot about the quality and durability of the brand back then. There are still a few of these cars in New Zealand. Really a sports hatch is it? I dare say it is a practical classic, given that it shares components with various other, cheaper cars and was widely produced itself, so parts would be widely available for what some (If you live in New Zealand for example!) might consider a luxury car.
They are disappearing in quite large numbers now, due to low secondhand values, but like all the Dutch built Volvos, many were bought by older people, who kept hold of them for a long time, hence the comparatively good survival rate for them.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting Their popularity was helped by our local hero race driver Jim Richards winning the Bathurst 1000 with Rickard Rydell in an S40 on live TV, along with Rydell winning the BTCC, which we followed back then. Of course those touring cars had five cylinders and were wildly modified Bond cars, but did great publicity for the road car!
@@lloydvehicleconsulting Seriously though this review is poignant, makes you wonder why Volvo stopped making wagons when they were obviously so good! Another channel reviewed renting an EV Polestar, very difficult to charge and uncomfortable to drive. How did this turn into that? Never ask a rhetorical question...
@@lloydvehicleconsulting Motorsport magazine's Andrew Frankel recently mentioned the passing of Volvo wagons while arguing that plain station wagons will make a comeback in the future. Volvo or whatever they call themselves now may have killed the goose that laid the golden egg. May you at some point alter your disclaimer, replacing 'Diesel' with 'EV?'
It is a handsome car, sir. It is difficult to think of this as TWENTY years old. While car styling has moved on, the design really hasn't dated much at all and looks perfectly respectable in today's traffic. Thank you, Mr. Lloyd and Happy New Year!
Yes, Volvo's designers did an excellent job with this V40 in particular back in the day. This is a really late one too. You can tell it's a Mitsubishi based car if you drive it, but for the average owner of one of these, that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Great review Sir. I have always liked the design of these. Personally prefer the design to the v50.
The facelifted Mark I V40s in particularly do look quite handsome. The V50s are undoubtedly better cars in virtually every way, but they have a very different design language.
Fine looking estate cars , the best colour combination , especially inside . Considered one , didn’t bite .
Sir, we did enjoy the beige leather interior... The design seems to have aged quite well for the era.
A excellent review as always Sir, used to have a friend that had a early S40 and had a lift in one a few times.
I also used to have the initial launch video of the S40 and V40 when they came out.
I think that there was such a disc, sir, but I can't remember what it contained now... Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting once again.
Lovely cars, I had an X reg S40 1.8 petrol and it was a pleasure to own
You do still sometimes see these around, but I think numbers are starting to dwindle now. Thank you very much indeed for watching and commenting!
Excellent cars at a fair price. I had a 2003 S40 and it served me extremely well for 9 years. The 2nd generation S40/V50 (I also had one of those) was more of a driver's car but a notch down in quality and not as attractive in my opinion. Never really saw the point of the much-hyped 'floating' centre console. This may be based on a Mitsubishi (no bad thing perhaps), but it is old skool Volvo in many ways and delivered most of the benefits of the very desirable 850 and S/V70 in a smaller more affordable package. Time has been extremely kind to the Peter Horbury design for sure.
The second generation S40 is a much better engineered car. I drove in one of them to get to the review. This V40 offered one of the least memorable driving experiences ever, I struggle to use any other word than average to describe it. I don't agree that they are worse quality either, these are fine, but the later generation is a fair bit better made.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting The Mk2 is the better driver's car, I acknowledge this in my comment. So it should be. A decade newer, based on a superior platform and developed at a time when Volvo was benefitting from the very considerable expertise and resources that Ford ownership brought. The game had moved on massively from '95/'96 when the Mk1 was launched. I'm not an enthusiastic driver so the dynamic appeal factor is not that important to me anyway. I prefer the design of the Mk1 and although both cars were very good the Mk1 was the better of the two in terms of long-term ownership experience from new . . . 16 years in total for both cars.
Lovely interior really liked these, especially the pre face-lift CD spec model, with the info centre and digital fuel gauge, and lots of buttons behind the gear selector, such as switches for the windows, mirrors and automatic gearbox modes.
Sir, we do like a bit of luxury on this channel for a very low budget, don't we?
@lloydvehicleconsulting
Yes, we do indeed, Mr Lloyd. If this car was more cosmetically perfect, it would be a very good buy and a future classic, Always was a handsome car in saloon or estate form.
It's been quite well maintained, it just needs a bit of a cosmetic improvement, I think.
I would suggest that these early S40 and V40 models would have been many owners entry into the Volvo family. I almost bought a 1997 V40 1.6 but bought my Dad's Toyota Camry instead. However the Camry was replaced by a Volvo V70.
I really would love to see a Proton Impian Review. They had a lovely profile with a regal looking frontal treatment and nice interior.
As everything, sir, it depends if I get offered an Impian, as the chances of just happening across one for review are quite small.
I had an early s40 in 1.6 manual guise….it did feel a bit underpowered and I can only describe the gearbox as a bit floppy…but it was a really comfy car for plodding around in. These estate versions are a great piece of design
Yes, the 1.6 would be a bit slow, the 1.8 and 2.0 engines are a lot better. I don't remember if that would have been a Renault manual gearbox or another one on the 1.6....
We used to have a V40 in Swedish Racing Green. Best car we ever had though you wouldn't have liked it.
Thank you for your self-censorship, sir!
Good Morning Sir!! I do enjoy a beige leather interior edition😉
Sir, you are correct, and it was a very pleasant interior indeed...
Still looks smart 20 years later. I think the problem with the 1.8 and E10 petrol is not the fact it was clean but the fact E10 rots or harms certain older materials that may have been used in the fuel line...brass and old-style rubber come to mind or it will strip off certain lacquers that may have been used in internal corrosion protection of the tank and pipes rtc.
Yes, the Mitsubishi GDi engines in the S/V40s are quite rare, most petrols are the four-cylinder Volvo white block, but that is probably the root cause of the issues.
Another great review Sir. Great survivor & rare sight these days. Same colour & leather combo as my aunts last S40, she was an Institute of Advanced Motoring member, so got £2000 off her Volvo’s
I think we may have identified the typical owner for one of these Volvos, sir, they are more interested in beige leather interiors and dependability than the latest fads! Thank you ever so much indeed, sir.
Always liked the S40/V40 sir. I am thinking about investing in one.
Are they as cheap in America as they are here, sir?
@@lloydvehicleconsulting The 1.9 Turbo can be had for 2-3000 dollars for a decent one. I'll see if I can track one doen so you can see the spec.
Thank you, sir!
Because you do like a nice beige leather interior! 😆
We do enjoy No Budget Reviews (Beige Leather Interior Edition), don't we, sir?
Thank you for this video. This is one well used Volvo, it says a lot about the quality and durability of the brand back then. There are still a few of these cars in New Zealand. Really a sports hatch is it? I dare say it is a practical classic, given that it shares components with various other, cheaper cars and was widely produced itself, so parts would be widely available for what some (If you live in New Zealand for example!) might consider a luxury car.
They are disappearing in quite large numbers now, due to low secondhand values, but like all the Dutch built Volvos, many were bought by older people, who kept hold of them for a long time, hence the comparatively good survival rate for them.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting Their popularity was helped by our local hero race driver Jim Richards winning the Bathurst 1000 with Rickard Rydell in an S40 on live TV, along with Rydell winning the BTCC, which we followed back then. Of course those touring cars had five cylinders and were wildly modified Bond cars, but did great publicity for the road car!
Sir, she has a hard life but as she has a beige interior all is forgiven.
Sir, we did enjoy the beige leather interior very much indeed!
Can this car carry a naughty Border Collie Fox Terrier mix without any dramas? Just curious.
Sir, I think that you know the answer to that this question already.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting Seriously though this review is poignant, makes you wonder why Volvo stopped making wagons when they were obviously so good! Another channel reviewed renting an EV Polestar, very difficult to charge and uncomfortable to drive. How did this turn into that? Never ask a rhetorical question...
Yes, sir, I saw that video on the Big Car channel...
@@lloydvehicleconsulting Motorsport magazine's Andrew Frankel recently mentioned the passing of Volvo wagons while arguing that plain station wagons will make a comeback in the future. Volvo or whatever they call themselves now may have killed the goose that laid the golden egg. May you at some point alter your disclaimer, replacing 'Diesel' with 'EV?'