Thursday March 26, 2009
The perfect premium entry point
Story and photos by ANDY MERVIN GEORGE
Over the years, the perception has always been that a Volvo has been nothing but solid sensibility, a wedge of heavy metal with wheels attached to it, and distinguished primarily for its uncompromising outlook on safety.
These days, however, Volvos have become anything but only that. The safe tag remains, of course, but there’s beauty and elegance in the brand’s offerings today. The S60 made for the beginnings of change from stoic to stylish, and everything else along the way have helped the cause further.
The Volvo S40 2.4i is a good case in point. It was given a facelift last year, sporting a sharper outlook, and I quite like the way it’s sculptured. However, beauty is only good with substance, so there’s nothing better than an actual road test to see what it really has.
I had the S40 for a weekend, and this one was dressed with all-round body kit and a rear boot spoiler, enhancing the S40’s already-gorgeous outlook with a pinch of sport.
The transition from a Japanese vehicle to an European one in terms of driving characteristics can be quite obvious, and the S40 exemplified this point – a firm ride and the tautness in its road behaviour tells you you’re in a Continental offering.
A drive to Cameron Highlands for an overnight stay was the perfect means to stretch the S40’s legs and also an excuse to escape from the concrete forest for a little countryside retreat.
Starting the journey from Cheras, I found the S40 to be a little less willing to keep up with traffic – despite the 2.4l block and 170 horses, it’s a bit sluggish when it comes to initial acceleration, though push the pedal a bit more and the car picks up speed painlessly up to the legal limit, even past it, with the car feeling ever more promising as the pace picks up, and the five-speed Geartronic automatic transmission is a smooth partner.
Inside, the cabin retains its minimalist approach but offers enough in terms of plushness through the choice of material, led by the Off Black leather upholstery. The obvious eye-catcher, the ‘floating’ centre console, remains in place.
Approaching the foothills of Simpang Pulai, the ascending terrain meant it was a good time to try out the sequential shifting, and here, the changes are accomplished rapidly and brought about promised dexterity, with the car responding well to the terrain.
Indeed, pushing the S40 through the uphill climbs was somewhat ironic in terms of returns, the car being more nimble here opposed to doing flatter, gentler angles. Steering response, as queer as it may seem, was light on bending curves, and the car seemed to prefer being thrown around the curves on the hilly stretches. Like most leather-wrapped seats, the ones in the S40, however, did not propose the needed support for my torso going hard into the corners.
Putting the S40 to a gradual stop needed very minimal foot force and every input to the middle pedal brought about a nice firm bite from the brakes.
Upon reaching Brinchang, I decided to visit the scenic Sungai Palas Boh Tea Plantation. This would be my first time driving up in a RM170,000 car into the tight, maze-like route, with plenty of tea bushes about and a very limited vision of the terrain.
Here, it was quite obvious that the steering feel is definitely on the firmer side in terms of feedback, even at very low speeds, and going over short, sharp humps can bite a bit on the ride comfort. And though the S40 was well insulated for the driver wanting a quiet ride, the factory-fitted Continental tyres aren’t the final word in outright quietness.
Still, you could say that this is a car geared towards a younger buying crowd, one who would find a certain sense of sportiness in the overall presentation preferable to one that wallows along gently.
So, if you like your drive experience served with a dash of sport, then the entry-level offering from the Swedish marque is undoubtedly the best means to get started in with if you’re venturing into realms of the premium European sedan segment. The S40 is great for taking the family out in comfort and style, and you get that familiar peace of mind when it comes to safety, of course.
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