Driven: 2015 Volvo V40 T5

Hatchbacks - I like 'em a lot. Always have, always will. Fast hatchbacks are obviously even better, because who doesn't like a fast car? I also like sleepers. There's few things as satisfying as smoking the car next to you because the driver didn't know the car you're in is actually fast. I think that's bound to happen often with the Volvo V40 T5. This thing is a hot hatch that's not marketed as one, but it could be. I'd seen the press pics of the car before of course, because it's part of my job, but the way this car looks in the metal is different. It looks a little longer, a little lower and one hell of a lot sleeker. The Volvo V40 T5 is a very, very pretty car. It's that usual story of looking at something but not seeing it, and having one in the driveway meant it was the first time I saw one properly, up close. It has great lines and curves and features the typical Volvo front end with the iron symbol standing proud in the front grille - it's unmistakably Volvo. The rear of the car also screams Volvo with the high-mounted taillights on each side of the hatch lid (I could be wrong, but I'm sure Volvo was the first manufacturer to mount their taillights up high like that). The T5 badge tells you that this is the daddy of the range, because there's a T4 and 5 is higher than 4. The dual tail pipes are quite unassuming though, I'd expect bigger and fatter ones. Well, that's what I expect after driving the car and seeing the stats on it anyway.

    Yeah, like I said, hot hatch qualities are found throughout this V40 T5. Under that sleek bonnet you'll find a 2.0 (well 1969cc if you want to be exact) 4-cylinder engine with direct injection, and more importantly a turbo. This thing churns out a pretty damn impressive 180kW of power with 350Nm of torque. I knew it was strong after I drove it,  it has proper hot hatch power that could make some Germans a little envious. The power delivery is linear through the gears, when you put your foot down it starts going with no letting up. On pull off there's a bit of torque steer too, which I like, but after that there's no drama at all. The 8-speed Geartronic auto is good, seamless changes give the V40 T5 a very upmarket drive and feel. Sport mode makes this a little more aggressive and the car revs a little higher for a little longer. If it somehow changed the exhaust tone at the same time I'd like it more. The car could do with a little more excitement, but then again I think the guys who will be buying this car might not be after excitement anyway. With the way the car goes and handles I'm surprised I don't see more of them at track days or car meets.  Ok, I do know why but I'll get to that later... 

    Inside the Volvo V40 T5 it's great. There's a full leather interior with front seats bordering on sporty, but seeing as sporty isn't the point of the car they're spot on for the job on hand - sitting comfortably. The dash layout and seating position also works well, I'm not tall but was able to set things up comfortably. The centre console is interesting, the layout is simple enough to use and easy to reach when not using the steering-mounted controls to change things. The part that looks like an old school mobile phone layout has a cluttered feel, and my wife made sure to tell me she wasn't a fan of it. I didn't mind, in fact it was good fun using it to enter website addresses for the browser (yeah, this car has the interwebs). Kids of today will never know the struggle of having to use a touchpad like this, especially when you have to type the letter W three times in a row. The climate control is simple to use, the heater was extensively tested being winter and I can report it works as a heater should - it made me warm. One thing the Volvo is missing, and seeing that Volvo somes from Sweden where cold weather is par for the course, is heated seats. I'm pretty sure that's just down to ticks on an option list though, I can't see these cars being sold on home ground without every possible feature that can make you thaw out.

    The clocks in the V40 are awesome, I love the look of them and the way you change them to suit your mood. They're completely digital and there are three themes you can have displayed, Eco, Elegance and Performance. Obviously Performance was my favourite. In this mode the screen shows a tacho in red with the car's speed displayed in the centre, on the left there's a heat gauge and on the right a power gauge that shows how much power you're using.  Eco mode turns the screen into a speedo and the side screens show fuel consumption and rev, all with a green tint. In Elegance mode it's similar but with a different style speedo and it's in black and white. Scrolling on the left stalk changes the info displayed on the left and right screens. Setting up the car before driving is half the fun! There is a pretty comprehensive set of menus on the infotainment system, you can set all sorts from the interior lighting colours and intensities through to enabling the Active Bending Lights. You'll easily spend over an hour playing with everything, well I did anyway. 

    The Volvo V40 range is advertised as being the most "Intellisafe" Volvo to date, and this is where loads of driver safety aids come into play. Driving this car is like driving in a super safe cocoon, a bubble of technology that wants to keep you from meeting your maker in as many ways as possible.  Features added to the V40 T5 include some amazing things, like the world-first Pedestrian Airbag Technology, Lane Keeping Aid with haptic auto steering, a Park Assist Pilot, automatic Road Sign Information reading, Active High Beam and a Cross Traffic Alert radar system at the rear. There's some very clever tech sitting in a windowless room somewhere working hard to invent cool things for cars to use, and they're clearly doing a good job. Here's what the press release has to say about the various bit of tech.

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Park Assist Pilot
Park Assist Pilot takes over the steering while the driver handles the gearbox and controls the speed. The parking manoeuvre is based on front, rear and side-facing ultrasonic sensors. When activated, Park Assist Pilot starts to scan the side of the car. When a parking measuring a minimum of 1.2 times the car's length is detected, the driver is notified by an audible signal and advised to stop via a message in the instrument cluster. The display guides the driver step by step via texts and animations in the instrument cluster until the car is correctly parked. A rear park assist camera and park assist sensors front and rear is an optional extra.

Enhanced Blind Spot Information Syste`m
Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) is radar-based technology that monitors and alerts the driver to rapidly approaching vehicles up to 70m behind the car. Of course it still informs the driver about vehicles in the blind spots on both sides of the car. BLIS helps the driver avoid potentially dangerous lane-changing manoeuvres. The enhanced BLIS is based on radar sensors located in the rear corners of the car, behind the bumper cover. The radars continuously scan the area behind and alongside the vehicle. Warnings are displayed in LED indicators located in each A-pillar. A steadily glowing LED indicates when the radars cover a vehicle in the zone. The second warning level - LED flashing - occurs if the driver uses the turn indicator when the first alert is active.

Road Sign Information
Road Sign Information supports the driver by displaying road signs in the instrument display. The forward-facing camera can detect speed limit signs as well as "no overtaking" signs. The road sign icon is shown until another sign is detected. Road Sign Information can be combined with the Speed Alert function, which provides the driver with a visual warning in the speedometer if the speed limit is exceeded.

Adaptive Cruise Control & Distance Alert
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), promotes comfortable driving by using radar to automatically maintain a set time gap to the car in front. The driver sets the desired maximum speed and chooses a time interval to the vehicle in front. When the radar sensor detects a slower vehicle, the car's speed is automatically adapted to match the vehicle in front.The Queue Assist function on cars with automatic gearbox maintains the set gap all the way down to standstill, making this comfort-enhancing system extremely useful even in slow-moving queues with repeated starting and stopping. Distance Alert is a feature that helps the driver keep a safe distance to the vehicle in front. The driver chooses between five different time gaps via buttons on the steering wheel. The selected gap is shown in the speedometer display. A light in the head-up display informs the driver if the gap to the car in front becomes too short.

Pedestrian Airbag Technology
In order to mitigate the consequences if a collision with a pedestrian is unavoidable, the Volvo V40 features newly developed Pedestrian Airbag Technology, a world first. Sensors in the front bumper register the physical contact between the car and the pedestrian. The rear end of the bonnet is released and at the same time elevated by the deploying airbag. The inflated airbag covers the area under the raised bonnet plus approximately one third of the windscreen area and the lower part of the A-pillar. The raised bonnet and airbag will help reduce the severity of pedestrian injuries. 

City Safety
The City Safety system is now active at speeds up to 50km/h (previously 30km/h). It keeps an eye on traffic in front with the help of a laser sensor integrated into the top of the windscreen at the height of the rear-view mirror. The car automatically brakes if the driver fails to react in time when the vehicle in front slows down or stops - or if the car is approaching a stationary vehicle too fast. The collision can be avoided if the relative speed difference between the two vehicles is below 15km/h. If the speed difference is between 15 and 50km/h, the speed of impact is reduced to minimise the effects of the collision.

Full set of crash safety features
The Volvo V40 also features world-class crash safety including a safety cage with effective deformation zones and various grades of high-strength steel. Safety belt pre-tensioners are standard in the front and outer rear seats and the front seats are equipped with whiplash protection (WHIPS) to help prevent neck injuries. Both the driver and front seat passenger seat have dual stage airbags. There are also side airbags integrated in the front seat backrests. The driver's side is also fitted with a new knee airbag installed in the dashboard above the pedals and deploys together with the other airbags in the event of a front collision. The Roll Over Protection System includes a robust body structure, seat pre-tensioners and Inflatable Curtains. The Inflatable Curtains cover both sides, from A-pillar to C-pillar, and deploy in frontal offset, side or rollover accident situations. A closing velocity sensor collects information and interprets pre-crash data in order to prepare the restraint systems - belts & airbags - for the expected crash violence in low and mid-severe frontal accidents. ISOFIX attachments are standard.

Lane Keeping Aid
Lane Keeping Aid helps the driver stay in the intended lane. LKA applies extra steering torque to the steering column when the car gets too close to a lane marking and is about to leave the lane. The system is active at speeds between 65km/h and 200km/h. The forward-facing camera monitors the left and right lane markings. As a first step LKA applies gentle steering wheel torque to help the driver steer back onto the intended course. If the car leaves the lane, the technology generates a distinctive warning through a haptic vibration in the steering wheel.

Cross Traffic Alert
Cross Traffic Alert uses the radar sensors at the rear of the car to alert the driver to crossing traffic from the sides when reversing out of a parking space. The function warns of traffic up to 30 metres from the car. Smaller objects like bicycles and pedestrians may also be detected, but not always and only at a shorter distance. The alert, which remains active as long as the target is present in the zone, is delivered to the driver as an audible signal and a warning in the centre screen.

Active High Beam
Active High Beam technology in the Volvo V40 helps the driver utilise high beam more efficiently. It also offers automatic switching between high and low beam at the right moment. The technology uses a forward facing camera together with sophisticated image processing to offer the driver the best possible visibility at night. The camera monitors other vehicles and their headlamps and tail lamps. Advanced image processing software analyses this data and provides information about the position and direction of other vehicles. The calculation serves as the basis for automatic switching between low and high beam. The all-new V40 can be equipped with Active Bending Lights - swivelling headlamps that follow the sweeps and bends of the road. Visibility in poor conditions is also enhanced with the option of an electrically heated windscreen and a rain sensor, which automatically starts and regulates the wipers when it rains.

Pedestrian Detection
Pedestrian Detection with full auto brake consists of a radar unit integrated into the car's grille, a camera fitted in front of the interior rear-view mirror, and a central control unit. The radar's task is to detect a pedestrian or vehicle in front of the car and to determine the distance to it. The camera determines what type of object it is. Thanks to the dual-mode radar's wide field of vision, pedestrians about to step into the roadway can also be detected early on. The innovative technology is programmed to trace a pedestrian's pattern of movement and also to calculate whether he or she is likely to step into the road in front of the car. The system can detect pedestrians who are 80cm or taller. In an emergency situation the driver first receives an audible warning combined with a flashing light in the windscreen's head-up display. If the driver does not react to the warning and a collision is imminent, full braking power is automatically applied. Pedestrian Detection with full auto brake can avoid a collision with a pedestrian at speeds up to 35km/h if the driver does not react in time. At higher speeds, the focus is on reducing the car's speed as much as possible prior to impact. The car's speed has considerable importance for the outcome of the collision. A lower speed of impact means that the risk of serious injury is significantly reduced. 

Collision Warning and auto brake
Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Brake is a further development of the Collision Warning with Auto Brake technology already introduced by Volvo Car Corporation. The all-new V40 can detect, alert and automatically brake if the car risks colliding with another vehicle in front. The aim of the initial warning is to alert the driver so that he or she can brake or avoid the danger. If the driver does not react in time to the warning, the car automatically activates full braking power. With automatic braking, the collision can be avoided if the speed difference between the two vehicles is up to 35km/h. Auto brake performance at higher speeds has been improved compared to previous versions.

Driver Alert Control
Driver Alert Control is designed to detect and warn tired drivers. The system can also cover other situations where the driver is distracted. Driver Alert Control consists of a camera, a number of sensors and a control unit. The camera continuously measures the distance between the car and the road lane markings. The sensors register the car's movements. The control unit stores the information and calculates whether the driver risks losing control of the vehicle. If the risk is assessed as high, the driver is alerted via an audible signal. A text message appears in the car's information display, displaying a coffee cup symbol to advise the driver to take a break. 

Personal Car Communicator
The V40 is available with a Personal Car Communicator remote that enables keyless drive. The remote can both transmit and receive signals, providing the driver with locking and alarm information. The positions of the driver's seat and the door mirrors are stored in the memory when the car is locked. 

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    In my week with the car I never got to experience any of the clever tech for myself besides the City Safety system making me absolutely kak myself. I was parking in a mate's driveway and was driving up at a normal driveway speed. I'm not sure what a normal driveway speed is because I never really keep my eye on the speedo when drivewaying. The end of the driveway was on sand and there was a tree overhanging, which I suspect one of the safety systems thought was a car, a truck or a pedestrian because as I was about to start braking to park, the car slammed on brakes and a text warning flashed on the screen and there was a noise through the speakers. I didn't see the text warning properly because I was looking out the side window at the time. I wasn't too bothered with what it said, I was just happy the wheels didn't lock up because a Boerboel got wedged in them. 

   I did get to scare a few GTi drivers though, which was priceless. This car is pretty rapid. As I said, there's heaps of hot hatch in the V40 T5, but it's still not one. It's more grown up and I don't expect to see people in the performance car circles that I know wanting one. Well there are a few guys who are going to be taking a closer look at the V40, but with the price of the car I expect a GTi or ST would be more in their budget for a hot hatch. There is an R-Design version that's a little sportier and a has a bit more power that would satisfy the hot hatch lovers.  The Volvo V40 T5 is pricey when you do a direct comparison, but when you add in all the safety features and tech that's loaded into the car and go spec for spec, it is worth a look. I could live with one, easily. 

Pricing:

V40 T3 Manual Kinetic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R322 900.00 
V40 D2 Manual Kinetic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .R328 500.00 
V40 T3 Manual Momentum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R 354 200.00
V40 D2 Manual Momentum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  R 360 100.00
V40 T3 Geartronic Momentum . . . . . . . . . . . . .R371 800.00
V40 T3 Manual Inscription . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .R374 400.00
V40 T4 Manual Momentum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .R375 100.00
V40 D2 Manual Inscription . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R380 500.00
V40 T3 Manual R-Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R382 000.00
V40 D2 Manual R-Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R388 100.00
V40 T3 Geartronic Inscription . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R392 000.00
V40 T4 Geartronic Momentum . . . . . . . . . . . . . .R394 000.00
V40 T4 Manual Inscription . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R395 600.00
V40 T3 Geartronic R-Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .R399 500.00
V40 D3 Geartronic Momentum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R404 500.00
V40 D4 Geartronic Momentum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R413 800.00
V40 T4 Geartronic Inscription . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .R414 600.00
V40 D3 Geartronic Inscription . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .R425 400.00
V40 T5 Geartronic Momentum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R431 800.00
V40 D4 Geartronic Inscription . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .R432 200.00
V40 D3 Geartronic R-Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R432 800.00
V40 D4 Geartronic R-Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R441 000.00
V40 T5 Geartronic Inscription . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .R450 300.00
V40 T5 Geartronic R-Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R459 300.00

All Volvos are standard with 5 year / 100 000km Warranty and Maintenance Plan (Volvo Plan).
5 year / unlimited mileage Roadside Assistance (include a Skytrax tracker unit – hardware & installation)
DataDot application.

For more info or head on over to www.volvocars.com/za