2009 Volvo S40 / V50 Review

The S40 and V50 are surprisingly roomy given their exterior dimensions, which are very close to a Honda Civic or Ford Focus. Volvo should be credited for creating efficient, intelligent ways to use space. Everything in the S40/V50 cabin is carefully compact, including the strong stubby door handles. They're easy to grab and pull.

The materials and finish are very good. The expanses of plastic and vinyl have a soft, leathery look. The standard trim in base 2.4i models, as well as T5s, is now brushed aluminum, not too much and in all the right places, including the whole center stack. Genuine Nordic Light Oak is optional in all models, and it looks like the finish on fine furniture. T5s now come standard with Volvo's R-Design motif, meaning light (Crème) leather seating surfaces strikingly bracketed by black Flextech fabric. Full, monotone leather is optional in all models, in black or off-white (Volvo calls it Quartz) in the 2.4i, but in black only in T5s. In either color the leather is smooth and thick, stretched taut over the seats rather than draped.

The seats are excellent. It's hard to find a better mix of comfort and support for typical driving. The optional sport seats in some luxury brands might ultimately be better, but they are much harder to settle into not to mention they are usually expensive. The fabric that comes standard in the 2.4i resists stains. Dog owners may be better served by the leather, however, because dog hair can get imbedded in the fabric upholstery.

The fold-flat front passenger seat is a valuable feature. Standard on all models, the front seatback can fold forward to roughly the same level as the folded rear seat and cargo floor. This adds three feet to the length of items that can be carried within the car. And as far as we could tell, this feature does nothing to diminish the seat's comfort.

Volvo's WHIPS whiplash-limiting seat is designed to reduce the chance of a neck injury in a rear-end collision: During a rear-end impact, the seatbacks move rearward to reduce acceleration forces on the occupant's back and neck, while the headrest pushes forward and upward slightly to meet the neck and head as they are thrust backward.

The S40/V50 instrument panel is clean, simple and workmanlike, with a big speedometer and tachometer featuring white numbers on a black background with red needles or, keeping with the R-Design theme in the T5, white numbers on blue faces with red needles. Both replicate the look a fine watch. The overall effect of the dashboard is very Scandinavian, yet the coolest part may be the thin-panel center stack.

The S40 and V50 were the first Volvos to use the thin panel, and it has quickly become one of our favorites. The center stack is barely more than an inch thick, like a flat-screen computer monitor, with open space behind it. It curves gracefully upward from the minimalist shift lever to link the center console with the rest of the instrument panel.

Most controls are located in the thin panel, with audio above climate and a text display at the top, arranged in a neat, symmetrical pattern. The four primary knobs are placed at the corners, big and raised substantially from the surface so they're easy to find. One of those knobs is a menu control that easily accesses more detailed functions displayed on the information screen. The airflow buttons are fashioned in an icon shaped like a seated person, so there's absolutely no confusion about directing air toward the face, feet or windshield.

It's all quite clean, effective and pleasing. Most significantly, measured by function and ease of operation, various controls in the S40 and V50 are simpler, better, than most other luxury brands. Particularly German brands, which still insist on layering more menus (and buttons) in their interfaces. One problem we had with the thin panel, however, is that during hard cornering, of which these cars are eminently capable, our right knee rode hard against the panel edge, and it hurt. But we'll deal with the rubbing and take the thin-panel center stack. Behind the thin panel is a small storage bin, though you have to reach around the back to gain access.

2008's revisions included a serious and partly successful attempt to address our biggest complaint with these cars: a lack of cubby storage for small items. The center console has been redesigned, accompanied by a slight relocation of the handbrake lever. There's now actually some room in the console box, perhaps enough for a small handbag, and there's a rack that holds 10 CDs. The console also works more comfortably as an armrest when the driver is crawling through traffic. The bins at the bottom of the front doors are larger. In all, small storage space has been increased, so it's less of an annoyance detracting from an otherwise excellent cabin.

Trunk space in the sedan is good. The chopped-off rear end makes the trunk opening smaller than that on some comparably sized cars, but it leads into a deep forward well, with 12.6 cubic feet of luggage space. That's average in this size class, but it's only the beginning, The rear seat splits 60/40, and the seatbacks open up to the trunk when dropped. Factor in that fold-flat front seat, and the S40 offers an impressively large open floor, with 38.4 cubic feet of space to carry cargo inside the car. That's a lot for a small sedan, and it can be reached through the side doors as well as the trunk lid.

Cargo space in the V50 wagon expands storage further. We think it's a great choice for people who routinely transport their dogs. It offers 27.4 cubic feet of cargo space with all seats upright, and a substantial 62.6 cubic feet with the rear seats and the front passenger seat folded down. That compares favorably to some small sport-utility vehicles like the Ford Escape (66.3 cubic feet).

For 2009, 2.4i models get a 160-watt system that includes a six-CD changer and Sirius satellite radio hardware with a complementary six-month subscription. You still have to step up to a T5 to order the top-of-the-line Dynaudio Package, but it's one of the best original-equipment car stereos we've heard, and it costs less than the high-end upgrades offered by many luxury brands, with a 650-watt amp, subwoofers and advanced Dolby processing.

The navigation system is easy to operate and we liked it. The screen pops up vertically from the center of the dash, though it's canted forward at an angle that can make it harder to see from some driving positions. The driver surfs through menus and makes choices with buttons on the back of the right steering wheel spoke, almost where you'd expect paddle shifters for an automatic transmission. The menus are no more difficult to learn than those on other nav systems, and they're managed without taking hands from the steering wheel and fishing for the controls. Passengers can control the system with a remote. Upgrades for 2009 include extended points of interest and a birdview map with detailed intersection and building footprints.