What are Volvo V40 estates like?

[Burnsy2023]

Fuel economy isn't all that great.

That's the case on most Volvos up until very recently.

 

[mattyfez]

Depends upon what you want.
The impression I've been given is that they're as dull as ditchwater to drive. Making up for that, they do have Volvo seats (a good thing) and despite have a plastic interior probably sourced from Mitsubishi, it also got the core underlying technology, meaning that they're generally very reliable.
So if you want something comfortable and reliable, but with a cheap looking interior and an image that makes an Allegro appear interesting, then it's a reasonable budget alternative.

Pretty much agree with this, mine was a 2.0i, which I would say was a decent engine for the car/Target audience. My ex bought a newer 1.9 diseasel, which, to be fair didn't do the car any favours, (i think that's the jap engine rather than volvos own).

In terms of interior quality, its not a million miles away from the p2 v70 I currently drive, bar the very vertical dashboard. Look for an se model, and the interior is great, if you can cope with the dash board.

Bare in mind they are quite heavy cars, but what you lose in economy/performance, you make up in safety, and a nice wafty ride.

Edit just to reiterate, its not a sports car, its a predictable, reliable, safe work horse.


That said, my 2.0i was averaging 32mpg, and it did haul ass if you kept the revs up.

 

[ci_newman]

Surely you can ignore the problems if you get the T4 variant?

 

[snowdog]

Had one for about 18 months, you can rag them and they won't leave ya by the roadside...
In terms of costs they were great imo, only on the V40 the rear springs are prone to breaking, so if you see a hanging arse it needs new springs. I had the 2.0, quite thirsty in town and at higher cruising speeds, but at up to about 70 mph at constant speed the economy was okay. Ride quality was a bit harsh imho. Handling typical bad understeer behaviour. Audio is indeed absolutely rubbish standard, cabling for an amp is very easy though and a simple sub in the boot works wonders for the lack of the lower frequency range from that speakers. Indeed a bit cramped in the rear, but could be worse.

Typical faults are not being able to get into reverse or first easily, easy 10 quid fix ( nylon bearings). Usually the thermostat has failed at this age, also a tenner to fix. And the rear suspension. Look for rust under the filler cap. The brake lines are also prone to corrosion.

Very cheap to maintain otherwise, pads and discs and other consumables are cheap.

 

[K@rl]

I have a 2001 1.6 and so far its a fantastically dull.

1.6 isn't really enough but its good for nearly 40MPG mixed if you drive like a granny. Quite well put together - no rattles or anything.

Had it for a year and done nothing to it apart from tyres. If you can get one cheap then worth a punt.

 

[wassap]

My dad's currently piling miles onto a 2002 1.8 v40 duel fuel (lpg) estate, had it about 8 months so far and added about 20k miles, it's required nothing apart from a service and a coil pack, seems pretty reliable so far, especially considering its got almost 250k miles on the clock.

Best thing is that these factory fit duel fuels are extremely desirable, they just don't seem to lose their value. Paid a little over 1k for the car and its paid for itself in fuel savings alone.

My biggest complaint is that it feels tiny inside for an estate, there never seems to be enough leg room.

I ran one of these last year, it was a 03 plate and came with all the trimming, I quite enjoyed driving it, it had 155k on the clock and was as solid as a rock,It looked quite nice in black and the interior felt well built.To be fair it was the top of the range.

The 1.8 engine was a bit sloooooooow and the manual gearbox was shockingly porridge like, but thats a Volvo 'feature'.

 

[Hunders]

Thanks guys. Been looking at some other estate and the ford focus and mondeo have caught my eye. What is the general consensus on these?

 

[snowdog]

OcUk is a moneo fanclub .

Nah but a Mondeo is cheap to run ( parts wise) and a class above the V40.
The newer V50 is basically a posh Focus. Both the Focus and Mondeo are decent cars. Only reason I went V40 is because Mondy and Focus were at least 2x the price here for similar specs.

 

[Hunders]

Well I went against my original thinking a little and plumped for a saloon over an estate instead. Still... my new car has oodles of space compared to my MR2 which I sold today for £2000.

I decided against buying a Volvo and instead bought a 58,000 mile 2002 VW Passat 1.8T Sport. Very nice it is, too! Quite well specced with a multichanger and heated half leather sport seats. I looked at a 2.0 Audi A4 SE before the Passat and I was going to buy it but the VW has a better spec, lower mileage and a nicer engine.