2006 volvos

tigerbalm

I have two letters for you: D5

I must admit it might be a little overpriced but I am really enjoying my new D5 :-)

I guess every car review is subjective !

sk8board

unkel wrote:

the S40 has always been cleverly marketed in both the old and the current model as a car a size up from what it really is.

I agree with you here, couldn't really understand that bit of advertising (even if it is based on the estate chassis rather than the focus hatchback).

Its not an A4/3 series/C-class, thats for sure. But I think its fair to say its somewhere in between those 3 and the avensis/Primera/Mazda 6.

bazz26

sk8board wrote:

But I think its fair to say its somewhere in between those 3 and the avensis/Primera/Mazda 6.

Having sat in the new S40 I can tell you that it is alot smaller than any of those 3 cars. Rear leg room is very tight and access to the small boot is a bit restrictive. You can definately tell it is based on a smaller car than it's market position suggests.

If you value toys and a bit of style above anything else then maybe the S40 is on your list. But if practicality, space, low running costs, etc are higher up your list then the S40 is ruled out imo.

sk8board

bazz26 wrote:

But if practicality, space, low running costs, etc are higher up your list then the S40 is ruled out imo.

true, but (in the case of company/rep cars), they only need room for their laptop these days (and empty ciggie boxes), and with the demist of BIK, they are all trading up to more stylish car's.

If your company gives you a car allowance of €600 p.m, why spend it on another 1.9 Passat Base, when you could have a S40 D5, A4 Tdi 140 or a 320, and you would own that car, its not a company car.

EIN

colm_mcm wrote:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054884189&highlight=s40+avensis

kinda funny now when you look back on it....


(particularly the bits about great residual values and being well built....)

yeah its so funny that toyota actually got their act together and started stocking cars that they have in their brochures...

yes the avensis is boring, even the fully spec'd one.... but as another poster says it does what it says on the tin....however the luna d4d is cheaper than the s40 2.0 D only main difference is no leather seats in the avensis, and avensis a lot bigger... and much better fuel economy.............

i dont think that you can actually comment on a particular car until u have actually owned one, and experienced it first hand... as the s40 was a relatively new model when i bought it residual values hadnt settled and there werent that many being sold secondhand...

however, after only a few mths of ownership of the avensis i have grown bored of it ....... i am in search of an auto diesel but , not that many models available without spending 40-50 k....... ( dont even mention the hyundai sonata)

i find the gearbox in the avensis a bit clunky, and the gear shift lever, resembles that of a tractor ( very long)......

automatic is the way to go, but which auto diesel to go for ,,,,,,

Panda Moanium

I've had a 2.0D V50 for a year now and am absolutely delighted with it.

Its been ultra reliable, apart from its first service (€210) it hasn't been near a garage since I bought it. In fact this is the first new car I've ever owned that didn't need to be returned for some minor adjustment so very happy on the reliability front.

I've consistently got 6.4 L/100Km (= 44 mpg) from it since I bought it, and I wouldn't spare it on occasions. Not class leading, but certainly not bad for a 2 litre engine. And performance, of the real usable kind (i.e. when you need a bit of grunt for overtaking) is superb.

The interior to my mind is second to none. I've driven an awful lot of different cars in the last year, and in my opinion nothing on the market within that price range compares with regards to the quality of materials and finish.

Sure, rear leg room isn't the best, but for me that's not an issue. It will still happily seat five in comfort. But I would agree that if rear passenger space is a priority, a bigger car might be a better option.

My sister got an S40 1.6 petrol around the same time and she is equally happy with it. Again not a single problem to report.

Finally, the old chestnut about it being a rebadged Ford Focus.... It shares the same floor plan / chassis as the Focus, a chassis incidentally that is acknowledged to be the best on the market today. But that's it, everything else is different to the Ford. Believe me, having both in the family, they are very different cars. The Volvo has about as much in common with the Focus as it does with a Golf, a BMW or any other car on the market.

Not disputing other people's opinions, but just wanted to give my side of the story. Would I buy one again? Absolutely!

RobAMerc

I have to say I am saddened by this thread.

I hoped it was about the fact that Volvo had lost their identity of brick sh*thouse quirkey cars with prehistoric technology, but utterly practical and safe which drive not unlike their f50 truck brothers to be finally dragged into the 21st century by Ford and becoming dull for it, and people debating if the new v40's excellent dynamics outweigh the fact its not as big as before etc.

But nope, it is back to....

I know a lad who knows a lad who said his mates one broke down...Volvo = crap
buy a toyota

colm_mcm

As far as I can see the owner of the S40 is telling of his own experience of both the S40 and Avensis, a lot more direct than "I know a lad who knows a lad who said his mates one broke down"

littlejukka

my boss drives a 05 volvo. i drive a 95 toyota. i feel safer in my car, it's built better, and perfoms a hell of a lot better.