Why you should buy this car: You're committed to buying a great-handling $30,000+ sports sedan, but the BMW 3-Series is too much money and the Subaru WRX STi is too much car. Being behind doors as thick as a bank vault's keeps your panic attacks at bay.

Why you shouldn't buy this car: Being behind doors as thick as a bank vault's has the reverse effect of causing panic attacks. Swedish design makes you shudder in your Stride Rites and $33,000 cars on Ford small-car platforms make your accountant shudder in his Bass loafers.

Suitability Parameters:
· Speed Merchants: Yes
· Fashion Victims: Yes
· Treehuggers: No
· Mack Daddies: No
· Tuner Crowd: No
· Hairdressers: Yes
· Penny Pinchers: No
· Euro Snobs: Yes
· Working Stiffs: No
· Technogeeks: No
· Poseurs: No
· Soccer Moms: No
· Nascar Dads: No
· Golfing Grandparents: No

Vitals
· Manufacturer: Volvo
· Model tested: S40 T5 AWD M
· Model year: 2006
· Price as Tested: $33,720
· Engine type: 2.5-liter, five-cylinder turbocharged, DOHC
· Horsepower: 218 hp @ 5000 rpm
· Torque: 236 lb-ft @ 1500 - 4800 rpm
· Redline: 6500 rpm
· Wheels and Tires: Michelin Pilot MXM4 P205/50 VR17
· Drive type: all wheel drive
· 0 - 60: 6.5 sec
· 1/4 mile: 15.2 sec @ 93.0 mph
· Top speed: 149 mph
· Fuel economy city/highway: 22 / 31
· NHTSA crash test rating front/side/rollover: drvr. 4; pass. 5 / drvr. 5 pass. 5/ 4

[by Mike Spinelli]

Related:
Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Volvo S40 T5 AWD, Part 1, Part 2 [internal]

Contact information for this author is not available.