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According to this leaked Volvo dealer product update, the V70 wagon's getting the axe after 11 years of production. The V8-option in the S80's also going bye-bye and the V50 wagon's not long for this world. More »
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The Paris Motor Show will see the debut of Volvo's eco-friendly DRIVe models, the sub-120 g/km diesel variants of the C30, S40 and V50. Though lacking in any C02-spewing supercars, Volvo still has to meet mandatory European emissions standards and this new series features a number of clever and straight-forward ways to reduce 'em without utilizing exotic drivetrains. Drag is significantly reduced with the aerodynamic Libra rims, new underbody panels, the addition of ducktail spoilers and a covered radiator grille. The gearbox has been adjusted with longer gear ratios for the higher gears which, combined with a new transmission oil, contributes to higher mileage. At the center of all of this is Volvo's efficient 1.6-liter diesel engine. The result is lower emissions and fuel economy above 53.3 MPG (US gallons) for the C30 and 51.6 MPG (US gallons) for the S40 and V50, on the new European cycle. Full details in the press release below. More »
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Do you drive a Volvo C30, S40, V50 or XC90 and are worried your neighbors don't quite understand you purchased an S40 to show off your commitment to seat-of-your-pants performance? Volvo has the answer in the form of the R-Design line. Vehicles modified with the package get sportier wheels, satin matte-finish grilles, color coordinated side moldings and other custom touches. What they don't get is more power of any kind, revised suspensions or great aerodynamics. When Volvo released photos earlier they didn't show us the XC90, so our intrepid photographers hunted one down for your viewing pleasure. More »
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According to the boys at Motive, rumors of the demise of the Volvo S60 may be premature, especially when you consider it's the top-selling sedan from the Swedish automaker. Of course you've got to keep in mind Volvo's run by Ford (for the moment anyway), the same company that killed their own top-selling sedan, the Taurus, so we guess anything's possible. But, Motive's got a point in wondering if maybe the Swedish meatball with the most to fear is the S60's smaller brother, the S40. We guess we'll have to wait and see. [Motive] More »
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Looks like if you want serious Swedish muscle, you'll have to contract with powerlifter Magnus Önerud. Volvo released details on its new R Design package and there's not a single performance upgrade in sight. Not that we'd expected anything, considering the company's abandoned its S60 R and V70 R models. It's all cosmetics, like satin matte-finish grille ad side mirrors; color-coordinated bumpers and lower side moldings; rear or roof spoilers, and five-spoke aluminum wheels in 17- or 18-inch outside, and blackish seats with contrasting cream-colored leather, leather-trimmed steering wheel with R-design logo, aluminum pedals, center stack and door inlays, and tufted dark sport floor mats on the inside. It'll be available by year's end on the C30, S40 and V50 models in Europe. – Mike Spinelli More »
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Although Volvo bosses said earlier this year he company was dropping its R-line designation for sport-tuned bricks like the slow-selling S60 R, an R-like sport pack may take some to the sting away. Back-of-fence talk focuses on a new Volvo sports package comparable to Audi's S-Line upgrades. According to Swedish site Bilfeber Volvo is working up just such add-ons for the new S40 and V50 models. They'll include cosmetics and mild performance kit (read: stiffer suspension, etc.). That may dovetail with a few rumored smokers, Motor Authority points out, including a sportier C30 hatch and a turbocharged V8 for the S80. Count them out of the performance game at your own peril. – Mike Spinelli More »
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I was trying to figure out why the automaker from the land of Ikea was serving up two new meatballs this morning named the all-new S40 and V50. Then I realized — who the hell cares? Here's the scoop — although both are still built on Volvo's P1 platform, the message from Volvo is the coupe-styled S40 and it's wagon-brother V50 are "more different" in looks than previous models with the S40 moving a step closer to the new S-range design we've seen on the Volvo S80. The V50, on the other hand, gains some of the visual cues we saw on the new V70. On a performance level, the T5 engine gets a performance hike of 10 hp up to 230 hp. The other choices are the same as the previous generation, a 1.6-liter 100 hp, 1.8-liter 125 hp, 2.0-liter 145 hp, 2.4-liter 140 hp and the 2.4i hitting 170 hp. Of course you can also go diesel on the euro side of the Atlantic in addition to any of those "petrol" engine variants. That engine range comes in 1.6-liter at 109 hp, 2.0-liter at 136 hp and for the final flavor, the D5 hitting 180 hp. – Ray Wert More »
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We don't know about you, but we're tired of waiting for Volvo to build an S40 R to take on the new smugness from Audi or the old-new smugness of Bimmer's tri-serial sportsters. Weiterstadt, Germany's Heico Sportiv took matters into their hot little hands, creating the HS4 Odin show car. The Odin — standing up to both Norse legend and corresponding Ron Burgundy exclamation — has a T5 powertrain lifted from the S60 R and a big-ass Borg Warner turbo kit (among other tweaks) allowing it to peak out at 335 hp and 368 lb-ft of torque. European Car drove all $150,000 of it on the unrestricted autobahn. Tip of the cap to you as well, Miss Corningstone. More »
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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. More »
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If you like the design direction Volvo took with the S40, you'll swoon like a Tokyo schoolgirl over the redesigned S80. If you though the S80 was a soulless collection of lumps and slabs, you may want to take a pass on the shots posted on Volvo enthusiast site SwedeSpeed. We think it's a tremendous improvement over the current model, as is the optional Yamaha-sourced V8 thrill-seeking buyers can opt for — 315hp and AWD. Check out the UK's AutoExpress for the dirty lowdown. [Update: Note that, despite the headline, this falls under the heading of Gossip, because the shots are neither official nor un-Photoshopped.] More »
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Exterior Design *** More »
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We re piloting the 2006 Volvo S40 T5 AWD test car through a mid-October rainstorm, both hands to the wheel, right foot goading the accelerator, eyes scanning for semis in the mist. We're swathed in a billion bucks worth of safety technology - a kind of structural beneficence granted by a kind country where 1,600-pound mammals tend to meander haphazardly into traffic. We show our appreciation for Volvo's thoughtfulness by dropping down a gear, shooting across two lanes, carving past a garbage truck and maddogging it toward a particularly vicious off-ramp. Yes, kids, safety can be fun. More »
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