Volvo S40 T5- Is it a cool car?
Discussion
Hi guys, got a question for you all.
Volvo S40 T5- would you own one? Example of the one I mean -
http://www4.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
I'm 20 and I really like the look of it. Considering going to view it for a test drive.
Volvo S40 T5- would you own one? Example of the one I mean -
http://www4.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
I'm 20 and I really like the look of it. Considering going to view it for a test drive.
Has yours been reliable then? I realize being a volvo reliability is pretty assured but its good to get first hand experience! Its a bit of a sleeper too, and I really like cars that don't look special but are.
Insurance should be ok, I currently drive a modified saxo VTS, thats insurance group 13 and the volvos a 15 so it shouldn't be to much dearer.
Insurance should be ok, I currently drive a modified saxo VTS, thats insurance group 13 and the volvos a 15 so it shouldn't be to much dearer.
Yes. Proper wolf in sheep's clothing. If you can find one with the 12 speaker Dolby Pro Logic stereo you'll wonder why nobody else makes decent stereo's.
My only real issues with mine where it was not as reliable as I'd hoped, but I broke my own golden rule of buying a car built during the first 12 months of production and the steering is not as sharp as it could be, or as sharp as the Focus ST, but apparently the IPD rear anti roll bar helps massively with this.
My only real issues with mine where it was not as reliable as I'd hoped, but I broke my own golden rule of buying a car built during the first 12 months of production and the steering is not as sharp as it could be, or as sharp as the Focus ST, but apparently the IPD rear anti roll bar helps massively with this.
I'm 19 and have an S60 T5 so I'm probably qualified to answer your original question, and the answer is an unequivocal no - it's not a 'cool' car. The first question I invariably get asked is "is it your dad's?" along with a fair bit of ridicule from the mates. Then again, at the end of the day I'd take the S60 T5 over what they drive any day of the week.
As others have said the engine is a peach. Sounds good (if muted), very smooth, linear delivery with bags of mid-range making it very flexible in the gears. Third pulls nicely from under 30mph to "ban me from driving, officer" speeds.
I believe the S40 has the Focus chassis so it's not a bad starting point, but apparently they're a bit wooden in comparison to the ST (same engine). Never driven one though so can't give any more detail.
Interiors are good in an understated but high quality kind of way, but that sums up the whole car really. You don't buy it to be cool. You buy it because "it's just a Volvo". Until you put your foot down that is. Then it's a quite a bit more.
Have a look at the S60 T5s. Better proportioned to my eyes and not necessarily any more expensive.
As others have said the engine is a peach. Sounds good (if muted), very smooth, linear delivery with bags of mid-range making it very flexible in the gears. Third pulls nicely from under 30mph to "ban me from driving, officer" speeds.
I believe the S40 has the Focus chassis so it's not a bad starting point, but apparently they're a bit wooden in comparison to the ST (same engine). Never driven one though so can't give any more detail.
Interiors are good in an understated but high quality kind of way, but that sums up the whole car really. You don't buy it to be cool. You buy it because "it's just a Volvo". Until you put your foot down that is. Then it's a quite a bit more.
Have a look at the S60 T5s. Better proportioned to my eyes and not necessarily any more expensive.
I had one of the older shape 'Mitsubishi' built S40 T4's.
Owned it from 80k miles to nearly 170k miles. Did a 200 mile commute each day / 4 days a week, to go to a night shift in London - so all fast motorway.
Car built like a tank - nothing went wrong. I fitted uprated brakes and suspension, so it handled very well.
In the last year of ownership, we blanked off the vacuum pipe to the turbo's wastegate for a laugh - it then went like a scalded cat, and I thought it would probably blow up, but didn't care as I'd had my use out of it and felt it was ending it's life anyway.
But it just carried on and on at ridiculous boost pressure - in the end I put it back to standard and sold it on!
Great cars.
Owned it from 80k miles to nearly 170k miles. Did a 200 mile commute each day / 4 days a week, to go to a night shift in London - so all fast motorway.
Car built like a tank - nothing went wrong. I fitted uprated brakes and suspension, so it handled very well.
In the last year of ownership, we blanked off the vacuum pipe to the turbo's wastegate for a laugh - it then went like a scalded cat, and I thought it would probably blow up, but didn't care as I'd had my use out of it and felt it was ending it's life anyway.
But it just carried on and on at ridiculous boost pressure - in the end I put it back to standard and sold it on!
Great cars.
Ray Luxury-Yacht said:
In the last year of ownership, we blanked off the vacuum pipe to the turbo's wastegate for a laugh - it then went like a scalded cat, and I thought it would probably blow up, but didn't care as I'd had my use out of it and felt it was ending it's life anyway.
What's that do? Not let the turbo slow down off throttle or something?Happy V50 T5 owner here. Had her since new (coming up for 3 years now), and there are still no squeeks or rattles (unlike my previous Impreza's...). One tiny problem with mine, the plastic bit at the end of the handbrake fell off, shocking. Volvo have ordered me a new one though, free of charge.
Decent cruisers and pretty nippy too
p.s. see it has the "high performance audio", woot! Excellent system, got that in mine.
Decent cruisers and pretty nippy too
p.s. see it has the "high performance audio", woot! Excellent system, got that in mine.
Wattsie said:
What's that do? Not let the turbo slow down off throttle or something?
No, stops the ECU from opening a vacuum-controlled valve, which is connected to the wastegate actuator.What happens is the boost builds up, the ECU at some point decides that there is now 'enough' boost, so it opens a valve, which sends engine vacuum to another valve mechanism bolted to the side of the turbo called the 'wastegate actuator' - that upon having a vacuum applied to it, moves a diaphragm inside which is connected to a metal rod, of which the other end is connected to the wastegate on the turbo. the wastegate's job is to open a valve on the inlet side of the turbo and bleed the boost pressure away to a level pre-set in the ECU.
Technically, without a wastegate, the turbo would carry on boosting and the engine would carry on feeding the boost, in a cycle that would, on paper, result in a self-cycle of more and more boost, until engine destruction.
The reality is, on a mainstream car's low-ish pressure turbo, on an engine with lots of miles on it, and an old-ish wastegate system that leaks a bit anyway, blanking off this safety system means you get a load more boost which = a load more fun, but not too much as to cause engine destruction immediately. Plus an old wastegate with an old, worn pressure spring in the diaphragm, will be weak enough to give a bit and leak a bit of boost anyway, without the help of the actuator to open it up.
Ray Luxury-Yacht said:
Technically, without a wastegate, the turbo would carry on boosting and the engine would carry on feeding the boost, in a cycle that would, on paper, result in a self-cycle of more and more boost, until engine destruction.
That sounds similar to runaway on a diesel, but it's not the turbo fueling the engine.In the hyperspeed-Volvo situation, wouldn't the perpetual boost only apply until the throttle is shut and stops the engine feeding the turbo, since shutting the throttle cuts the feed to the turbo?
My understanding of turbos is seriously lacking
Wattsie said:
Ray Luxury-Yacht said:
Technically, without a wastegate, the turbo would carry on boosting and the engine would carry on feeding the boost, in a cycle that would, on paper, result in a self-cycle of more and more boost, until engine destruction.
That sounds similar to runaway on a diesel, but it's not the turbo fueling the engine.In the hyperspeed-Volvo situation, wouldn't the perpetual boost only apply until the throttle is shut and stops the engine feeding the turbo, since shutting the throttle cuts the feed to the turbo?
My understanding of turbos is seriously lacking
Swerve17 said:
Hi guys, got a question for you all.
Volvo S40 T5- would you own one? Example of the one I mean -
http://www4.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
I'm 20 and I really like the look of it. Considering going to view it for a test drive.
Cool? Nope.Volvo S40 T5- would you own one? Example of the one I mean -
http://www4.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
I'm 20 and I really like the look of it. Considering going to view it for a test drive.
Quick, comfy, stealthy, subdued etc, yes. But not cool. It might be quick, but your mates (or any one else for that matter) are not going to look twice.
Just make sure you get a good long test drive before you buy it and make sure you are happy. It will be a quicker and much nicer car inside than your Saxo but it will be nowhere near as raw. You might well find that the extra speed but lack of connection to the driving experience is not what you want - you could well end up in a scenario of having extra speed but less reward for using it, then it will start to seem like money wasted on petrol and insurance if stretching it's legs doesn't put a grin on your face!
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