Volvo V40 D3 opinions

[Lazermilk]

I am currently looking at a 2013 Volvo V40 D3 here in Austria with about 55k miles on the clock, any opinions on them or things to look out for when I go check it out again?

Seems to have full service history and well kept, I test drove it already and liked it so just decided if there is something else to look at first.
Unfortunately cars are very expensive to buy and run here(High insurance and tax, especially for anything remotely fun!)

Cheers

[MYOB]

Had one before. Nice car, typical Volvo. Safe and sturdy. D3 is more than fine for the road with enough power. It's a bit cramped inside, and if there's a spare tyre in the boot, this will raise the floor height in the boot and reduce space a little.

Thus to surmise, a great car only if you can live with the size.

[Lazermilk]

Thanks for the reply, size was ok for us in the test drive, just my wife and I and a small dog to carry around for now anyway.
We liked the test drive and I assumed they are reliable being Volvo, just wasn’t sure if there was any issues to look out for with them.

[MYOB]

No specific issues with them. The 2013 is the old 5 pot engine isn't it? Should be utterly reliable.

[Lazermilk]

Yep believe so, glad to hear no known issues.
It’s pretty low miles too so should be fine I’m sure. Comes with a year warranty too.

[ZX10R NIN]

D3's don't come with the 5 cylinder engine that is the D5 model only.

[Lazermilk]

Not according to what I have read online, where did you read this?

Just double checked now and Wikipedia have it listed as a 5 cylinder.

[ZX10R NIN]

I understood all D5's were 2.4 five pots & everything else was a 2.0d four pot in different states of tune.

[MYOB]

ZX10R NIN said:

I understood all D5's were 2.4 five pots & everything else was a 2.0d four pot in different states of tune.

No. D5s were 2.4L 5 pots. D3 and D4s were 2.0L 5 pots, with different tune.

The new VEA engines are 4 pots but still some 5 or 6 pots are available I believe.

[MYOB]

Lazermilk said:

Yep believe so, glad to hear no known issues.
It’s pretty low miles too so should be fine I’m sure. Comes with a year warranty too.

I had one before, loved it. Had all the fancy options etc. Only got rid of it due to needing a bigger car.

[Lazermilk]

MYOB said:

Lazermilk said:

Yep believe so, glad to hear no known issues.
It’s pretty low miles too so should be fine I’m sure. Comes with a year warranty too.

I had one before, loved it. Had all the fancy options etc. Only got rid of it due to needing a bigger car.

Great to hear, thanks for letting me know.
This one has nice extras, the only thing its missing is sat nav, the dealer originally said it could be added easily but apparently it has the slightly smaller screen so isn't possible, but i'm not bothered about this as I would likely use my phone with google maps for traffic updates anyway.

So assuming the difference between D3 and D4 is just the tune, can you just get a D3 chipped to produce the power of a D4 easily without any issues?

[MYOB]

Have a look at polestar that Volvo provides. They can chip it.

[Lazermilk]

Thanks, I will take a look, but i'm in Austria so unsure if Polestar have something here, would need to check.

To be honest it had enough power from what I seen during the test drive as is anyway, was just curious if technically it could be done at some point.

[MYOB]

https://engineered.polestar.com/at/

[anonymous-user]

I have a 2012 V40 Cross Country and it is definitely a 5 cylinder. It is supposedly more reliable than the later 4 cylinder (sounds nicer too), but it will be Euro 5, rather than the Euro 6 of the 4 cylinder, which may be an issue. As has been said, there isn't a huge amount of room, but as with you, it is just me, my wife and a small dog, so plenty of room for us. Mine is the Lux Nav model, so has the bigger 7" screen for media / satnav. A few people have tried upgrading the non Nav models, but it seems to be all but impossible without spending huge amounts of money. Volvo do still provide free updates for life for the satnav, but I don't know how long that will actually last, so external sat nav or phone is probably not a bad idea. MPG is ok, but nowhere near the claimed (shock, horror, call a lawyer ..) 70+, but I get a regular 45-50mpg with a mix of city and A/B roads. I believe the only difference the D3 and D4 engine is the tune and Polestar would be the supplier of choice and should maintain your warranty, but others may be cheaper.

[Lazermilk]

MYOB said:

https://engineered.polestar.com/at/

Thanks for that, just had a look now and they have an option for a 2013 D3, brings it up an extra 27 hp (177hp) and 50 nm (400nm) and reduces the 0-60 by a second, sadly costs 1090 euros, but good to know it would be possible if I decide down the line I want it a bit faster...

I would imagine the in gear acceleration would be more noticeable with the extra torque.

Presumably for the 1090 euros, they just plug it in and remap the ECU?

[Lazermilk]

Grahamdub said:

I have a 2012 V40 Cross Country and it is definitely a 5 cylinder. It is supposedly more reliable than the later 4 cylinder (sounds nicer too), but it will be Euro 5, rather than the Euro 6 of the 4 cylinder, which may be an issue. As has been said, there isn't a huge amount of room, but as with you, it is just me, my wife and a small dog, so plenty of room for us. Mine is the Lux Nav model, so has the bigger 7" screen for media / satnav. A few people have tried upgrading the non Nav models, but it seems to be all but impossible without spending huge amounts of money. Volvo do still provide free updates for life for the satnav, but I don't know how long that will actually last, so external sat nav or phone is probably not a bad idea. MPG is ok, but nowhere near the claimed (shock, horror, call a lawyer ..) 70+, but I get a regular 45-50mpg with a mix of city and A/B roads. I believe the only difference the D3 and D4 engine is the tune and Polestar would be the supplier of choice and should maintain your warranty, but others may be cheaper.

Thanks for that, I like the Cross Country ones too, seen a couple advertised but then read that only the T5 got AWD which seemed odd, if the D3/D4 had it then I would go for one of them instead, but winter tires are mandatory here so should have no issues anyway with them on if we get some snow or travel anywhere with some.
Good point about the Euro 5, will need to check in case there are any new stories about possible bans in Vienna.
What does the 7" screen benefit from other than nav? What media functions does it have?

I just heard that if you map it with anyone but polestar then volvo wipe it at a service, anyone know if thats true? Surely they cant do that?

[anonymous-user]

Lazermilk said:

Thanks for that, I like the Cross Country ones too, seen a couple advertised but then read that only the T5 got AWD which seemed odd, if the D3/D4 had it then I would go for one of them instead, but winter tires are mandatory here so should have no issues anyway with them on if we get some snow or travel anywhere with some.
Good point about the Euro 5, will need to check in case there are any new stories about possible bans in Vienna.
What does the 7" screen benefit from other than nav? What media functions does it have?

I just heard that if you map it with anyone but polestar then volvo wipe it at a service, anyone know if thats true? Surely they cant do that?

You are correct, only the T5 is AWD. The raised ground clearance on the CC is useful sometimes though, especially as it makes the car easier to get into for old gits like me ! The 7" screen plays dvd's and some other movie files when stationary and up to 5mph. I use it to watch old Le Mans dvd's when I am waiting for my wife (again). I guess if the garage updates the cars software they could delete an aftermarket map. I would check with the garage though, as independents would probably be a bit more flexible.