It's about time to retire my Passat, and I am considering a V40 ( well a V70 too, but my questions are on the V40)
What platform is the V40 built on? Is it pure Volvo, or joint venture with Ford and/or Mazda, and if so, which Ford/Mazda models share it? Whose engine? What are the overall opinions of this car in driving and reliability/longevity?
Thanks!
Volvo no longer makes a V40. They used to, together with Mitsubishi at the old DAF factory in the Netherlands. The Mitsubishi built on this platform was the Carisma, but they didn't use the same engine or transmission.
The V50 (and new S40) share a common platform with the European Focus and Mazda 3. The V50 and S40 are made in Belgium.
Volvo engine. The engine design dates back to 1991, and is generally considered reliable. It's a 5-cyl, designed in Porsche's Weissbach center. The same basic design has been used in the 850, S70, V70, S60, V50, S40 and now S80. The old V40/S40 had a 4-cyl variant of the same basic design.
Beverly
Why don't you consider a used BMW 3-series or 5-series wagon. They're both really nice cars, and unlike Volvo wagons, BMW wagons don't hold their value (from what I've seen).
For example, here's a two year-old BMW 325iT wagon
maybe....the BMW service places here have as bad an attitude as the local VW dealer, and that's not good.
I'm really tempted to f>>> Thanks for helping me avoid a mistake. I've nver owned a more
Not bad- The same price as four _really_ nice 240's, or about 2 very nice 960's. ;-)
__ __ Randy & \ \/ /alerie's \__/olvos '90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate "Shelby" & "Kate"
Maybe you'd be interested in contacting the person who wrote this message (see below) His current state of mind may allow you to pick it up for cheap...
On a side note: What the hell are people going to do when gas hits $5+ a gallon in the US???? (It will.) Last summer I spent over $80us filling up a Ford Focus wagon in Italy!!!
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Newsgroups: alt.autos.volvo From: "David Kaplan" - Find messages by this author Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2005 15:11:30 -0700 Local: Wed, Aug 24 2005 6:11 pm Subject: 940 Turbo Gas Mileage - I'm done! This PIG is FOR SALE!
Too bad! I thought I had a nice car that could be the family campmobile and get decent gas mileage. It just seems odd that a four cyl 2 litre automobile uses 40% more gas than a full-sized chrysler minivan with a 3.3 litre engine (I used to get 28 mpg at 80 miles per hour in the old Grand Caravan that I replaced). To me, however, if the Volvo wagon gets the same mileage as a HUMVEE, I may as well have the room. I didn't buy it for speed, but I guess that is how it was optimized at design.
I am terribly dissapointed. I am just happy that I didn't invest $35K for a new one.
THIS PIG IS FOR SALE!
Dave
This car is going on the market
My wife and I test drove an s40, the wagon version is the v50. We are getting it. Way, way, better than the previous Mitsubishi-based v40. I don't care who it shares a platform with, it feels like a Volvo. The doors thunk, the car feels solidly glued to the ground, the suspension tuning and calibration feel like an updated 850 or sportier and more precise s60, the interior materials are all Volvo. The Mazda 3 shares the same platform and feels quite different. Very Japanese. Much lighter. It's amazing how Volvo has kept its DNA in the new s40/v50. At least test drive a v50, and really test drive one. Preferably a t5 (though I didn't try the sports suspension).
Ben
Ford Focus is the platform, which has rapidly come to the fore as a very good platform.
All the best, Peter.
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