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2004 Volvo S40 Compact Near Luxury Sedan
…Continued
2000 saw the arrival of the S (sedan) and V 40 (wagon) in the US market. At that time, they had long been for sale in Europe, and the design was long in the tooth. The redesign was done with the US market in mind, and the acceptance that the states would be where the bulk of sales would occur.
Pre-family adults are Volvo’s target. For the long-term health of the brand the company must attract single women and men to their products earlier than the age when kids arrive. Hence the need to young-up the buyer base. The result has been some weird television advertising that attempts to accomplish that, to an annoying, no-good end.
The television ad is a teenager’s, video gameish, smash-bang-roll-‘em-around, road-rally animation. It’s a little young for the intended buyer; though our 13 and 14 year old nephews think it’s “da bomb.” But it’s completely contrary to Volvo’s safety message. And the new ad, has a new character in it. That also doesn’t make sense since Volvo already has a perfectly good, hipster spokes-character named Clive, a crash-test dummy. He would be perfect to have step out of the animated rally car.
And this is all odd because in reality Volvo is investing heavily in sedan racing in the United States. What could be better than showing young American men ' and hopefully a few women ' that the cars can really to it. Volvo is going into the Speed World Challenge where they’ll be competing against the series champion Audi, along with apt competitors Porsche, BMW, and (yes I hate to have to say the word) Cadillac, who finished one-two in the first race of the 2004 season.
Vehicle Exterior
Sweet. It definitely is. The S40 is a sexy, Swedish BMW 3, Audi A4, Infiniti G35, but for the price of upscale Camrys and Accords. The S40 is a little less about performance, and more about appointments and build, then the upmarket competition. But it has a distinct advantage over cookie-cutter Japanese and Korean sedans.
The S40 design is distinctly European, with American proportions. Volvo’s distinctive back-slash V grill and V-shaped hood make the S40 look solid and refined. The S40 roof line is a long, low arch into a short trunk lid necessary for a sporty, aerodynamic product. With the short rear deck, it has a bit of the “coupe” thing going on. It looks good, especially with the optional 17” wheels.
Vehicle Interior
Of all the companies who have tried to clean up the buttons, switches, knobs, vents and garbage on their dashboards, Volvo has done one of the very best jobs. And they did it on their least-expensive product. The interior of a car has got to be great, it’s where you live after all. The S40 interior, in its price range, is among the very best.
The center stack is the focus of the vehicle’s interior. It reminds us of chairs built by the fabulous Swedish furniture designer Arne Jacobsen in the 1950s, 60s and 70s ' specifically the Oxford Chair, High Version (for high-back chair.) Volvo takes that fluid design and merges it with an entertainment-focused, rather than climate-focused, control layout.
At the top of the center stack is a screen displaying the radio, trip computer, temperature controls, and sound system readouts. Below are two knobs for volume and tuning. At the bottom are two knobs controlling the fan and temperature. Between the knob sets is a slender key pad 'like on a computer or cell phone ' containing the controls for the sound system, trip computer, etc. The entire center stack is extremely thin. It doesn’t connect to the back of the foot well. That area is left open for storage and is perfect for a handbag or backpack.
