Volvo V40 - A Safe, Fun And Elegant Hatchback Car

Stylish hatch shines a night, but it hasn’t all gone smoothly

As the days get longer, I’m spending less time driving in the dark, but that’s never been a problem in our Volvo V40. Ice White paint helps the car to stand out in the sunshine, but it’s the exterior and interior lighting that’s made driving it during the long, dark winter months such a pleasure.

Volvo V40

From the driver’s seat, the $450 optional TFT full-color display is crystal clear and very easy to read, while the central color screen is equally attractive. The white backlighting for the center console buttons and the green lights that show which systems are currently running are neat touches, too. Yet it’s the gearlever that really stands out in the cabin.

Pay $75 extra and you get a crystal finish with white backlighting, and the look is further enhanced by the gearknob reflecting the ambient light directly above it. Even better is the fact that you can change the color of the light, from cool white or warm gold to intense blue, green or purple. Normally you’d barely notice the change, but as it reflects in the lever, the effect is more pronounced. The comfortable seats, effective climate control and great stereo complete a superb interior.

From the driver’s seat, the $450 optional TFT full-color display is crystal clear and very easy to read, while the central color screen is equally attractive.

And when you’re driving at night, the rest of the Volvo’s exterior light show comes into action. Select main beam, and the directional xenons flood the road with light like it’s the middle of the day, which is very reassuring on twisty country roads. When oncoming traffic approaches, the auto-dipping function means drivers shouldn’t be dazzled, but the system can be a little slow to react, so you end up switching off main beam manually well before the automatic system cuts in.

That’s only a minor issue, though – there are plenty of other frustrating niggles that have spoiled our time with the V40. The sat-nav still has a problem when the car is switched off and back on again soon after. I thought I’d solved it by sitting and waiting for the system to locate itself, but the past few times it’s happened, the loading screen has stayed put, and continued to be there for the remainder of my journey. This has a knock-on effect for the rest of the multimedia system, because if you go into the My Volvo menu to adjust any settings, it simply pops back to the sat-nav’s loading screen. Very frustrating.

And when you’re driving at night, the rest of the Volvo’s exterior light show comes into action.

I’ve also found that the active safety systems are behaving erratically. Central London is teeming with cyclists these days, and the Volvo’s parking sensors go berserk whenever a bike filters past while you’re stationary at traffic lights. And if you’re parking at the side of the road, a master beep that warns you of moving traffic completely drowns out the distance beeps at the front and rear of the car.

A greater worry is the collision warning system. There are times when the audio alarm and flashing dash-top lights go off just because there’s a car parked on the outside of a bend, and it thinks you’re going to crash into it. Even more disconcerting was when it activated while I was approaching the Bell Common Tunnel on the M25 in Essex at 70mph. Still, at least these functions can be turned off for my own sanity more than anything else.

Volvo V40 from back

The V40 is now due to be serviced, so hopefully a dealer will be able to address these issues – then we can get back to enjoying the highlights of Volvo life.