Volvo V40 T5 R – Witness The Scandinavian Fitness

Now typically you’d associate Volvos with practicality, efficiency and safety. Obsessively-compulsive, mind-numbingly intricate systems leading to unparalleled levels of safety, to be specific – and that’s a good thing, probably.

The firm has just recently shifted focus to a “zero accident fatalities by 2020″ campaign which is why they’ve even begun fitting airbags to the outsides of their cars (sort of). That’s so Johnny Cyclist doesn’t get turned into a red smear across a Volvo windscreen; instead being forcibly made to have a lie-down on a pyrotechnic pillow.

What’s more, new radar-guided cyclist-detection technology – Volvo have a cleverer name for it – is being implemented so the likelihood of this ever occurring will be all but eradicated, soon. And that’s jolly good news for a cyclist like me, albeit only a benefit if another Volvo driver is unwittingly trying to perform a spot of vehicular manslaughter on me.

Both my bicycles will however be well swallowed by the V40′s copious rear hatch compartment which is quite the upgrade for me since my just-departed Toyota 86 could manage just one disassembled bike, and that quite comically.

But it’s not a life of outdoorsy servitude that awaits the new Swede. See, mine’s the T5 – where the ‘T’ could be aligned to the turbocharger beneath the silvery bonnet, while the ’5′ denotes the amount of cylinders performing a petrol-fuelled orchestra of explosions, to which said blower is attached. The result is a hairy-chested 187kW and 360Nm and a frankly ambitious sounding claim of zero to hundred in 6.1 seconds. Through a six-speed auto. We’ll want to test that last statistic for ourselves, but as you can plainly see, numbers indicate performance closer to Braam’s (also just-departed) Renault Mégane RS than that slippery Toyota 86.

Our new V40 also gets the R-Design treatment, including a high-gloss grille finished in what the company calls ‘silk -metal’. Right-o. Other sport-infused addenda includes diffusers, twin exhaust tailpipes and five-spoke, diamond-cut 18-inch alloy hoops. The end result – and I’m really letting it all hang out with this one – is possibly, maybe, the most attractive five-door hatchback you’ll encounter. It’s almost a pity ours is slathered in an exec-spec hue and not that Rebel Blue paint scheme Volvo seems to reserve for their Polestar race cars.

However, inside the cabin Volvo have installed cool blue vibes, literally, thanks to their mood lighting and instrument illumination. I like that the R graphic on the helm has been carried over from the original 850 T-5 R – that feels right. The R of course hints at the marque’s racing heritage, and it really has one, despite being overshadowed by the firm’s other brand extensions such as that great big ocean race they’re involved in, some massive trucks and an array of bright yellow digging and farming equipment. But no, we shall focus on their track pedigree and without revealing too much, hope to instill our new TG fleet member with some racy stuff. We might even fix that non-offensive body color. Watch this space.