Sporty with the 40: stepping out without stepping away from safety

Automotive Industries, March, 2004 by Rich Wilson

The launch of the new S40 completes Volvo's overhaul of its line of sedans. The desired effect of this new offering is more than simply making a revamped S40 that shares lines with the S60s/S80s but more so to offer an entry level Volvo to attract a younger target buyer.

"The S40 takes cues from the other sedans in the line but was designed to be unique. There were actually three working designs and the one that was chosen was the sportiest of the three," says Exterior Designer A1 Briscoe.

Since aesthetics are paramount in bringing the younger buyers, the interior design was also greatly considered in the process. Most notable is the slim line centerstack. This wafer-thin centerstack leaves space behind it and really gives a young-tech look over all. Four different choices in material will be offered for the unit.

The pricing for the units currently available have the S40 2.4i coming in at $24,190 and the T5 starts at $26,990, aimed at being a more entry level offering at a European sedan in the North American market with the pricing and the sportier lines. Volvo is hoping to grab buyers at a young age and turn them into loyalists.

The largest single market will be the U.S., whose target for 2004 is 20,000 cars in the Volvo S40 series. This will be followed by Sweden 5,000, Britain 4,000, Germany 4,000 and Spain 3,000.

All of the S40s are built at the Volvo Cars factory in Ghent, Belgium. Volvo's production operations in the Netherlands have ceased with the phasing out of the previous Volvo S40 and V40 models. Volvo has invested 340 million [euro] in the Ghent factory, which when finished Hill be the company's largest production plant with an annual capacity of 270,000 cars.

The S40 features a transverse 5-cylinder in-line engine made possible by shrinking the engine's outer dimensions. The desired result was a compact car offering performance and drive-ability. The engine's dimensions were also sized to contribute to the car's crash worthiness.

Some of the spatial and safety concerns were addressed with the following engine design choices: the exhaust manifold outlets are angled down towards the engine block, the manifolds on the turbo engines are cast together with the turbo unit housing, the inlet manifold is compact-cast in fiberglass-reinforced plastic and is routed up over the engine, the furl injectors are installed in an aluminium section.

Engines currently available are 2.4, 2.4i, T5 2.5, and a 2.0 turbo diesel that make 140, 170, 220 and 136 hp, respectively. Forthcoming powerplants are all 4-cylinder models 1.8, 1.6 and a 1.6 turbo diesel that make 120,100 and 110 hp. The 1.8 is due out in spring of '04 and the 1.6 and 1.6 turbo diesel are due out in fall.

The 5-cylinder/large displacement design was put in place to provide high torque from low engine revs. The engines also feature four-valves-per-cylinder and dual-overhead camshafts, variable camshaft timing and an electronic engine management system.

The 6-speed manual gearbox developed for the Volvo S60 R and VT0 R now has made its entry in the Volvo S40 T5 which features triple synchromesh. The normally aspirated engines are mated to a new generation of Volvo's 5-speed manual gearbox. It has been developed with triple synchromesh as well.

The 5-speed automatic transmission (the same one used in the larger Volvo models) has an adaptive gear changing pattern; in other words, it adapts to the current drivers style. The turbo diesel comes as standard with a 6-speed manual gearbox (not the same as in the T5 model).

An all-wheel-drive version of the T5 will be launched later in 2004. It will have the same type of electronically controlled hydraulic coupling as found on Volvo's larger AWD models.

The suspension is independent all round, with spring struts at the front and a multilink system at the rear. The rear suspension provides a certain degree of passive steering to counteract any tendency to skid.

The S40 has ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution to the rear wheels and automatic panic-braking assistance--EBA (Emergency Brake Assistance). The front wheels feature ventilated discs. The disc size is adapted to engine power (up to 16.5 in.).

The new Volvo S40 is the first in a range of new Volvo models sharing common technology. Like the Mazda3 and the Ford Focus C-Max, the S40 is based on the C-Car platform. The most notable difference between the three offerings is born of Volvo's everlong 'safety first' mantra.

Development of the new S40 used the crash safety levels of the Volvo S80 as a model with the aim of reaching those levels of safety in the new compact body.

The preconditions for efficient deformation are different in a smaller car than those of a large body. The frontal body structure of the Volvo S40 was divided into zones, each with a different task in the deformation process. The outer zones are responsible for most of the deformation. The closer the collision forces get to the passenger compartment, the less the materials used deform. The objective is that the passenger compartment should remain intact in most collisions.