Volvo S40 Premium Compact Saloon

The new Volvo S40’s seats are sturdier than those usually found in the compact segment, and are a particularly robust design. They are designed to withstand high loads from items such as unrestrained luggage, with the strength and flexibility to cope with severe crashes, while the front seats also feature Volvo’s WHIPS (Whiplash protection system) to help avoid neck injuries in a rear-end collision.

Pedestrians and other road users are also taken into account with the new S40 designed with a smooth, curved front to reduce the risk of injuries. An energy-absorbing structure ahead of the front bumper helps to reduce the risk of leg injuries, while the bonnet and front wings are also designed to absorb collision energy together with a generous 70mm gap between the engine and bonnet to help reduce the risk of head injuries.

Volvo’s holistic view of safety also includes personal security and so after close co-operation with the motor insurance repair research centre at Thatcham, the new S40 is equipped with a number of protective functions, such as an audio system fitted as an integral part of the on-board electrical system, electronic immobiliser, electronic anti-theft marking, plus the new option of laminated side windows for enhanced protection against break-ins. This is a fitting feature for a premium sector car and rarely available in the compact sector.

Environmental Benefits

• PremAir
• Oko-Tex emissions-free interior
• Pollen filter
• 85 % recycling rate
• IAQS (Interior Air Quality System)

Like all other Volvos, the S40 has excellent environmental credentials, including a clean and healthy interior for its driver and passengers thanks to a standard pollen filter and Volvo’s ‘Clean Inside and Out’ programme. This features Volvo’s advanced IAQS (Interior Air Quality System) which automatically keeps the air inside the car cleaner than that outside, and an emissions-free and allergy-free interior thanks to upholstery and fittings that are ‘Oko-Tex’* certified.

Further development of the low-friction petrol engines means they run on a leaner mixture for better fuel economy and emissions**. Meanwhile, no less than 85 per cent by weight of the S40’s materials can be recycled, with plastic components marked to facilitate recycling and recycled felt and wood used for certain interior trim items.

The five-cylinder engines sport Volvo’s PremAir system that uses a catalytic coating on the radiator that converts up to 75 per cent of ozone passing through it into clean oxygen.

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