2008 Volvo V50 Review (continued)
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Walkaround

When they were introduced four years ago, the S40 sedan and V50 wagon launched a trend at Volvo, and it's a trend we wholeheartedly endorse. These compact models moved Volvo from its familiar angular, square-ish look toward something much less frumpy. They're distinctive among so-called near luxury cars, and easy to identify as Volvos.

For 2008, changes to the S40 and V50 are noticeable, and they're intended to bring the smaller Volvos more into line with the company's recently re-styled flagship S80 sedan. The updates enhance the S40 and V50, but they don't substantially change their character, and that's good. Both rank with the best looking Volvos ever offered.

The S40 is subtle and original, but mostly very clean: sophisticated in its simplicity, but certainly not simple. Form follows function in this sedan, as a short overall length (for crisp handling and easy parking) was a primary engineering objective.

Rounded front corners (as well as a compact engine package) enable this shortness, and the rear corners are pushed in as well, giving the S40 a tight but still stylish shape. Sparse application of chrome creates a classy look, and for 2008 there are fewer black bits on the body. Lower door, sill and side moldings are now color coordinated to match the paint. The doors are slightly convex, with high shoulders that add a sense of security for those sitting inside.

The S40 and V50 are Volvos from any angle, but it's most obvious head on, looking into the dark egg-crate grille with the diagonal Volvo slash through the center. The sedan and wagon are identical from the front, sporting a slightly larger grille in 2008, with a much larger Volvo badge in the center. The headlights have been reshaped slightly, with a more pronounced tear-drop downturn at the inside edges. The air intake under the bumper now runs full width without interruption.

Viewed in profile, a sharp rear end and softer front end give the S40 direction. The rocker panels are slightly wider in the rear, creating the illusion of forward rake and more motion. More dramatically, the sloping roofline quickly meets an abrupt, lipless rear deck. The distance between the bottom of the glass and the back edge of the deck is not much more than a foot. Yet all the lines, including the rear hips, cascade smoothly together. The optional 17-inch rims fill the wheel wells nicely and enhance the S40's presence.

Viewed from the rear, the huge red taillights are trademark Volvo. They've been reshaped slightly for 2008, now with long lasting LED elements rather than bulbs.

In side view, the V50 wagon is created by extending the roof line and belt line back to the tail, with a slight diagonal angle from the roof down to the beltline. It's all very graceful, though from the rear the wagon's huge taillights add some gawkiness. They extend up the sides all the way to the roof, and we aren't necessarily consoled by the fact that they are nearly impossible for other drivers to miss.

With its smallest sedan and wagon, Volvo tried to provide the same sort of impact protection buyers seek in its larger vehicles. To that end, both the S40 and V50 apply what the company calls the Volvo Intelligent Vehicle Architecture, or VIVA. That means extra-sturdy anti-intrusion beams in the doors, and multiple crumple or deformations zones front and rear, built with different strengths of steel depending on that zone's location and function: conventional, high strength, extra high strength and ultra high strength. The idea is to dissipate or absorb the energy of a collision before it finally reaches the car's cabin, or the people inside it.

Interior Features

Interior updates in the 2008 Volvo S40 and V50 are subtle, but welcome. The improvements address niggling shortcomings in what was otherwise a first-rate cabin. One example: re-designed dash vents that move more air. The S40 sedan and V50 wagon share essentially that same interior, and it looks great. It's also intuitive, everything works the way you'd expect, and it's easy to get comfortable.

The S40 and V50 are surprisingly roomy given their exterior dimensions, which are nearly identical to a Honda Civic or Ford Focus. Volvo should be credited for creating efficient, intelligent ways to use space. Everything in the S40/V50 cabin is carefully compact, including the strong stubby door handles. They're easy to grab and pull.

The materials and finish are very good. The expanses of plastic and vinyl have a soft, leathery look. The standard trim in base 2.4i models is a flat-finish plastic called Bauxite, and it looks fine. The T5s come with brushed aluminum interior trim, not too much and in all the right places, including the whole center stack. Genuine Nordic Light Oak is optional in all models, and it looks like the finish on fine furniture. The optional leather upholstery is smooth and thick, stretched taut over the seats rather than draped.

The seats are excellent. It's hard to find a better mix of comfort and support for typical driving. The optional sport seats in some luxury brands might ultimately be better, but they are much harder to settle into not to mention they are usually expensive. The fabric that comes standard resists stains. Dog owners may be better served by the leather, however, because dog hair can get imbedded in the fabric upholstery.

The fold-flat front passenger seat is a valuable feature. Standard on all models, the front seatback can fold forward to roughly the same level as the folded rear seat and cargo floor. This adds three feet to the length of items that can be carried within the car. And as far as we could tell, this feature does nothing to diminish the seat's comfort.

Volvo's WHIPS whiplash-limiting seat is designed to reduce the change of a neck injury in a rear-end collision: During a rear-end impact, the seatbacks move rearward to reduce acceleration forces on the occupant's back and neck, while the headrest pushes forward and upward slightly to meet the neck and head as they are thrust backward.

The S40/V50 instrument panel is clean, simple and workmanlike, with a big speedometer and tachometer featuring white numbers on a black background with red needles. For 2008, the T5 models are upgraded with gauges designed to replicate the look a fine watch. The overall effect of the dashboard is very Scandinavian, yet the coolest part may be the thin-panel center stack.

The S40 and V50 were the first Volvos to use the thin panel, and it has quickly become one of our favorites. The center stack is barely more than an inch thick, like a flat-screen computer monitor, with open space behind it. It curves gracefully upward from the minimalist shift lever to link the center console with the rest of the instrument panel.

Most controls are located in the thin panel, with audio above climate and a text display at the top, arranged in a neat, symmetrical pattern. The four primary knobs are placed at the corners, big and raised substantially from the surface so they're easy to find. One of those knobs is a menu control that easily accesses more detailed controls displayed on the information screen. The airflow buttons are fashioned in an icon shaped like a seated person, so there's absolutely no confusion about directing air toward the face, feet or windshield.

It's all quite clean, effective and pleasing. Most significantly, measured by function and ease of operation, various controls in the S40 and V50 are simpler, better, than most other luxury brands. Particularly German brands, which still insist on layering more menus (and butto