[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/test-drive-volvo-v40-t5-r-design-251bhp-sharp-but-not-razor\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/test-drive-volvo-v40-t5-r-design-251bhp-sharp-but-not-razor\/","headline":"Test drive: Volvo V40 T5 R-Design, 251bhp – sharp, but not razor","name":"Test drive: Volvo V40 T5 R-Design, 251bhp – sharp, but not razor","description":"The Volvo V40 is the most important new model for the famously not-so-far-out Swedish brand for 20 years. It\u2019s the first time they\u2019ve had a 5-door hatch the same size, but more expensive or \u2018premium\u2019, as the big-selling Ford Focus in their range for that double-decade, and they\u2019d like a fat-as-possible slice of the 25 per cent of new UK car sales that come from this part of the market. The best way to get attention for your new range […]","datePublished":"2013-02-15","dateModified":"2013-02-15","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/author\/isabelle-lawrence\/#Person","name":"Isabelle Lawrence","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/author\/isabelle-lawrence\/","identifier":30,"description":"Max Wheeler is a leading motoring journalist and classic car specialist at Smart Motoring, renowned for his sharp insight and infectious passion for all things automotive. With years of experience covering motoring news, supercars, and the enduring legacy of classic cars, Max brings stories to life with style and authority. Whether it\u2019s the roar of a Lamborghini, the elegance of an Aston Martin DB5, or the cultural impact of vintage motoring icons, he delivers expert commentary that inspires enthusiasts and collectors alike. Dedicated to celebrating the heritage and future of driving, Max Wheeler is your trusted voice for classic car news and beyond.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8d331506e3c530b5ec4930c30a01ed8cc29b0537227573ae5da98f559e681401?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8d331506e3c530b5ec4930c30a01ed8cc29b0537227573ae5da98f559e681401?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Smart Motoring","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/smart-motoring_news_logo_g-e1765846726493.webp","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/smart-motoring_news_logo_g-e1765846726493.webp","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/high_UK_47359.jpg","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/high_UK_47359.jpg","height":683,"width":1024},"url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/test-drive-volvo-v40-t5-r-design-251bhp-sharp-but-not-razor\/","about":["Cars","LATEST CAR NEWS","Sports \/ Performance & Prestige cars","Sports, Performance & Prestige Cars"],"wordCount":1016,"keywords":["hot hatch","volvo","volvo v40"],"articleBody":"The Volvo V40 is the most important new model for the famously not-so-far-out Swedish brand for 20 years. It\u2019s the first time they\u2019ve had a 5-door hatch the same size, but more expensive or \u2018premium\u2019, as the big-selling Ford Focus in their range for that double-decade, and they\u2019d like a fat-as-possible slice of the 25 per cent of new UK car sales that come from this part of the market.The best way to get attention for your new range of hatches is to build a wild-style, big-bhp \u2018halo car\u2019 to sit on top of the range, like a tuned up cherry. This V40 T5 R-Design is Volvo\u2019s 251bhp halo hooligan. So, is it cool, quick and sticky enough? Motor-Vision\u2019s put it through its paces on some cracking British back lanes to find out…R-Design outsideThe R-Design badge on this rebel Blue V40 T5 doesn\u2019t do a whole lot, really. Yes, it gets you optional (\u00a3275) access to the same Rebel Blue paint as worn by those killer-looking Polestar Volvo racers (pic below), but while our Motor-Vision test car looks pretty darn tasty in its deep coat of the Rebel paint, it also looks great in Ice White, which doesn\u2019t cost any extra.It\u2019s a jazzy name for a styling pack at the end of the day, with R-Design also bringing matt silver wing mirror cases and 17-inch Ixion matt black wheels to the V40\u2019s exterior. And if you want your V40 to sit lower and on bigger 18-inch alloys, then the Sports Pack (with lower and stiffer suspension) and 18-inch Ixion wheels will set you back a further \u00a3650 and \u00a3700, respectively. As a car-lover with tuning always on my mind, I\u2019d have to tick these option boxes.The Sports Pack only lowers the V40 by 10mm, and while our test car had the 18-inch alloys it didn\u2019t have the Sport Chassis, so I can\u2019t tell you how much better it looked sitting with its wheels that 10mm closer to its arches. I did drive another V40 with the sportier chassis set-up and can report a touch more poise over and above an already pretty well sorted standard chassis. Worth the extra \u00a3650? Well, just. R-Design insideThe Volvo V40 interior is a clean freak\u2019s dream, with super-clean dashboard lines, a bright \u2018n\u2019 crisp all-graphics, animated clocks set \u2013 which only gets a pulsing blue colour when you buy the Rebel Blue exterior paint! \u2013 and one of the slickest, neatest centre consoles this side of a Bauhaus sideboard.R-Design brings leather sports seats, a good sprinkling of R-Design logos and some pleasant aluminium trim around the cabin, and as a top of the ranger there\u2019s sat-nav, too. But it\u2019s not the biggest of screens.Now, the driving position is where the V40 T5 R-Design starts to earn some driver\u2019s car gold stars, with one of the very best pilot\u2019s positions around. The seat goes deep into the chassis and the leather steering wheels slides and tilts for miles to meet your grip, no matter how long your legs are. Shame then that the most powerful V40 \u2013 the named-after-a-Volvo-legend, T5 \u2013 is only available with a pretty run of the mill automatic gearbox. Fantastic fiveCar fans will probably already be aware of the Volvo 2.5-litre, straight-5-cylinder, 20-valve, turbocharged petrol motor that\u2019s transverse-mounted under the V40\u2019s hood. It would look a whole lot sexier if it was longitudinal-mounted \u2013 five- and six-cylinder engines always do, but the fatal attraction with this 251bhp \/ 360Nm powerplant is its silky, if not super-sharp, torquey performance.I\u2019m enjoying the twists and turns, hard accelerations and firm brakes of some pukka British back lanes in this Rebel Blue V40 T5 R-Design, and the engine, predictable chassis and powerful brakes are doing a decent job of firing me quickly from point-to-point. The \u2018Geartronic\u2019 \u2018box swaps the cogs quite smoothly and quickly, but it\u2019s never as quick and involving as a double-clutch \u2018box, and there are no steering wheel paddles for those that like to finger-flick the ratios.If we had the sweet 6-speed manual \u2018box as found in other less powerful V40s we\u2019d be an extra 20 per cent happier, but there\u2019s no manual for the T5, as Volvo thinks the few UK peeps that\u2019ll buy a T5 would rather an auto. Err, hello!Anyway, the T5, on these roads \u2013 which are filthy wet, by the way \u2013 with the auto \u2018box, is still quick and reactive, and fun to drive. It just won\u2019t set your pants on fire. Saying that, the on-paper stats are worthy of a respectful nod \u2013 60mph in 5.7 seconds and 155mph \u2013 while emissions, if you care, are 185g\/km of CO2, average economy quoted at 35.8mpg.The Volvo C30 mild mannered hatch, turned Rebel Blue bonkers by race tuners Polestar. This is what I’m talking about!\u00a0The orignal T5 – the 850 T5 – the boxy estate of doom! The cops used them and the crims didn’t like it! Motor-Vision verdictThe V40 T5 R-Design makes a pretty decent job of being the V40\u2019s halo car with some swanky looks, a dependable chassis, minimalism masterclass of an interior, and that deep-lunged legend of a 2.5-litre turbo motor.We have to remember the type of people that mostly buy Volvos, and with those drivers in mind, I think this V40 T5 hits the mark in many respects. However, with my personal spec \u2013 including \u00a3800 for the premium audio (wink, wink!) \u2013 \u2018my\u2019 V40 T5 R-Design came in at a rather whopping \u00a333,815. And while this test car looked wicked in its Rebel Blue sprinter\u2019s suit, it didn\u2019t quite live up to its \u2018nearly lairy\u2019 looks.For me, a hot hatch \u2013 premium or not so premium \u2013 that heads well north of \u00a330k, should put your eyes on stalks at the end of a back lane blast, and while the V40 T5 is pokey, it\u2019s too well mannered, classy, to leave those peepers any more prominent. By Dan Anslow "},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Latest News","item":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Test drive: Volvo V40 T5 R-Design, 251bhp – sharp, but not razor","item":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/test-drive-volvo-v40-t5-r-design-251bhp-sharp-but-not-razor\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]