Faults:

Nothing is wrong. So far so good.

General Comments:

Bought this compact S40 in November 2010.

Very compact and comfy car. Able to accommodate 4 passengers easily.

It's the new 2.0L (145hp) that comes with Powershift transmission (Volvo-Ford dual clutch tech). Pretty smooth on gear change; but not as swift as VW DSG! It really saves fuel consumption in city or highway travel.

Love the blind spot system (BLIS), which notices any vehicle or object on either side of the car, so it alerts the driver.

I only upgraded to larger rims. The stock rims that come with the car are 6.5x16" (205/55/r16), which is rather small. Hence I upgraded the rims to 7.5x17" (225/45r17), which enhances the handling quality.

So far no issues with the car; just changed the battery after 14 months.

Faults:

The brakes ware off too fast, it's been lest then a year and I had to replace the left rear disk recently.

Occasionally when I'm speeding, the climate control goes berserk. Instead of cold air, warm air is vented into the car.

General Comments:

The seats are comfortable, however there isn't enough leg-room and head-room in the rear.

The engine is quite powerful, nothing compared to my 850 though. Love the 0 to 100 acceleration. However the 100 to 200 acceleration is very disapointing.

Parking is easy with this car, it's quite small for a Volvo. However Volvo should have made reverse censors standard and not optional.

The cabin lighting is OK, but Volvo should have retained similar lightings from the first generation of V40. That car had a really well lit cabin.

Faults:

Both front and back fog-lamps had already blown.

The interior (original) is tacky, nothing to look at; but I am not fussed.

The front end of the car gives the impression (and sound!) of scraping bottom when driving over speed bumps; I was told this is a common problem, and nothing actually touches the ground.

The engine revolutions rises and drops at random when the car is idle or very slow (I suppose due to increased and decreased engine loads) ; this can be rather disconcerting when doing a tricky reverse maneuver into a tight parking spot as there would a slight jerk, requiring careful braking to avoid smashing into something. I was told nothing could be done about this (!).

The engine vibrates when the car is stopped, with the gear engaged. I was told this is a usual problem with the car, due to a defective engine mounting. This was corroborated when I checked with the local Volvo dealer and found that the engine mounting is one of the most common parts replaced in the S40.

The air-conditioning is not good enough for a tropical climate. Again, I was told nothing can be done about this.

The fan is so damned loud when it comes on! Very irritating.

General Comments:

First, be warned that I am a Volvophile.

That said, I found the car to be a reasonable performer. Its acceleration and speed are nothing spectacular compared to high-end performance cars, obviously, but are nonetheless satisfactory; the engine is powerful enough to have some fun with. However, when joyriding, I cannot help, but wish there was much, much more power. This is definitely not (and is probably not meant to be) a sexy car.

The car feels safe at all times (psychological only, because it is a Volvo?), and handles well enough even in difficult corners and bad (and wet) road conditions. The Dynamic Stability Assistance is a boon.

So far, maintenance costs have been reasonable, and from the recorded maintenance history of the car, I have not found anything extraordinarily mind-boggling. Based on the maintenance schedule, and the way the car is presently behaving, I do not anticipate any major cost item to arise in the near future.

I am satisfied with my purchase, which I regard as a stepping stone toward my ultimate aim of owning the S60R!