Faults:

Great car, however the engine was too big for the car, especially on wet roads.

Faults:

About 6 months after I purchased the car, the check engine light came on. Luckily I had a bumper to bumper warranty, but I still had to pay the $50 fee for them to see my car. After they replaced the ECM, I left with my car. Two days later the check engine light came on again. This would continue to happen for the next few years. My warranty finally ran out, and I had to sell the car because I ended up spending $1500 of my own money to get repairs done. The ride is comfortable, and when I was not stressing about the check engine light coming on, I was happy.

Faults:

Air Mass Meter when the car was new.

Headlight bulbs replaced twice in 24000 miles.

Soft OEM brake pads needed replacement at 10K miles.

General Comments:

The car handles very well, exceeded the performance of highly touted cars such as the BMW 3 series or the Audi A4. On a high performance driving track, it outperformed all of the German makes. Only addition to the car was an IPD anti-sway bar ($145 + installation) and 16" wheels with 205-50/16 Pirelli tires.

The interior was extremely comfortable and long trips in the car were pleasurable.

Power is more than adequate, and the turbocharger makes a tremendous difference over normally aspirated cars when over 7000 ft. elevation.

Faults:

Within days of purchase I knew the V40 was special, the electrical system blew up while driving. There's nothing like losing all control of vehicle in a traffic to impress. Add to this another electrical failure with in weeks, air conditioner failure in 90 degree weather on a day long drive, a wheel that almost fell off on its own, grinding brakes and you get the idea. This car model is a disaster.

Residual pay off at the end of the lease is $18k, but trade in value is under $10K.

Volvo really goofed on this one.

General Comments:

When it is working it runs fine, but with a few quirky rattles, belches, and hesitations.

Faults:

Both headlights were burnt out by 10,000 miles.

Needed a front brake job @ 12,000 miles.

Rear seat belt stuck and we had to cut my child out of it.. (dealer replaced gratis).

Then the battery died @ about 20,000 miles... (dealer replaced gratis).

New tires @ 25,000 miles.

Current situation..@ 37,000 miles.. The hood is tied shut with rope until the next service appointment. It is stuck between safety latches...can't open or close..don't fret.. oil is OK - and I'm being stingy with washer fluid until the appointment. I opened the hood to replace yet another headlight bulb.. bad move in hindsight I foolishly thought I could actually close the hood after swapping it out..

The red paint has started to fade.. can see the outline of the shipping plastic they peeled off it 3 years ago. Showing her age (ummm...3) but still a good looking wagon.

General Comments:

Well.. she's not perfect...but neither am I. This wagon is driven in rush hour traffic to and fro the office for most of it's humble existence, 24 miles each way.. ( (so it's a hard life for both of us) )

Everything that went wrong with it was either covered under warranty or excessive wear and tear.. The dealer is responsive and reasonable.

The car is comfortable. The seats are more comfortable than our Benz seats.

The integrated booster seats for kids are a great feature.

I love how quick the wagon is - off the line and around the bend it leaves every mini SUV owner in the dust. And it gets good fuel mileage.

So..I'll gladly turn it in to the dealer when the lease is up in a few months.. I rode her hard and put her in the barn wet.. but I'll swing through the showroom and have a look around.

Volvo wagons are hard habit to break..I've had three in my 16 years of driving and three Volvo sedans as well.