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John Mellor’s
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Marvellous little V
Continued from previous page
To be called T5, the auto-only twowheel-drive
V40 fl agship is said to be
capable of laying down a 6.5-second
time for the 0-100km/h sprint, thanks to
some technological tricks supplied by
Volvo race team Polestar. On paper, it
looks set to put a few cats among the
European GTI pigeons.
Surprisingly, no four-cylinder petrol
model will be offered in Australia, at
least in the short term.
While the high-output 187kW 2.5-litre
fi ve-cylinder T5 will claim the glory, the
downsized 2.0-litre version, called T4,
is likely to be one of the biggest-selling
models, making do with a handy 132kW
of power and 300Nm of torque.
Ultimately, a new family of Volvodesigned
four-cylinder engines is likely
to fi nd a home in the V40 – as well as
all other Volvo models – once the new
We go the distance.
powerplants arrive in 2014.
Right now, all V40 variants will get a
world-fi rst pedestrian airbag that pops out
from between the bonnet and windscreen
– a technology that is likely to be applied
to other Volvo models in time.
As well, the V40 gets the latest version
of Volvo’s City Safety crash mitigation
technology that can now work at up to
50km/h, instead of the previous 30km/h
on models such as the XC60 SUV and
S60 sedan.
A vast array of other safety
technologies, including a pedestrian
detection and auto brake system, lane
keeping alert, blind spot warning
system and autonomous braking, have
all been engineered for the V40, which
deep down shares a platform with the
Ford Focus in a hangover from the days
when Volvo was a Blue Oval subsidiary.
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June 27, 2012 Page 7
However, VCA managing director
Matt Braid told GoAuto that his
company was still to decide which of
these safety technologies will be made
available in Australia, and whether
they would be applied as standard
equipment, options or grouped in
optional packs.
He also said pricing would not be
decided until closer to launch, with
Volvo keeping a close eye on the
competition in the meantime.
Collectively, the new safety
technologies make the V40 arguably
the world’s safest small car, but much
of the engineering focus has been on
its dynamic ability and refi nement,
which are both world class.
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Volvo’s Pole dancer – next page
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