Volvo S40 and V50 Given Facelift

Volvo’s smallest sedan and station wagon will be receiving their first facelift formodel year 2008. Announced just days after the New York International Auto Show, Volvo has released images and specifications for the freshened S40 and V50. The primary goals of the mid-cycle upgrade, according to Volvo, are to make the two models more distinctive, to improve their standing amongst premium compact vehicles and to better make use of interior space – an area which was criticized.

Where the current S40 and V50 looked like two peas in a pod except for their backsides, the new cars have a different nose and grille thanks to different bumpers. The S40 emphasizes the nose-forward look featured on the S80, with slimmer bumpers and softer curves, while the V50 mimics the more rugged look found on the V70 and XC70 with its pronounced shapes. It’s a case where minor changes can have a major impact on overall appearances. Both the S40 and V50 have larger headlamps that have available adaptive xenon beams, and narrower tail lamps that areilluminated with LEDs. During hard braking, the taillights flash in order to catch the attention of following cars.

Addressing the lack of storage space, Volvo made a series of changes that will improve the cabin’s versatility. Redesigned door panels feature larger bins that can accommodate more, not to mention giving the premium level stereo space for an extra speaker. The area behind the “floating” center console has also been modified to provide greater storage capacity. New designs for the handbrake and the armrest seek to optimize and organize the available space. Our favorite change to the interior is the addition of Light Nordic Oak wood trim for the console and the door trims. Inspired by Scandinavian furniture, the realveneer conforms to the soft curves of the console, further accentuating this landmark in interior design. In addition, Volvo has brought the fantastic sound quality from its higher level models (not to mention the C30) down to the S40/V50 with the Premium Audio Package that groups an Alpine amp and Dolby Pro-Logic processor to Dynaudio speakers.

In North America, the S40 really helped to attract a new generation of young buyers into the Volvo family. Compared to the previous generation car, the number of S40 buyers under 35 has jumped from 23- to 45-percent, lowering the average age from 50 to 40 years. It has also helped to drop the image that Volvos are strictly family cars, increasing the proportion of singles from 30- to 40-percent. The V50 has also worked to give that particular model a hipper, younger image. Volvo hopes to sell 75,000 S40s and 70,000 V50s around the globe next year.