2006 Volvo S40 SE Sport review from UK and Ireland

Very minor oil leak from the rocker cover, fixed without fuss under warranty.

This car tends to be pitched as an Audi/BMW alternative by much of the motoring press. I can see why, the build quality is excellent, but for me there is no contest in this 3 way comparison; it's well known that the BMW 3 Series is a superb machine, but unfortunately it gained a reputation as being a bit of a berk mobile, being regularly spotted cutting people up and tailgating on the motorways with a general "get out of my way, I own the road" kind of stigma. It seems like the Audi A4 / A3 and VW Golf are now taking over this role, maybe the Beemer will lose its stigma if all the berks switch to VW/Audi ownership.

The S40, while in my opinion being very nearly as good as the Beemer and the Audi, doesn't suffer this reputation, you can still run around in a quality car, AND be let out at junctions by other motorists.

The interior is a pleasant place to be, quality plastics and a clean and tidy layout, the floating centre console is a work of art, seats are the best available, very comfortable on long journeys.

The Ford/PSA diesel engine is a touch noisy, but is very gutsy and returns 50 to the gallon as an average.

The dealer is brilliant, very very helpful, servicing is reasonable, but I nearly fell over backwards when I got a quote for new tyres; avoid the 17 inch wheels, they look great but you need to re-mortgage the house to change the tyres.