3rd Mar 2013, 08:19
Given all the problems that a car can have, I think exposing the whole brand because of the interior issues is a bit much - it's not as if the car has blown up or anything.
Quality improved on these models after 2007, and some materials were upgraded. Audi/VW are no better after a few years - I know as most of the 'soft touch' plastic switches, etc had worn right out after 3 years! (Audi A4)
The Volvo S40 I had before that was a 2004, and had 155,000 miles on when sold with only one button that had worn - exceptional, and my current V50 is even better so far, so initially the quality doesn't seem as good, but is no worse than some of the German brands after a couple of years.
17th Jul 2013, 17:56
I've just bought a 2006 model. I'm sorry you have a bad interior. The dash material on mine is still almost perfect, the lettering on dials and switches is excellent, and the 'wood' centre column still looks new.
Perhaps this is because I live in England, where the weather is so bad UV damage is not a problem!
18th Nov 2016, 10:37
I don't get the original comment about the bad interior either. I have a 2007 S40 with over 100,000 miles, owned by a family before me with 3 kids so it took a lot of wear and tear and the interior holds up very well; no rattles and all the paint and the look of it is fine. Very solid and stylish interior, looks as good as new, in fact it was the interior that made me buy this car - a small compact car with the space and comfort and look of a much bigger car.
I'm in the UK, maybe it was from the USA the comment about the bad interior - some quality issues on some cars in the USA have been noted to European cars being built elsewhere for USA markets.
5th Jan 2017, 23:11
Mine has 278,000 and the interior is still remarkably like new; a small bit of wear on the driver's seat squab as expected, but the rest of the car inside is in great condition. The so called 'premium' german cars age much worse in my opinion; look at a 2000-2005 Audi A4/A6 inside - the climate and radio controls look like a child smudged them, not to mention the peeling soft touch trim everywhere.
2nd Mar 2013, 14:26
I most certainly would not suffer such interior failures in such a young vehicle. Indeed, I would be contacting Volvo and demanding replacements. I would expose these faults to the media, including my own self made videos. This review has given me very sore misgivings over the brand. Am I correct?