1998 Volvo S40 CD review from UK and Ireland

Leaky fuel unions- fixed by dealer.

Gear lever rubber mountings worn- (common for pre-99 S40's) £40 job by dealer.

Some broken trim on the driver's seat- cheap and easy to replace.

"Graunching" from the front suspension struts. Worn bushings not cheap to replace.

Performance and reliability of the S40 far outstrips the 480ES I used to have. The car corners very well with no sign of stepping out.

The engine is EXTREMELY reliable and has never let me down. After service tuning, the car has managed 40.1 mpg. Average is 38.4 mpg, even with town driving.

Very comfortable interior on the CD model. Leather seats, adjustable driver seat level and steering wheel rake. However, my S40 is a pre-99 model and displays a certain harshness over badly-maintained roads. Post-99 models have improved suspension.

Visibility is generally good, but the front window pillars can obscure vision on hill junctions, and rearward vision can be difficult due to the high level of the boot lid.

Rear seat legroom is limited- tall rear seat passenger had better sit on the nearside!

The car is sometimes used to carry a disabled passenger- the rear springs had to be uprated to allow the loading of a heavy power-chair. The dealer fitted V40 springs to help compensate.