2005 Volvo S40 T5 AWD review from North America

The car has performed flawlessly, with the only item being the service light coming on when service was not due. This was due to the timing as to the factory date of manufacture and was not tied to the mileage which is admittedly low on this Volvo for its age, but it's the most fun car I own and it is perfect for city driving.

I had a flat tire within a couple of hundred miles that was likely due to a road hazard, although it appeared as though the tire had imploded when they took it off the rim. I would not hold this against the car, though as it was a Michelin tire, not a Volvo component that failed.

The only other item to go wrong was a power mirror being extended too far back due to being bumped in a parking lot, but it was easily put back on track when I called the dealer's service department and they guided me through it. Again, this was not a fault of the vehicle, but of the person who bumped it, and it was simple to fix in about two minutes.

This is a wonderful car for the city due to its compact dimensions.

It has adequate room for four adults, five in a pinch.

The interior is finished to a very high specification in the T5 trim with durable leather seats and a marvel of simplicity in its center controls. I have the stainless steel trim as opposed to the woodgrain and it underscores the contemporary feel of the vehicle.

The AWD is very comforting in inclement weather, and the vehicle performs well in snow/ice, horrendous rain, and on regular pavement. I was once driving it in a terrible rainstorm when vehicles had to pull over due to the road suddenly flooding. The only vehicles getting through with ease were SUVs and my S40.

The seats are comfortable, though the rear headrests can be intrusive when looking to the rear, and it would be nice to have the auto tilt feature of the side mirrors when reversing as well as park distance sensors because of the headrests.