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2005 Volvo S40 Road Test

Winning Over the Uninitiated

I had hardly slept the night before I left for Costa del Sol, Spain. It was another all-nighter, writing and editing a raft of news stories and reviews so that they would be ready to go live while I was out of country.

I got a little shuteye on the three long flights, about 15 hours total from the West Coast not including airport connection time, which made me less of danger to surrounding traffic after jumping into the new Volvo S40 that lay waiting for me in Malaga.

Because of my sleep deprivation I didnt mind getting "stuck" with an example featuring the Swedish brands automatic transmission, normally preferring

I eagerly awaited the new Volvo S40 that was waiting for me to test drive in Malaga, Spain. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

the opportunity to shift gears for myself. Truly, its a superb autobox, shifting from gear to without hesitation and with near seamless precision, while offering adaptive logic (the ability to read driver input levels and modify shifting patterns according to passive or aggressive behavior) when in the "D" position or manual actuation for those frisky moments.

Either due to my lack of sleep, or Volvos superb transmission, I didnt mind being assigned an automatic S40. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

And believe it or not, Spains brisk mountain air, serpentine highway system and overwhelmingly beautiful scenery, combined with a wonderfully refined, tantalizingly quick sport sedan perked me up rather quickly.

But before I delve into driving dynamics Ive got to say a thing or two about the cars wonderful ambience inside. As soon as I sat down in the S40s ergonomically

As soon as I sat inside, I knew Volvo had made a giant leap forward in interior execution over the previous S40. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

correct drivers seat I noticed a giant leap forward in interior execution when compared to the outgoing car. Sure the 2004 model is pretty good, but the 2005 S40 approaches BMW territory for quality and refinement, and in the case of design layout easily surpasses the aging 3-Series.

I love the innovative door panels, with their substantially sized window sill cum armrest covered in high-quality grained plastic surfacing, squared off slightly at the edges before ebbing inward just below

My tester featured authentic aluminum tastefully applied throughout the cabin. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

to make room for the arm when driving. Stylistically the curvaceous lower door panel is a wonderful contrast to the sharper corners found just above, just one small part of a very cohesive design.

While my test car featured authentic aluminum trim surrounding the inside door grips, power window switch surrounds and center stack, I was able to get a close look at the faux woodgrain and unique clear gray plastic Volvo dubs Iced-Aqua which is also available. Both look great, and appeal to entirely different ends of the style spectrum. The former gives the car a traditional luxury appearance,

The S40s stunning center stack not only looks great, but is also very functional. (Photo: Volvo Cars of North America)

especially well suited to upscale leather seats and trim. The latter is funkier, an industrial art project put into real-life application that looks stunning when accompanied by the cars T-Tec upholstery. It features contrasting stitching in three expressive colors plus seems like it will be very durable in the long run.

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