Start with what the Volvo S40 is: a 4-door sedan (automobile) / saloon (S40) / 5-door station wagon / estate (V40) with ubl, built from 1995 to 2004, when airbags, anti-lock brakes and Japanese build quality became the world standard. What it meant takes a little longer. The shape is credited to Peter Horbury.
The story
The Volvo S40 is a series of subcompact executive cars marketed and produced by the Swedish manufacturer Volvo Cars from 1995 to 2012, offered as a more mainstream alternative to the compact executive Volvo 850 and later the Volvo S60 to compete in a lower pricing bracket. The S40 was more or less positioned against premium-leaning small family cars like the Volkswagen Jetta, as well as some mass-market large family cars.
The first generation (1995–2004) was introduced in 1995 with the S40 (S from saloon) and V40 (V from versatility, estate) cars. The second generation was released in 2003, and the estate variant became differentiated from the sedan, having its name changed to V50. The range was replaced by the Volvo V40 five door hatchback in 2012.
What is underneath
The engine is ubl. On the scales it comes to 1220 -. Drive goes through a 5-speed Renault M3P Manual transmission / manual / 5-speed Renault M5P/M5D manual / 5-speed Volvo M56 manual / 4-speed Aisin AW50-42LE Automatic transmission / automatic / 5-speed. The wheelbase is 1995–2001: 2550 mm / 2002–2004: 2557 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
In the Volvo line-up the Volvo S40 has a clear place: it replaced the Volvo 440/460; it handed the line to the Volvo V40 II; the factory was Born, Netherlands. The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Toyota Tacoma, the BMW Z3, the Honda CR-V. Nearby in the Volvo catalogue sit the Volvo 144 and the Volvo 264 TE.
Owning one today
Buying one now means $13,300–$19,100 for a typical example, and running it — fuel and maintenance at its age — costs about $4,239–$5,853 a year. Insurance sits around $1,490–$2,170 a year. The figures are class-level estimates from the federal record, with the formula on the methodology page; the model-year pages carry complaints, recalls and repair costs year by year.