Volvo V40 Cross Country

The Cross Country version of the V40 may look the part with its beefed up bumpers featuring black cladding and skid plates, and sculpted contrasting sills, but it lacks substance when it comes to off-roading as the only real asset it has is the 40mm ride height increase.

Besides, while offered with most of the powertrains in the V40 lineup, only the range-topping 251hp (254PS) 2.5-liter T5 five-cylinder engine is available with all-wheel drive. On the other hand, this is something Volvo itself admits.

"There is a clear distinction between our XC and Cross Country models," explains Lex Kerssemakers, Senior Vice President Product Strategy & Vehicle Line Management at Volvo Car Corporation.

"The Volvo XC models have a distinct crossover character with unique body-styles including an elevated seating position, while the Cross Country models are expressive all-road versions of our dynamic wagons and hatchbacks. When it comes to driving dynamics, the V40 Cross Country is eager to take on the sportiest competitor versions. It features an attractive blend of sportiness and comfort."

The V40 Cross Country will be displayed for the first time in public at next week's 2012 Paris Moto Show.

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Volvo V40 Heico Sportiv

The German company's offerings encompass power enhancements, exhaust systems, sport suspensions, wheels and interior and exterior design elements.

Heico Sportiv, which is the official tuning partner of Volvo Car Germany GmbH, Volvo Automobile (Schweiz) AG and Volvo Car Overseas Corporation, starts with the power package and in particular, the "e.motion" ECU that operates in parallel with the original control unit, acting as an independent additional “brain”.

For the time being, it is available only on the D2, D3 and D4 diesel engines. In the case of the five-cylinder D4 oil-burner, the ECU kit lifts output from 174hp (177PS) and 400Nm (295 lb-ft) to 192hp (195PS) and 480Nm (354 lb-ft) allowing the V40 to shave 1 second from the zero to 100km/h (62mph) sprint and add 10km/h (6mph) to its top speed.

The company said that further variants including the turbo direct injection gasoline engines T3, T4 and T5 are currently under development and will be available in the market shortly.

Next up on Heico Sportiv's list is the styling package that includes a front apron, a rear skirt housing a diffuser and four chrome-plated tailpipes of the available sports exhaust system.

Rounding out the exterior updates are the alloy wheels that are available in three different styles in shades of Bright Silver, Graphite Matt and Black, and in two diameters, 18- and 19-inches.

Also on offer are sport springs that lower the hatchback's ride height by 30mm, as well as various interior accessories such as the new sport steering wheel.

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Volvo V40 R-Design

On the outside, the R-Design looks a tad more aggressive than the regular V40s thanks to a rear diffuser in a silk-metal finish that also features on the high-gloss grille, and the new five-spoke diamond-cut alloy wheels in 17- or 18-inch diameters.

Buyers of the R-Design model can choose from seven exterior colors including the Rebel Blue livery featured on the display car.

Moving on to the interior, Volvo's designers added sport seats in a blend of black Nubuck textile and perforated leather with a full leather treatment available as an option, specially designed steering wheel, gear shifter, handbrake and sport pedals, new aluminium inlays with a perforated look, and a black headliner.

In addition, on the R-Design models, the V40's interactive dashboard modes are all lighted up in the same radiant blue hue.

The R-Design trim can be had with all engines avalaible for V40, ranging from the D2 diesel with 113HP (115PS) and CO2 emissions at 94 g/km (3.6 lt/100 km) to the high-performance T5 petrol turbo with 251HP (254PS), while as with the regular model, buyers can choose between standard and the optional 'Sport' chassis.

Volvo anticipates that the new R-Design models will account for 10 percent of all V40 sales.

"Previous R-Design models have played an important role for increasing our sales and for lowering the age of our customer base," said Lex Kerssemakers, Senior Vice President Product Strategy & Vehicle Line Management at Volvo Car Corporation. "We believe that the new V40 R-Design will give this trend another boost."

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Volvo V40 Heico Sportiv

Heico Sportiv, which is the official Volvo Car Germany partner for road vehicle customization, says it is developing a raft of parts for the V40 premium compact hatchback.

The V40 tuning program will cover ECU upgrades for all mainstream engines, custom exhaust systems, sporty suspension and braking systems, a choice of alloy wheel designs along with interior applications and body styling kits.

Heico Sportiv has also prepared a new Volvo V40 racer, with which it will compete in next year's 24 Hour Endurance Race at the Nürburgring.

The motorsports V40 is powered by a five-cylinder turbo diesel D5 engine tuned to produce 296hp (300PS) and a peak torque of 600 Nm (442 lb-ft). It also features a lightweight, carbon fiber body kit highlighted by the huge wing at the rear.

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Volvo V40 Engine Range

We'll start with the V40's dimensions as in one of our previous posts featuring some scans from the Swedish edition of Auto Motor und Sport magazine, we wrongly assumed that the V40 measured 450cm (177-in.) long.

As it turns out, the publication was referring to the maximum length of the series, which it said would eventually include the S40 sedan, C40 three-door hatchback and XC40 SUV, and not specifically the V40.

The V40 measures 4,369mm (172.0 -in.) long, 2,041mm (80.3-in.) wide including the mirrors and 1,445mm (56.9-in.) tall, while it rides on a 2,647mm (104.2-in.) wheelbase. That makes it roughly the same size as its BMW rival, the new generation of the 1-Series.

Moving on to the engine range, at launch, buyers will be able to choose from a total of six powerplants.

The petrol range comprises of these three units:

-The 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder "T3" producing 150PS (148bhp) at 5,700 rpm and 240Nm (177 lb-ft) of peak torque between 1,600 rpm and 4,000rppm.

It will be offered only with a 6-speed manual gearbox accelerating the V40 from 0-100km/h (62mph) in 8.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 210km/h (131mph), while returning a combined fuel consumption of 5.8lt/100km (40.6mpg US) with CO2 emissions of 134g/km.

- The 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder "T4" is rated at 180PS (178bhp) at 5,700rpm and 240Nm (177 lb-ft) of peak torque from 1,600 rpm to 5,000rpm.

There's a choice of two 6-speed transmissions, a manual and an automatic. The stick shift takes the V40 from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in 7.7 seconds en route to a top speed of 225km/h (140mph) and returns an average fuel economy of 5.9lt/100km (39.9mpg US) with CO2 emissions of 138g/km.

- Volvo's 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five "T5" makes its appearance on the flagship V40 where it delivers 254PS (251bhp) at 5,400 rpm and 360Nm (266 lb-ft) of peak torque from 1,800 rpm to 5,400rppm.

The T5 is available exclusively with a 6-speed automatic that allows for a zero to 100km/h (62mph) sprint time of 6.5 seconds and a maximum speed of 250km/h (155mph), while consuming 7.9lt/100km (29.8mpg US) on average with CO2 emissions of 185g/km.

The diesel lineup also consists of three units:

- The 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder "D2" churns out 115PS (113bhp) at 3,600rpm and 270Nm (199 lb-ft) of peak torque from 1,750 rpm to 2,500rpm and is linked exclusively to a 6sp manual gearbox.

With this engine, the V40 goes from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in 12.3 seconds and reaches a top speed of 190km/h (118mph). It returns an average fuel consumption of 3.6lt/100km (65.3mpg US) on the EU cycle with CO2 emissions of 94g/km.

- The 2.0-liter turbocharged five-cylinder "D3" is good for 150PS (148bhp) at 3,500rpm and 350Nm (258 lb-ft) of peak torque from 1,750 rpm to 2,750rpm.

Once again, there's a choice of two 6-speed transmissions, manual or automatic. With the manual gearbox, the V40 D3 goes from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in 9.6 seconds and tops out at 210km/h (131mph), while delivering a combined fuel consumption of 4.4lt/100km (53.5mpg US) on the EU cycle with CO2 emissions of 117g/km.

- The 2.0-liter turbocharged five-cylinder "D4" develops 177PS (175bhp) at 3,500rpm and 400Nm (295 lb-ft) of peak torque from 1,750 rpm to 2,750rpm.

Transmission choices include a 6sp manual and an automatic with the same number of gears. When equipped with a stick shift, the V40 D4 reaches 100km/h (62mph) in 6.6 seconds and maxes out at 215km/h (134mph). Volvo says it averages 4.4lt/100km (53.5mpg US) on the EU cycle with CO2 emissions of 117g/km (same as the D3).

We're also told that all six petrol and diesel engines will be fitted as standard with a Start and Stop system as well as a regenerative braking system, regardless of the type of transmission.

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