We’re huge cheerleaders of Volvo’s long-deserved reboot. The new XC90 and S90/V90 point strongly toward the 2020 goals of the firm for its entire range.  And they are off to a racing start!  Sales of the XC90 are through the roof — recording some of the only volume gains the firm has achieved in at least the last decade.

The entire line will be fully switched from its current platforms over to the new all-hybrid architectures in the future, but some models will obviously benefit from this before others.

The V40 is new enough that it is falling to the back of the full re-do que.

A bonus of this is that it becomes one of the first to get a mid-cycle facelift — including the brand’s new signature look. The T-bar LED headlights are one of the sexiest elements of the next-gen Volvo design… and they appear here on the V40 and V40 Cross Country in just as dramatic a form. High-tech, premium and unique… the Volvo LEDs even earned a nickname of Thor’s Hammer from the Swedish team.

The V40 refresh is not quite a home run, however, as the core glasshouse and design is all carryover from the bad old days.  Thomas Ingenlath’s designs are best when not saddled with such baggage as the frumpy grilles and melty bumpers of the current small- and midsize-Volvo lineup.

The V40 will incorporate various technologies to help the Swedish automaker reach its Vision 2020 safety goals. The company wants to prevent drivers from being injured in any of its vehicles and believes it already has the technology to do it. While there is a risk some drivers will need to go to a car accident lawyer because other vehicles hit them, Volvo believes cutting mortality to zero is possible by the time the decade ends.

So, part good.  Part ‘meh.’

But better than full ambivalence or design rejection by shoppers, right?  Baby steps.  Unfortunately for owners, it looks like the current infotainment unit continues in 2017. 

We truly hope the next S60 and V60 are a much more thorough overhaul.

For the V40 and its Euro-only markets however, this refresh is just enough to keep the twins fresh until their new platforms are ready a few years from now.

 

2017 Volvo V40

 

Volvo Cars gives the new face of Volvo to the V40

 

Volvo Cars gives its bestselling V40 and V40 Cross Country the new face of Volvo for Model Year 2017 with trim updates across the range.

 

Central to the model year exterior updates are new grille meshes featuring the updated and more visually striking Volvo Iron Mark. The update also equips the V40 with the new ‘Thor’s Hammer’ headlights, resulting in a confident new look shared with Volvo’s new 90 Series cars.

 

“The V40 is the best-selling Volvo model in Europe and the second-most popular Volvo model globally, making it a very important car for the company. With the updates for model year 2017 we make this already very successful model even more attractive to customers in the segment,” said Björn Annwall, Senior Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Customer Service at Volvo Car Group.

 

The exterior update includes the addition of five colours to Volvo’s V40 offer including the completely new Amazon Blue and Denim Blue, as well as three colours already used by other models in the Volvo Cars portfolio: Bursting Blue, Mussel Blue and Luminous Sand.

The V40 will also receive the new ‘rank marks’ that were first introduced on the XC90, visualising trim levels and variants and a total of eight new wheels across the V40, R-Design and V40 Cross Country models.

 In a cue taken from the award-winning Volvo Concept Estate a new upholstery called City Weave will be added along with a new Charcoal/Blond steering wheel option. Several new interior panel trims are also to be offered: Milled Aluminium, Black Grid Aluminium and Stealth Aluminium. Accent trim colours in the door inserts will now be offered with contrasting stitching and for the first time a black headliner will be available as an option in the V40. New tread plates will be added for the R-Design and Inscription trim levels and an updated key fob with the new Volvo logo will be available.

 

Continuing its innovative approach to powertrain engineering, Volvo has reduced CO2 emissions on its popular D2 manual powertrain to just 89 g/km with the full tyre program.

2017 Volvo V40 Cross Country

Volvo On Call

The Volvo On Call smartphone app which allows remote access and control over a wide range of in-car features, receives a substantial update. Volvo On Call already delivers wearable connectivity (Apple Watch/Android Wear) and now Microsoft Band 2 connectivity, enabling voice-control for certain features when using Windows 10-based smartphones.

 

Other updates to Volvo On Call include a calendar integration function that connects your personal calendar to the mobile app allowing it to send calendar appointment destinations directly to your navigation on request. For 2016 Volvo On Call will broaden its scope and provide support for up to 10 Volvo vehicles, giving access to all the usual functions across a fleet of cars.

 

Volvo will also introduce Flic button compatibility with Volvo On Call. Flic allows you to program a single physical ‘smart button’ to perform several tasks, such as lock your car or to start/stop pre-heating and can be used as a shortcut to Volvo On Call services.

 

Volvo now also offers support for Windows 10 with a new version of the Volvo On Call application that can be used on regular PCs and tablets to interact with your car.

 

CleanZone technology

Volvo’s continuing leadership in interior air quality is highlighted across the 40 Series from 2016 with the inclusion of the CleanZone logo on instrument panel air vents. Volvo’s award-winning CleanZone technology ensures that outside air is effectively filtered before entering the cabin, removing harmful pollutants that are increasingly common in large urban areas. CleanZone technology reflects Volvo’s ongoing work to improve the in-car experience, covering incoming air, interior emissions and odours, interior surfaces and contact allergies.