Used 2005 Volvo S40 T5 AWD 4dr Sedan (2.5L 5cyl Turbo 6M) Consumer Reviews
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Good car but...
letodo, Washington, DC, 11/13/2014
Volvo S40 T5 AWD 4dr Sedan (2.5L 5cyl Turbo 6M)
26 of 28 people found this review helpful
Safety- big win here- got swiped by a Lexus LX trying to get into my lane- nothing but a tiny scratch. Rear ended by a Honda- the front bumper of the Honda was torn off but I only had a small scratch. Performance- no, it is not a BMW 3 series but it does 80% of what the BMW does for $10,000 less (compared with same options). Ride is a bit harsh. Reliability- flawless since I got it... until recently. Ignition switch, engine motor mount, engine speed sensor all failed at once. Parasitic draw from trunk wiring 2 months prior to that. Running costs- expensive (more on that below)
Great Alternative Sports Sedan!
Dylan, Lincoln, NE, 11/24/2015
updated 06/01/2021
Volvo S40 T5 AWD 4dr Sedan (2.5L 5cyl Turbo 6M)
14 of 17 people found this review helpful
For the past year I have been pulling my hairs out trying to determine what my next car would be. I am a car enthusiast so naturally I have a lot of favorites pulling at my heartstrings which means choosing a vehicle to replace my dependable 2005 Civic would be very difficult! I laid out the criteria I wanted: powerful engine, AWD drivetrain, compact, reliable daily driver. Sure there are some great cars that meet these like the Subaru WRX, Mitsubishi EVO, or entry-level Audis, but the truth is I wanted to own something more unique because I like to stand out. The aforementioned competitors are a lot more common are starting to feel oversaturated in the world of car culture. Not many AWD compact sedans exist, so naturally the Volvo S40 appeared to be my only option. I went for it on a whim and ended up with a beautiful 2010 R-Design with the ever-exciting T5 engine of course! So far, I am not really disappointed. The car does everything I wanted it too and even a bit more. I'm not 100% satisfied with the way it looks as it is a dated (2004, 08 refresh) design. I don't understand why Volvo dramatically updated the C30 and C70 styling but left the S40 kind of bland for its last 3 years... However, it is still a nice looking vehicle with cute yet aggressive proportions. Interior looks amazing though! A lot of people harken it to IKEA as a joke, but they aren't too far off. The interior is sleek, modern, and beautifully simple. The materials are wonderfully rich and well put together. It feels like you're in a much more expensive car with all the great driver amenities and the excellent climate control and booming stereo system. Trunk space is a little small compared to my last car (especially the opening) but it is sufficient for hauling most things. I will say the rear seats can be kind of cramped with the front seats extended backward. The car is awesome to drive. Not quite as fast as a WRX or EVO, but has potential to run with them with a few easy modifications. The T5 engine is noisy, but in the good sort of way that it gurgles in the low RPMs to remind you how sporty it wants to be. The S40 AWD handles really good and flat and so far has proven to have some great traction on slick surfaces. The brakes feel a little bit grabby and fade under hard braking, but do the job. The seats work well to keep you comfortable, even though the car's great handling comes at a cost of being very stiff and it likes to jar itself over small bumps in the road. Overall a very impressive car so far! I have not had any issues except for the oil cooler which the previous owner damaged on a curb. It was only a $120 fix locally and I am no longer dripping oil from it. 2016 Update: Since purchasing the car a little over the year ago it has had a plethora of maintenance issues and expensive repairs. when the car hit 94,000 miles, my PCV box failed (a common issue on these cars, but Volvo only extended the warranty on < 2008 models so my 2010 was not covered) The repair was costly and as a result of changing oil pressures, it caused my leaky cam seals to finally burst and now the car has a critical oil leak. The cam seal repair requires removal of the timing belt and water pump so prepare to do all of those replacements at once for a quoted dealer cost over $2000. I'm not sure all S40s would have this problem... but if your PCV box fails, it is likely you will experience similar issues with oil pressure drops and leaks. Also, the car randomly started having stalling issues when you shift too quickly into drive. Kind of an annoying problem that I have not found a fix for yet and left the volvo dealership puzzled... All in all, it has been an extremely costly car to own. I recommend the s40/c30/v50 only for the dedicated Volvo owners. Find one with less than 75,000 miles on it and you'll be okay. But I can't quite call the car "unreliable" because it starts up 100% of the time and despite all of these issues, it drives like nothing is wrong! The car doesn't seem to be bothered! I think a lot of people confuse "reliability" with "durability" when talking about Volvos. They are the latter. 2017 Update: For as much as I loved the driving experience of the car, it wasn't worth putting up with the constant breakdowns. I'd compare this car to many German luxury cars of the era and how some of its complexities only lead to a bunch of problems later in its life. High mileage and out-of-warranty, this car is a bit of a hassle. I was spilling a lot of cash to keep it running and when the AC finally died in mid summer, that was the last straw. Combined with the timing belt/cam seal repair, fixing the AC and that was going to be $4000... not worth it when the cars value had already dropped to about $8k. Though parting with the S40 was sad, I ended up trading it in for a 2014 KIA Rio SX (which has been fantastic so far!!) and I haven't really looked back. I do believe the S40 is a good car, but you are taking a gamble with reliability.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
2005 Volvo S40 for sale near you
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Great Car!
kohlv, Kirkland, WA, 05/03/2015
Volvo S40 T5 AWD 4dr Sedan (2.5L 5cyl Turbo 6M)
8 of 10 people found this review helpful
I love this car! I bought the car a year ago as my first car and its awesome. I've read everywhere that its amazingly safe and I don't doubt it. The car looks great inside out and I have never had any major mechanical issues with it. This car works great in the snow (at least the AWD model). If you keep up with regular maintenance and actually care for the vehicle you shouldn't run into any problems.
2005 S40 T5 AWD
jstephens617, 08/26/2008
Volvo S40 T5 AWD 4dr Sedan (2.5L 5cyl Turbo 6M)
6 of 8 people found this review helpful
I bought this car used in 2006 with 20K miles on it. This was my first "new" car purchase out of college. The dealership gave me a great deal at 22K fully loaded with leather, cold weather package, sunroof, etc. I needed the all wheel drive since I drive roughly 100 miles round trip to work. This car has excellent acceleration and while on the highway it has no need to downshift to pass somebody. The power range and turbo plus the AWD system make this car a blast so drive. The geartronic transmission make the drive even more enjoyable by allowing me to switch into manual mode when needed.
Ford in Disguise
kennstarre, Waco, TX, 04/21/2015
Volvo S40 T5 AWD 4dr Sedan (2.5L 5cyl Turbo 6M)
11 of 29 people found this review helpful
This car is built on a ford focus platform. Driving wise it's fine other than some under-steer at high speeds. The thing consistently breaks every two months, ford quality but with foreign car repair prices. The interior literally falls apart. foam in the seats and door panels melts and disintegrates in the Texas heat. Further more the all wheel drive is pretty much worthless. it's so front wheel drive bias that it basically is front wheel drive.