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What's the difference?
I miss my old phone. Sure, my new phone has a bigger screen and itâs smarter and faster, but my previous phone was smaller and easier to use, and now when I go to do a screen shot I accidentally hit the volume button every time.Â
What I really want in a phone is a new version of the old one â and I have a feeling people may feel the same way about the 2018 Volvo V40.Â
Some time next year the completely new generation V40 is expected to arrive and there will be some things Iâll miss about the old one. So, this really is your last chance to buy a new âoldâ Volvo V40.
In a last-hurrah review, I road tested the V40 in the Inscription grade with the T4 petrol engine. Whatâs so 'missable' about it? Read on to find out.
What to say about the Toyota Prius in 2021? A car that was once a technology trailblazer seems now to have become properly retro, even while itâs still being built and sold.
The awkward-looking wedge, an eco-punk icon, not only brought Toyotaâs hybrid synergy drive to the masses, it also debuted the brandâs excellent TNGA architecture and set the scene for the company's absurd hybrid success, which now sees the RAV4 version topping the sales charts.
So, after all these years (25 to be precise), is the Priusâs time finally over? Or does this quaint hybrid hero still have more to offer? I took a top-spec I-Tech for a week to find out.
Iâm going to miss this V40 like I do my old phone, and for many people this hatch really could really be close to perfect: excellent safety equipment, enjoyable to drive, cool prestige styling and some lo-fi buttons and dials that are far easier to use than swiping a screen. This is your last chance to own an old, new V40.
The Prius can rest its weary head. The Age of the Hybrid has begun. Even though this iconic eco car might have lost its ultimate purpose to more mainstream models in the last few years, itâs still the best execution of Toyotaâs hybrid tech on the market and if you can look past its divisive-as-ever looks, itâs comfortable and practical, too.
The brandâs Australian division promises the Prius will stick around in one form or another, so weâre keen to see what its next iteration will look like. Plug-in? Fully electric? Time will tell.
The V40 has been around forever (well, since 2012) but somehow it still looks great â itâs the Nicole Kidman/Rob Lowe of cars.
The thing is Volvoâs new-generation vehicles now have a different look, which will be worn by the next V40, and that seriously dates the current car.
Sure, in 2016 this V40 was updated and given 'Thorâs Hammer' LED running lights like the new-gen cars, but itâs clear the V40 has the old look.
The question is: are you the type of person who would be annoyed if this time next year somebody in the latest ânew-lookâ V40 pulled up beside you at the lights. If yes, then stop reading now⌠weâll just wait a moment for you to leave.
Okay, itâs just us now. We donât need those shallow people anyway, right? They donât know what theyâre missing out on â like an interior with lots of buttons. Iâm serious the centre console actually has a numerical key pad for making phone calls. There are also lots of dials for the climate control and seat warmers and for the auto parking system.
All of these buttons will be replaced by a sexy, large touchscreen in the new V40, which will make the screen in the current one look like the slot in Ned Kellyâs helmet. Wait, donât leave. See, Iâve road tested the new X60 and I missed just flinging a dial to make the cabinâs temperature cooler, instead I had to go into the screenâs menu, find the climate functions, and then slide my finger down a little digital ladder until I found 21 degrees. Itâs a frustrating design and potentially distracting in that it takes your eyes off the road longer than twisting a dial does.
Iâll stop the rant. So, yes, the interior of the new V40 will look so sleek and minimalist, decluttered of its buttons and sporting a large vertical screen, but there are functional advantages to keeping it simple.
That said the current V40âs cabin is still special and elegant. The Inscription grade brings milled aluminium trim to the centre console and that leather steering wheel. Volvo owners would be aware of that solid, well-built feeling with a high-quality fit and finish.
What are the V40âs dimensions? Compared to the Audi A3 Sportback the V40 is 59mm longer at 4369mm end-to-end, 72mm wider at 1857mm across, and 5mm shorter in height at 1420mm.
The Prius is the very visage of economic motoring. Derided by big-engine lovers, and adored by the eco-crowd, the fact that the Priusâs wedge-shaped frame is more about function than form tells you everything you need to know about this car.
It blends with Toyotaâs latest design language, the face and bodywork containing some subtle nods to other models that would launch after it, like the Corolla, Camry, and C-HR.
What always surprises me about even this top-spec Prius is its dorky ride height. For a car with such a low drag coefficient, it sits so far off the ground! The 17-inch wheels look almost out of alignment with the body in those wheelarches.
Round the back, the Priusâs integrated spoiler and glasshouse bodywork are as divisive as ever, with more extreme pointed light fittings leaning into the effect created by its boxy, rear three-quarter view and mirroring the shape of the LED headlights at the front.
Of course, this car is less about being looked at as it is about its drag coefficient of 0.24 Cd, which is one of the lowest on any production car.
Inside, things again prove divisive, with a minimalist dash, a swoopy gloss highlight piece that frames the central vents and multimedia screen, and an odd, centrally mounted dash cluster, which is a usability faux pas.
In the case of the I-Tech at least thereâs a holographic display which can put up useful information to help prevent your eyes from drifting too far from the road. Still, I canât help but feel like this whole interior ethos is futuristic for the sake of being futuristic, with a little less thought given to how practical it is, compared to the brandâs other models.
The leather-appointed trim across the wheel and soft plastics in the door and dash-topper are appreciated, and thereâs attention to detail in the little âPriusâ logos on the vents. However, I found the dull multimedia screen to be susceptible to glare during the day, and the big integrated panel in which it sits is made from a tinny gloss plastic, which will easily to get covered in fingerprints and scratches.
Umm, next question. Okay, the V40 is not very practical. Those small rear doors donât open wide, making entry and exit potentially difficult for older or less limber folks.
Legroom in the back is limited â although at 191cm I can just sit behind my driving position and headroom is getting tight, too â but still thereâs just enough room for me.
The V40âs cargo capacity is 335 litres and thatâs smaller than the A3 Sportbackâs boot space (380 litres) and the BMW 1 Seriesâs luggage capacity (360 litres). The aperture of the boot itself is also small.
Thereâs even a practicality issue with the driverâs doorway â that windscreen is so slanted that the A-pillars either side of it are hard to dodge for taller people when trying to get in, but especially when climbing out.
If nothing else, all of the Priusâs edgy design gives it plentiful interior space. Toyota granted this generation of Prius a low seating position and tall roof, which combine with the distant dash elements to make for a spacious cockpit for the front two occupants.
The seat design in the top-spec I-Tech is also cushy, reminiscent of the seats in high-spec Camrys, and I had absolutely no trouble finding a comfortable driving position. If thereâs one thing to be said for the annoying, centrally mounted instruments, itâs that you donât need to consider the position of the wheel interfering with their visibility.
The Priusâs total glasshouse grants superb visibility out the front and sides, with large wing-mirrors, too. The only downside is that integrated spoiler at the back, which makes for a distracting view out the rear mirror that Iâm sure any owner will quickly become accustomed to.
Soft trims across the doors and centre console, even in the back seat, make the Prius cabin a comfortable place to be, too.
Ergonomics have not been forgotten, with the multimedia screen and climate unit having useful and easy-to-reach physical dials and toggles for all the key functions. Even changing gear is a breeze in the Prius, with its odd little rosebud-shaped shifter simply a flick of the wrist from where your arm sits.
I do wish Toyota had made better use of the large area under the climate unit, however. The front part of the centre console is exclusively for the wireless-charging bay alone, and the rest of the space is constructed from a smoothly contoured gloss-finish plastic panel. It has looks to match the Prius aesthetic, but itâs no good for storing anything other than a single phone. It would have been better to make a large bay here with a rubberised finish.
Thanks to the lack of a physical handbrake in the centre or any other buttons or functions, there are two large bottle holders with variable edges.
A huge centre-console box and large door bins round out the Priusâs front-seat storage options.
Room in the rear seat is excellent, my 182cm tall frame had stellar amounts of space for my legs and head, as the roofline continues through to that raised rear spoiler. The comfy seat trim continues, although the padding in the base is notably not as good as it is in the front.
There are some useful pockets on the backs of the front seats and a drop-down armrest with cupholders for rear passengers, too.
Finally, the awkward rear of the Prius makes for a fantastic boot capacity, one advantage this car still holds over its hybrid Toyota stablemates. Capacity for the I-Tech is a mid-size-SUV rivalling 502-litres (VDA), which easily consumed our CarsGuide test luggage set and is even bigger than the base Prius, at the cost of the space-saver spare wheel. The I-Tech only has a repair kit to go with its larger alloys.
The Volvo V40 in the mid-range Inscription grade with the T4 engine lists for $43,990. When I road tested it for the first time five years ago (in 2013) it was $45,990, and itâs a better car now than it was then, with more standard features.
The list includes a 7.0-inch touchscreen with reversing camera, sat nav, eight-speaker sound system with CD/DVD player, digital radio, and internet connectivity â but no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.Â
Also standard are front and rear parking sensors, an auto parking system, plus power adjustable driver and front passenger seats. Thereâs also leather upholstery, leather-trimmed steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, 17-inch 'Sarpas' alloy wheels and proximity key entry.
The safety equipment list is impressive, too â you can read all about whatâs looking after you in the safety section below.
If you wanted a model comparison, then also look at the BMW 1 Series 18i M-Sport for $43,890 or the Audi A3 Sportback 2.0TFSI for $46,400 or Mercedes-Benz A200 for $44,300.
Also, donât forget that because the current V40 is due to be replaced, dealers will be keen to move their stock to make way for the new one and that means you should be able to get yourself a bargain.
This Toyota Prius in top-spec I-Tech form costs a whopping $45,825 before on-road costs, which is a tall order, especially given the fact that the technical advantage this car once had to help justify its price-tag has been lost to the rest of Toyotaâs range.
An equivalent Corolla hybrid, even in top ZR trim, can be had from just $34,695, and even the much larger Camry in its highest hybrid SL trim is more affordable, at a suddenly cheap-looking $42,790. All three Toyotas are sourced from Japan.
Not a good start in the value battle, then, especially since those other Toyotas are not just hybrids, but great cars in their respective segments.
The Prius I-Techâs most direct rival is the similarly shaped and sized Hyundai Ioniq Premium, which can be yours from $40,390 with competitive equipment. Hyundai is not only hunting Toyota with this car, but flexing its deep pockets by selling the Ioniq in Australia as not just a hybrid, but a PHEV and a full EV, too.
Thankfully, the I-Tech comes with some decent gear, sporting 17-inch alloy wheels, a 7.0-inch multimedia touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, digital radio, a 4.2-inch digital information display, a holographic head-up display, full LED lighting with auto-levelling, leather-appointed seat trim, auto dimming rear vision mirror, wireless phone charging, 10-speaker audio, and improved interior trims over the base car.
The I-Tech also scores a larger boot capacity and an improved safety suite compared to the base Prius. More on that in later sections of this review.
Is the Prius âgood valueâ then? It's still a no, as all of this equipment can be had in bigger, more mainstream Toyota models, and far more affordable rivals. Itâs a shame Toyota hasnât brought the Priusâs cost down in the five years since this generation launched, because in todayâs market it makes less sense than ever.
That said, there is a certain niche audience for this car. One that will always love its little innovations, like the fact that it has one of the lowest drag coefficients on the market, its stellar fuel-consumption number, and its claimed 40 per cent thermal efficiency.
The V40 line-up has three petrol engines to pick from and the T4 sits right in the middle between the most powerful T5 and the least grunty T3. A 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine the T4 makes 140kW/300Nm and delivers it through a smooth six-speed automatic.
That engine is up there with my favourite things about the V40 Inscription. The power figure isnât huge but 300Nm of torque provides decent shove. A 0-100km/h time of 6.9 seconds isnât at all slow.
It wouldnât be a Prius without Toyotaâs signature hybrid synergy drive technology. In this most original case it consists of a 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, which uses the more thermally efficient but less powerful Atkinson combustion cycle, producing 72kW/142Nm, paired to a set of electric motors on the front axle, which can produce up to 53kW/163Nm.
Combined system output is rated by Toyota at 90kW, driving the front wheels only via a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). This system is the same one now also employed in the C-HR and Corolla hybrid grades.
The Priusâs electric motors source their power from an older design nickel-metal hydride battery (instead of the more modern lithium-ion setup) located under the boot floor.
Volvo says the V40 should use 5.6L/100km of premium unleaded fuel over a combination of open and urban roads.
If youâre only going to stick to urban areas youâll see higher usage â our trip computer was reporting an average of 14.9L/100km on a regular peak hour commute, but motorways drop the figure to about 8.0L/100km.
The Priusâ sandpapered hybrid drive, low drag number, weight reductions, and low-rolling-resistance tyres add up for a stellar official/combined fuel-consumption figure of just 3.4L/100km. While its signature hybrid tech might be available on other Toyotaâs, itâs here where the Prius still shines, undercutting the others by almost a whole litre every 100km.
But can it live up to that promise in the real world? Over my week of what I would consider to be reasonable âcombinedâ driving conditions; with plenty of traffic, freeways, and suburban driving, the Prius returned a stellar figure of just 4.0L/100km. This is not just one of the lowest figures I have ever achieved on a test car, it is even lower than the Corolla Hybrid that I tested over a three-month period. I couldnât get that car below 4.9L/100km, despite by best attempts.
For a true rival comparison, my week-long test of the Ioniq hybrid in 2019 had the Korean managing a fuel number of 4.6L/100km.
You need not worry about kWh energy consumption for the Prius, as its hybrid systemâs software manages the state of battery charge on the fly. It will simply run the engine to charge the battery if levels drop too low, although it always feels good to make the most of the motorâs regenerative braking to keep the battery topped up.
Itâs clear that the Prius is still the king of hybrid, then. At least for the time being. All Prius models have 43-litre fuel capacities and are able to consume base-grade 91RON unleaded.
That grunty 2.0-litre engine teamed with that smooth six-speed transmission goes a long way to making the V40 Inscription T4 an enjoyable car to drive.
Good handling and a fairly comfortable ride complete a prestige and easy-to-drive package thatâs only really let down by heavy steering and slightly noisy suspension. That heavily sloped windscreen does present some visibility issues, but itâs not a deal breaker.
The Prius was responsible for popularising Toyotaâs Hybrid Synergy Drive, and fittingly, it still feels like the best execution of the technology on the market. That instantly available torque from the electric motor is sleek, quiet, and easy. It feels as though the Prius can make more extended use of purely electric drive than not only its rivals, but all other Toyota and Lexus hybrid products.
Despite its awkward exterior looks, the ride and handling of the Prius are excellent, thanks to its robust TNGA-C underpinnings (in fact, the Prius was the car to debut this platform for Toyota). It tilts into corners nicely, despite a frumpy ride height, and deals with bumps in its stride. This is a comfortable car, and the Lexus influence here is undeniable. The steering characteristics are also smooth and responsive. I wouldnât go so far as to say the Prius is fun to drive, but it is certainly comfortable and compliant.
What the Prius lacks is the lower, firmer, and more aggressive ride and handling characteristics of its Hyundai Ioniq rival, perhaps a telling insight into the trajectory of each brand.
These characteristics add up to an around-town driving experience that really is a breeze. Itâs quiet in the cabin and at times genuinely hard to tell whether the car is using its electric motors or the engine. When it comes to bursts of acceleration, the Prius might surprise you. Using both the motor and engine in tandem, I found that the Prius can sprint from the line with an alarming urgency, more so than its Corolla sibling. With the same tech behind the accelerator pedal, itâs hard to imagine why.
Once the electric motor has reached its strictly defined limit, though, the engine breaks in with a vengeance, and this car does have an anaemic follow-through when the electric components fall to the wayside. As in other applications of this drivetrain, the 1.8-litre Atkinson-cycle petrol engine can be thrashy and noisy when a lot is asked of it.
Of course, driving in such a sporty manner is hardly the point of the Prius, and where it really excels is in that day-to-day traffic grind, where the hybrid system works largely in the background to maximise the time spent with the engine off. The best part? While you can really fall into the hybrid systemâs addictive fuel-saving displays, which really encourage hypermiling, this is a set-and-forget system. You can drive the Prius like any other car, and it will be trim on fuel consumption anyway. Itâs not like I was trying awfully hard to attain my weekly figure of 4.0L/100km, so Iâm sure it can do better over the long term.
First tested in 2012, the V40 the achieved one of the highest-ever scores awarded by EuroNCAP and saw ANCAP give it the maximum five-star rating in Australia. Back then the V40 came standard with advanced safety equipment only making it onto cars these days such as AEB, it also had the worldâs first pedestrian airbag, which inflates to protect people from hitting the A-pillars and windscreen.
The 2017 update added blind-spot warning as standard on the Inscription grade. A $1300 option package brings Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keeping Aid, Active High Beam Control, Forward Collision Warning and Road Sign Information. A $3000 package brings adaptive cruise control, collision warning with full auto braking, plus pedestrian and cyclist detection.
ABS, EBD, traction and stability control are of course there to step in should you need it, too. Youâll find three top tether and two ISOFIX points in the second row for child seats. A space-saver spare is under the boot floor.
The Prius wears a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating to the 2016 standards, although even in todayâs market it has a great active-safety suite.
Standard modern active features on all Prius models include freeway-speed auto emergency braking with pedestrian and daytime cyclist detection, lane-keep assist with lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, traffic-sign recognition, and auto-high beams. Our top-spec I-Tech adds blind-spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert, for an overall excellent suite.
All Prius varaints are also equipped with seven airbags consisting of the standard front, side, and head, as well as a driverâs knee airbag, and the standard array of electronic stability and brake controls are also present.
The V40 Inscription is covered by Volvoâs three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. Volvo has two capped-price servicing programs â the $1600 Smartcare for three years and the $2950 Smartcare Plus for five years.
Toyotaâs range-wide warranty currently stands at five years or unlimited kilometres, which is really the accepted industry standard and matches its key Ioniq rival.
Annoyingly, however, the Prius needs to adhere to six-monthly or 10,000km service intervals. Said intervals are capped to $165 per visit for the first six visits under Toyotaâs âservice advantageâ program, after which time you fall back to Toyota genuine servicing with significant price hikes to $221.97, and $425.47 for the next two services covering four years or 80,000km.
A year of roadside assist is included, after which time you will need to subscribe to Toyotaâs program, from $89 a year.
While Toyotaâs offering is on par with many, itâs hardly the cheapest or most comprehensive weâve seen.