Makes you wonder why Volvo didn't fit this.

Here's a thought: The car is loaded with admirable but expensive safety features - city safety, pedestrian airbag, etc. etc. that probably/hopefully might never be deployed.
Yet here we have a parcel shelf that presents a risk of injury every time anyone accesses the boot that could have been eliminated for a mere fraction of the cost of the aforementioned. Weird logic.

Yes, and the other 'non-safety feature' which is the little green indicator lamp on the light switch to let you know if the headlights are on! You have to be a contortionist to see if it is on or not.:err:

Agree with minng. Lots of expensive stuff that rarely if ever gets used, yet so many little features that are on 'lesser' cars are missing on the V40. I have had a reasonably high spec V40 Powershift for a week now (bought used from main dealer), and feel like in many respects I've gone back in time compared to what I had before - 2007 Citroen C5 Exclusive automatic. On the V40, no tilting outside mirrors, no auto dimming rear view mirror, no power seats, no hill holder (even the automatic C5 came with that), no front parking sensors, no self levelling suspension (well, OK, not available anywhere except on a Citroen), no auto rear wiper (mine does not sweep when wipers are on and reverse engaged - hell even my wife's old Citroen C2 had that), no ski hatch in rear seat, no separate driver and front passenger arm rests, and probably others yet to discover. Don't get me wrong - I am impressed with the V40 in many ways, and it is a nice car, just that for the money it doesn't seem like a step up from what I had before.

All that stuff is put on the citroen to help it sell. Volvo, BMW, Lexus, Mercedes need to offer less freebies and so can charge for them as extras at will.

Perhaps Brodick - but it was there nonetheless, for whatever reason, and I miss it! Another little thing I discovered in yesterday's rain - the wipers don't self park after switching off the engine. Crikey, all our Citroens have done that for years, and even my wife's current £9k bottom of the line Vauxhall Corsa does that. Yet a late model £29k V40 doesn't. As we used to say in Canada, go figure.

I think this is by design because you can't change the front wipers when they are the standard park position on the V40

Makes sense - but then how do other manufacturers allow for this? On Citroens, I believe there is some way a garage can activate the wipers from the park position to vertical (and occasionally they would do it on their own! I would come back to the car and there they were, in the vertical position).

Oh well, I probably will live with my V40, what is still a nice car, for many years, but I certainly will be more careful next time on choosing my car.

You can park the wipers in the upright position for maintenance and cleaning, you just have to look through the onboard owners manual for instruction on how to do it. And mine always self park. I only ever use auto wipers.

you can change wiper when in parked positio easier to lift bonnet to renew o/s/f the close bonnet to renew n/s/f blade other way is to stop them half way either way ??

Back on topic.
Volvo regional engineer agrees that when operating the door handles at an oblique angle from the rear there is a real issue with pinching forefingers. However, he says Volvo will not take any action to modify.
But, on the rear parcel shelf sharp leading edge issue it might be a different story. In addition to agreeing, he asked me for a link to the U-shaped edging I had fitted, so he can pass it up the line. We'll see.

Anyway, all is well with the D2 Powershift. I love it. It doesn't have the grunt of the Jag I had but in every other respect it is the equal, if not better.