Potential V40 Owner - Value for Money?

[Dingle232]

I owned an S40 a few years ago and loved it but, since then, I have been driving a Passat 2.0 TDi and it's been pretty faultless apart from the stupid electric Park Brake.

I am now after some thing smaller, preferably a hatch, and am looking at either a Golf TDi or I have seen a nice V40 D3 Lux Nav with all the toys on inc full leather/ It's a nice looking car sure enough.

However it's around £2k dearer than the VW which in its own right is an exceptional, if unremarkable, hatchback so can I ask the following:

1. Is the V40 a good enough option to justify the extra?

2.What's the reliability like and are there any known issues that I ought to be aware of?

3. What are the service intervals and typical costs at main dealers?

The spec is higher than the Golf but I need something to convince the Mrs with

Thanks in advance.

[Dingle232]

In the absence of a single reply I bought it anyway

[volvorocks]

The new V40 part of the forum is relatively new, and not many members have the new V40. Hopefully it will get a bit busier?

You will have to report back when you get your new V40

Regards

[MJW75]

Extra? - a similar spec’d Golf would cost more! Good move getting the V40 though. I seriously considered the Golf too, but it seemed to lack soul and individuality (same as the A3 TBH).

My V40 D2 R Design is on order now (still got over 2 months to wait). I researched online as much as I could and couldn't find any trends with regards to reliability, but the car is relatively new, so still a little unknown. The demo car I had for a few days managed to average 75.7mpg over 160 miles, which included M6 traffic, Birmingham centre rush hours and smaller road from the M1 to my house. To be fair, I was on a mission to see how high I could push the mpg. In reality, I'd expect to get around 55mpg when driving a bit more normal.

I wasn't overly bothered about servicing/reliability though as it is a company car. The company scheme we have is great and covers everything in my monthly pre-tax cost - including insurance, consumables (tyres, bulbs, brakes etc.), AA cover, servicing, tax (although in this case is free anyway), courtesy car when required, ... everything except fuel (although work related mileage is paid for).

Can't wait for delivery - I'm really getting bored of my BWM 330i saloon with its 18mpg around town (which is all I do normally) and seats that don't go down to allow larger loads, especially as we have a baby now.

[tickedon]

Originally Posted by MJW75

Extra? - a similar spec’d Golf would cost more! Good move getting the V40 though. I seriously considered the Golf too, but it seemed to lack soul and individuality (same as the A3 TBH).

The VW Golf has a new 'Match' model which brings extra spec for less cash. Looking at them both, I'd say it's fairly evenly matched - the Golf S has less spec than V40 ES, but costs a few hundred less. The Golf Match has a few extras compared to V40 SE (but V40 probably has a few it doesn't either), and still costs a few hundred less.

But given they are "in the same ballpark", I would easily pick a V40 any day!

[MJW75]

Ah - sorry, I was thinking of my experience - but I was comparing the R Design version with the Golf models. If you want a hot looking Golf like an R Design, I think you need the GTD, which I beleive is more expensive than the V40.

[tickedon]

Originally Posted by MJW75

Ah - sorry, I was thinking of my experience - but I was comparing the R Design version with the Golf models. If you want a hot looking Golf like an R Design, I think you need the GTD, which I beleive is more expensive than the V40.

Yes, it is, quite much so especially as you can pair with a rather efficient D2!

But when you get into comparing like-for-like, i.e the R-Design D4 190bhp vs GTD (185bhp engine), it's £25,345 vs £26,420. Not a huge saving, but enough

[MJW75]

Yep, I know - but looks were high on my list of prioirties. If it was going to be a Golf, it would have had to have been the GTD.

Its a pity that more car companies don't offer the great looks of the 'hot' version accross all engines specs. Its the same with the Ford Focus - I like the look of the ST, but not the standard version (front bumper looks like a cheap aftermarket bit of tat IMHO), but you can't have a Focus that looks like an ST unless you buy an ST!!! It's good that Volvo does do this, as I've always had fast cars before and couldn't give up the look. Volvo enabled me to have the look and the economy (I have the D2 on order), which is great. (I also considered a 316d M-Sport and an S3 S-Line, but I felt the V40 was better overall value).