S40 and
V40 (Major Changes to Interior and Exterior)
The
remarkably successful introduction of the S40 and V40 was a milestone
for Volvo in North America. For the first time, Volvo extended a
magnificent opportunity to the Pre-Family customer segment, introducing
more new people to the Volvo New Car Showroom, and the full selection
of Volvo cars for consumers in all stages of life. Clearly, the
S40 and V40 act as a gateway to the rest of the Volvo product line,
opening new possibilities for the North American consumer.
As
we build new relationships with a "new wave" of Volvo-minded customers,
the S40 and V40 also reinforce the strong bonds with our current
Volvo owners by presenting a new alternative for finding the perfect
fit for their product and lifestyle needs.
IC
(Inflatable Curtain)
The
SIPS structure and the SIPS bags included in the 2000 S40 and V40
were two very important advancements in the effort to reduce injuries
during side collisions. The Inflatable Curtain (IC) was initiated
as an R&D project in 1997 together with WHIPS, and represented
another major step in that overall goal. It is one element in Volvos
multifaceted Side Impact Protection System, and is designed to help
protect the head area on impact.
- The curtains,
one on each side, are woven in one piece and hidden inside the
roof lining. They cover the upper part of the interior, from the
A-pillar to the rear side C-pillar, thereby protecting the occupants
in the front and rear seats.
- The IC is
activated by the same sensors that control the SIPS bags. They
are "slave" sensors to a central sensor, which determines
where the impact is and which bag should be triggered in order
to help protect the occupants. The Inflatable Curtain is only
activated on the side that is hit. If only the rear sensor is
affected, the IC is activated but not the SIPS bag.
- The ducts
in the curtain are filled within 25 milliseconds by the same harmless
gas as is used to inflate the front and side airbags (mostly nitrogen).
The curtain slowly starts to deflate after about three seconds
in order to provide maximum protection in complicated collisions
(multiple impacts over a period of time).
- The ducts
do not cover the entire surface of the curtain. Instead, they
are concentrated in the areas, which are most likely to be hit
by the occupants heads. As a result, the need for gas is
limited and the activation time is minimal.
- The ducts
act to help prevent the head from hitting surfaces inside of the
car, but it also helps prevent the head from coming in contact
with objects that could be introduced into the interior of the
car from the outside (e.g., components from another vehicle).
- Because the
curtain extends almost to the bottom of the side glass, it also
helps to keep the passengers and passenger limbs inside the car
- instead of being partially thrown out of the side windows.
- The IC inflates
and expands inwards when triggered and does not rely on the glass
for support. Therefore the system is equally effective whether
the windows are open or closed.Following
the Volvo safety tradition, the Inflatable Curtain is introduced
as standard equipment to the S40 and V40 for 2001. While the Side
Impact Protection System (SIPS) side airbags remain, the Inflatable
Curtain will now provide head protection.
ISO-FIX Attachment
Points
The
2001 S40 and V40 will be factory-fitted with ISO-FIX, a new industry
standard for attaching child seats in all vehicles. Volvo will introduce
an ISO-FIX Child Seat System, to be available as an accessory sometime
later in calendar year 2000. The ISO-FIX system will allow parents
to safely and conveniently attach and detach a child or infant seat
that is a perfect fit for their Volvo, while being assured that
the seat is properly - and safely - attached; quickly and error-free.
The system package, when available, will include two rear facing
seats (infant and child), and a supporting frame. The supporting
frame will connect to ISO-FIX attaching points, which will be engineered
into every S40 and V40. Although the ISO-FIX attachment points cannot
be retro-fitted to earlier Volvos, the supporting frame and two
seats can be used conventionally in other vehicles making this a
convenient seating option for parents when switching between vehicles
is necessary.
Dual-Stage
Front Airbag System
The 2001
S40 and V40 will also add a dual-stage airbag system for both driver
and passenger in the front seat to help further reduce the risk
of injury. Dual-stage airbags deploy differently and with different
force depending on the severity of the crash and the status of the
seat belts. The system senses how quickly the car has decelerated,
or movement has been retarded, and uses this information to determine
the pressure at which the bags should inflate. See the table below
for details:
Trigger threshold
|
Front
seat. Driver and passenger
|
Rear
seat
|
|
Not using seatbelt
|
Using seatbelt
|
|
Level
1
|
Nothing
activated
|
Seatbelt
pretensioners activated
|
Nothing
activated
|
Level
2
|
Slow
pressure increase of airbag. (70%)
|
Seatbelt
pretensioners activated
|
Nothing
activated
|
Level
3
|
Slow
pressure increase of airbag. (70%)
|
Slow
pressure increase of airbag. Seatbelt pretensioners already
activated.
|
Seatbelt
pretensioners activated.
|
Level
4
|
Rapid
pressure increase of airbag. (100%)
|
Slow
pressure increase of airbag. Seatbelt pretensioners already
activated
|
Seatbelt
pretensioners activated.
|
Level
5
|
Rapid
pressure increase of airbag. (100%)
|
Rapid
pressure increase of airbag. Seatbelt pretensioners already
activated.
|
Seatbelt
pretensioners activated.
|
- Trigger threshold
depends on the collision severity. Level 1 = "low" collision
severity, Level 5 = "high" collision severity
- The three
seatbelt pretensioners in the rear seat are designed to activate
at the same time and always at trigger threshold 3. This is regardless
of whether someone is sitting in the rear seat and whether they
are using a seatbelt or not.
- The SRS control
unit calculates the entire collision sequence. In the calculations,
level of collision severity is included, and thus also the trigger
threshold that will be reached. Only then are the above components
activated according to the above pattern.
RN Generation
Engine
The
2001 S40 and V40 engine will be an RN generation engine. You may
already be familiar with the RN generation engines that the MY 2000
S80 incorporates. RN stands for Revised N. The N Series - Volvo's
modular engine family comprising four, five and six-cylinder all-aluminum
engines - has now been extensively upgraded and improved in order
to comply with 21st century fuel efficiency and emissions requirements,
hence the R. The improved engine will provide better fuel economy,
and approximately 8 more foot-pounds of torque with the RN modifications.
The new engine will also have Continuously Variable Valve Timing
(CVVT) on the exhaust camshaft.
5-Speed Automatic
Transmission
The
2001 S40 and V40 will be equipped with a new 5-speed automatic transmission,
replacing the MY 2000 4-speed automatic transmission. The new transmission
will improve performance in three areas. First, fuel economy will
be improved due to the "longer" ratio of the 5th gear, especially
when driven on the highway. Next, slight acceleration, performance,
and top speed improvements are achieved due to the smaller steps
between the gears. The shorter first gear provides for better "take
off" performance. Shift comfort is improved due to the smaller steps
in-between gears and the latest generation transmission management.
The new gearbox also provides noise level reductions especially
while driving under highway conditions, again because of the "longer"
ratio of the 5th gear compared with the MY 2000 4th gear. The "Neutral
Control" feature now lowers idle vibrations when the S40 and V40
are standing still and in drive with the brakes applied. The transmission
will also be automatically adaptive to customer's driving style,
eliminating the need for the "E" and "S" buttons on the shift control
console. The "W" button for wet and winter driving conditions will
still remain to allow the S40 and V40 owner to maintain control
in inclement weather conditions.
Comfort
and Styling - Interior
Interior
Color Scheme
The
2001 S40 and V40 will have a new light color scheme, Taupe/Light
Taupe. This scheme will replace the MY 2000 Silver Grey color. This
makes the interior more appealing than the previous Silver Grey
color, while adding a richer, more dynamic character. By combining
two colors (Taupe and Light Taupe) in the interior, the color tones
for the dashboard, seats and door panels function in a more harmonious
and spirited way.
Enhanced
Seating Styling
The
2001 S40 and V40 will incorporate a new seat foam design, which
improves long-term durability and gives a more sporty appearance.
The leather upholstery will have a new grain and will be more environmentally
friendly by being chromium-free.
Center
Stack Styling
The
center stack is reconfigured in the 2001 S40 and V40 to be more
comfortable and functional for the owner's enjoyment. The stack
is now more anatomically and ergonomically designed, bearing a much
stronger resemblance to the S80. The climate control unit is now
easier to use and the radio controls have been made more stylish.
A lower storage area is also added to the center stack console for
owner convenience.
Door
Panels and Switches
The
driver's door panel will now have all window switches and power
mirrors adjustment controls, rather than them being located on the
center tunnel. The passenger door will have power window control
added. Both the driver's and passenger's doors will have the remote
central door-locking button fitted.
Interior
Lighting
The
rear reading lamps are moved into one interior lamp placed in the
rear part of the headlining. This lamp eliminates the need for the
V40 luggage compartment lamp.
Heated
Front Seats (Component of Weather Package)
The
heated front seats will still be available as part of the Weather
Package, but the heating control has been refined. The heating control
now features a more accurate thermostatically controlled two heat
level function, as the S80 does now. If the heated seat button is
pushed once, seat heating will be activated with maximum heating
capacity. If the button is pushed once more, the heating is reduced
to a lower level. This allows the owner to have a greater level
of comfort in cold weather situations.
Sunroof
(Component of Sunroof Package)
The
sunroof control will now allow for simple one-touch opening.
Comfort
and Styling - Exterior
Volvo
engineers have made some subtle changes to an already attractive
design for the 2001 S40 and V40.
Front
Bumper
The
front bumper of the S40 and V40 now has an integrated front spoiler,
and new, refined fog lamps can be ordered as options.
Headlamps
In
2001, all S40 and V40s will have dual headlamps.
Fenders
New
fenders are wider to cover the new wider track of the cars.
Side
Molding
There
has been a reduction in length of the side molding in the 2001 cars.
Rear
Lights
The
rear lights will now use clear lens technology like the S80.
V40
Rear Panel
The
rear panel between the rear lights has been restyled.
New
Colors
The
2001 S40 and V40 will have more colors available than ever before.
Five new colors will be added for MY 2001. Pacific Blue and Summer
Green will no longer be available, but new colors Atlantic Blue,
Desert Wind, and Peacock Green will be available as metallic colors.
A new solid color, Panama Yellow, will be available by special order.
New
Tires
The
S/V40 MY01 will have three different tire brands: Michelin, Continental
and Goodyear. Goodyear is new for MY 01:
Michelin
MXV4 195/60 R15
Continental
CV95 195/60 R15
Goodyear
Eagle LS 195/60 R15
|