Volvo S40 and V50 (2007): first official pictures

By Jack Carfrae

First Official Pictures

10 April 2007 10:53

The new S40 and V50? They look pretty similar to me!

That’s true, there’s not a huge amount of difference. Don’t think of these as new cars - this is mild mid-life facelift territory. The S40 saloon and V50 estate are Volvo's best sellers and the firm is keen to keep it that way. Both cars will be furnished with a number of design tweaks inside and out, plus a few more bits and bobs in the way of safety feature and cubby holes.

You’ll have to go over the S40 with a fine toothcomb to spot the differences, but they are there. One of the most prominent tweaks is the new grille, which is deeper and lavished with chrome. Equally, the badge is bigger than before, while the headlights appear slimmer. It’s pretty clear that Volvo is sharing the conservative S80's styling around. The rear lights have also been subject to a bit of a restyle, with the reversing lights and indicators shifted to the centre of the light cluster, as opposed to the wide bar of the current car. The refreshed S40 also sports an attractive pair of chromed twin-exit tail pipes and a very BMW-esque beesting aerial.

By Jack Carfrae