The enviable Volvo V40

Written by Kristen Hyde: 21-June-2012

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There are cars. And then there's the Volvo V40.

We say this because Volvo’s new model is so smart, it could practically drive itself. There are more safety features, driving technologies, smart-phone accessibilities and just plain cool ‘stuff’ going on atop the V40’s four wheels, we’re left wondering if this is an everyday car or actually a Transformer.

So let’s ‘roll out’ these features.

The V40 can detect when you’re too tired to drive, can ‘read’ speed limit signs, will straighten the steering wheel if you drift out of the lane, parallel park itself and spot traffic or rogue shopping trolleys up to 30 metres away when reversing. A camera in the windscreen will even detect the presence of pedestrians and automatically apply the brakes with the bonnet deploying a pedestrian airbag should a crash occur.

The V40 will also be one of the first cars to be run in conjunction with a smart phone app. The app will run a ‘health check’ on the vehicle, check the oil level without you having to lift a finger on that grubby dipstick, help you find where you left your car in the parking lot, alert you to a break in and allow you access to the car if you lose your key.

And just to cover all your bases, a built-in ‘black box’ will store the car’s movements and information from the last 40 days. This ‘big brother’ system is currently available in European models and will be available in Australian models in 2014.

The V40 will be on sale in 2013 and for $40,000 a pop, will be one of the safest, snazziest and enviable cars on the road.

Bloody Volvo drivers....