New 2007 Volvo S40 Safety Review [ 2009 , 2008 ]
Volvo S40 Safety Review
Safety - 9.6 (Excellent)
Reviewers can't praise the 2007 Volvo S40 enough for its safety precautions. Forbes describes Volvo as a "safety innovator," and New Car Test Drive comments that the S40 "may be the safest car in this size class." In government crash tests, the S40 received 4 out of 5 stars in front crash tests for the driver, 5 out of 5 for front passengers, while the IIHS gives the Volvo S40 a "good" for frontal offset tests, and an "acceptable" for the side-impact crash tests.
Accident Avoidance
To avoid having an accident, 2007 Volvo S40 has dynamic stability and traction control and comes with four-wheel disc, anti-lock brakes and emergency brake assist.
Crash Protection
Car and Driver is the first review to note that the 2007 Volvo S40's "safety bag" is a "bag full of comforting things," which includes inflatable side curtain air bags, weight sensor air bags for the front passenger, as well as side impact air bags for the driver and front passenger, standard on all models. The S40 also has a driver and front passenger supplemental restraint system, dual threshold air bags. Front seats also come with protruding headrests designed to protect passengers from whiplash during rear-end collisions. Seat belts are three-point inertia-reel with automatic pretensioners for the outboard positions, and there's a top-tether child seat anchorage capability system in addition to a baby/child seat attachment system. The pedals and steering wheel are collapsible, but the wheel will stay in position as it collapses, in order to keep air bags aimed correctly.
MSN notes that the S40's "body was designed to have excellent crashworthiness," which Motor Trend explains is from rigid cross-members that form a "three-way attachment between the leading edge of the A-pillar and the base of the B-pillar to aid in side-impact protection." Similar cross-members also are found in the rear doors.