Ch-Ch-Changes: 2009 Volvo S40, V50
Volvo is having some challenges these days unloading its entry-level sedan and wagon. Heck, its entire lineup — even the well-reviewed and recently redesigned S80, V70 and C30 — is selling slowly.
What’s a safety-minded Swedish company to do? It seems it’s raising prices, consolidating options and introducing an entirely new trim naming convention for its cars, including the S40 and V50. No significant mechanical changes have been made from 2008.
The 2009 S40 will come in three trim levels: 2.4i, T5 R-Design and T5 AWD R-Design.
The 2009 V50 will come in just two trim levels, deleting the front-wheel-drive T5 option and going with a 2.4i and T5 AWD R-Design only. The new Volvos will go on sale later this summer with the S40 and V50 on sale in early September.
Pricing, photos and content breakdown can be found below, along with an image gallery.
- 2009 S40 2.4i: $28,550
- 2008 S40 2.4i: $24,365
- 2008 S40 2.4i similarly equipped: $27,710
- 2009 S40 T5 R-Design: $32,350
- 2008 S40 T5: $28,515
- 2008 S40 T5 similarly equipped: $31,205
- 2009 S40 T5 AWD R-Design: $33,800
- 2008 S40 T5 AWD: $30,365
- 2008 S40 T5 AWD similarly equipped: $32,995
- 2009 destination: $825
- 2008 destination: $745
The base 2.4i model gets cool standard features added, like a moonroof and automatic transmission, but now it intrudes on the all-new Acura TSX’s pricepoint — the TSX is $400 more — which was recently redesigned, comes standard with leather and has a more powerful engine and identical mileage.
- 2009 Volvo V50 2.4i: $29,800
- 2008 Volvo V50 2.4i: $26,815
- 2008 Volvo V50 2.4i similarly equipped: $28,960
- 2009 Volvo V50 T5 AWD R-Design: $35,500
- 2008 Volvo V50 T5 AWD: $31,565
- 2008 Volvo V50 T5 AWD similarly equipped: $34,155
There aren’t a lot of small entry-level luxury wagons on the market, but an Audi A4 Avant with Quattro all-wheel drive starts at $33,025. Heck, you can get a well-equipped Audi A3 Quattro with an upgraded V-6 for $34,293. The base A3 starts at $25,668 with front-wheel drive, coming in below the V50 2.4i.
To check out available options and prices for the 2009 S40, go here. For the 2009 V50, go here.
