[Yellowbelly]

............... so far my dealer has failed to locate one for me. I've had a short test drive in an SE D2 demonstrator, and I'm ready to place my order ~ but I want an SE T4 petrol, not an SE D2 diesel. And I'm not going to place my order before I've had a test drive in a petrol variant. Because the engine characteristics are so different, I don't think it's reasonable to be expected to order a petrol car on the basis of a test drive in a diesel car.

My question to the members who have bought petrol variants is ........... did you succeed in getting a test drive in a petrol variant before you placed your order?

 

[Yorkschris]

............... so far my dealer has failed to locate one for me. I've had a short test drive in an SE D2 demonstrator, and I'm ready to place my order ~ but I want an SE T4 petrol, not an SE D2 diesel. And I'm not going to place my order before I've had a test drive in a petrol variant. Because the engine characteristics are so different, I don't think it's reasonable to be expected to order a petrol car on the basis of a test drive in a diesel car.

My question to the members who have bought petrol variants is ........... did you succeed in getting a test drive in a petrol variant before you placed your order?

No .... the dealer only had diesel cars

 

[Marc]

My dealer only had diesel models too...funny really when it states in the owners manual the diesel models fitted with a DPF are not suited to the Channel Islands.

 

[jens-peter]

I would visit another dealership, if it was me and the dealer could not get a demo car with the correct engine. Even if it mean taking a long drive to the other dealer - it's quite an important piece of the car!

 

[hasofy]

Yes. I test drove the D3 at one dealer in Warsaw, had to visit another one to test drive the T3. The T4 I ended up ordering, was not available for test drive at any of the four dealers in Warsaw, upon placing my order during the summer.

 

[Yellowbelly]

Yes. I test drove the D3 at one dealer in Warsaw, had to visit another one to test drive the T3. The T4 I ended up ordering, was not available for test drive at any of the four dealers in Warsaw, upon placing my order during the summer.

Well, I've stuck to my guns and I've made it clear to my dealer that I won't be ordering a car from them unless they arrange for me to have a test drive in a T4. They've failed to find one within their group and (as of yesterday) they're asking Volvo Cars UK Ltd if they can supply one. My request is for a 100 mile unaccompanied test drive, and my dealer sees no problem with that. My view is that it's my money so they're going to have to play by my rules. Unfortunately Volvo dealers are thin on the ground in my area, and I don't want to have to travel to the ends of the earth to find another which has a T4 or T3 demonstrator readily available. On the plus side, there's a Volvo franchised service and repair garage much closer than the dealer, and that's who will get all my aftersales business ~ but I haven't told the dealer that.

 

[Yellowbelly]

............. any of the four dealers in Warsaw .............

Four dealers in Warsaw? Crikey. There's only 109 in the whole of the UK, and only two in my county.

 

[hasofy]

Yeah, four dealers in Warsaw and around twenty more in larger Polish cities. Volvo sold almost 5k new cars in Poland during 2012. 4 out of 10 Volvo cars were sold in Warsaw with surroundings. When it comes to V40, 412 were registered, whereof 188 in Warsaw with surroundings, according to Carmarket.

When it comes to test driving, I would not order the T4 without driving the T3. Knowing the T4 has the same performance as the T3 up to 4k revs, I concluded things can only get better with the T4 at high revs, otherwise it will perform the same. So it did. The D3 was completely different to the T3, though.

So, I think it's good your are persistent. You are the customer, it's your game.

Before driving the V40s, I test drove the V60, XC60 and Peugeot 508. I got the XC60 and 508 over weekends, for unaccompanied test driving, on countryroads. In my opinion, you need some time with the car to evaluate it properly. Driving only around the block is not enough in my opinion, but many dealers give you no other choice really. I was persistent and got what I wanted. Well... almost. I did not get the V40 over a weekend as requested, as I test drove it the same week the test cars arrived, so they were booked all day long. Instead, I test drove the V40 at three dealers, four rides in total, on different types of roads. After this, I was ready to order the V40 T4.

 

[Yellowbelly]

When it comes to test driving, I would not order the T4 without driving the T3. Knowing the T4 has the same performance as the T3 up to 4k revs, I concluded things can only get better with the T4 at high revs, otherwise it will perform the same.

Thanks hasofy, that's what I thought might be the case.

Regarding my request for a T4 test drive, I've just been informed by my dealer that (according to Volvo Cars UK Ltd) there's only one T4 demonstrator in the whole of the UK and it's at a dealer over 200 miles away. The dealer that's got it won't lend it to my dealer for me to test drive, so it now looks as if I'm never going to get to test drive a T4. I've now given my dealer the lifeline of obtaining a T3 for me to test drive, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

Considering that in the UK a third of new-car buyers buy petrol, then Volvo must be turning their back on a whole load of potential sales.

 

[Yellowbelly]

.......... I've now given my dealer the lifeline of obtaining a T3 for me to test drive, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

Considering that in the UK a third of new-car buyers buy petrol, then Volvo must be turning their back on a whole load of potential sales.


[/quote]

I've just had a phone call from my Volvo dealer, giving me an update. He said that they had requested Volvo Car UK Ltd to source a T3 demonstrator for them. After about a week of searching, Volvo's reply was that the soonest that they could supply a T3 for me to test drive would be in about a month. All I could (pointedly) say to the dealer was that I'd have to see what happened in the meantime. I made the point to him that about a third of new car sales in the UK were petrol and by not being able to supply petrol demonstrators Volvo must be turning their back on a load of potential sales. His reply was that about 90% of Volvo customers in the UK bought a diesel. If indeed that's true, then all I can say is they don't conform to the general pattern of UK car buyers! Regardless of any other factors, there are a lot of low-mileage drivers whose motoring habits just don't suit, amongst other things, the diesel particulate filter of diesels. Since I've been retired I've become a low mileage driver and it's one of the reasons why I won't buy a diesel. And because the driving characteristics of a diesel are so much different from that of a petrol, I'm not going to buy a petrol on the basis of a test drive in a diesel.

Tomorrow I've got a test drive booked in a 150ps petrol Ford Focus Titanium, the engine of which is the basis for the Volvo T3 engine. The Ford dealer had his wits about him, and almost immediately found a used car that he could borrow from another dealer with whom he was friendly. The nub of the matter is that I'm coming to the limit of my patience regarding the unhelpful and dilatory nature of Volvo and their dealers. I'll keep you posted. If buying a Ford will make me no longer eligible to be a member of the Volvo V40 Club then so be it.

 

[Yellowbelly]

.......... I've now given my dealer the lifeline of obtaining a T3 for me to test drive, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

Considering that in the UK a third of new-car buyers buy petrol, then Volvo must be turning their back on a whole load of potential sales.

I've just had a phone call from my Volvo dealer, giving me an update. He said that they had requested Volvo Car UK Ltd to source a T3 demonstrator for them. After about a week of searching, Volvo's reply was that the soonest that they could supply a T3 for me to test drive would be in about a month. All I could (pointedly) say to the dealer was that I'd have to see what happened in the meantime. I made the point to him that about a third of new car sales in the UK were petrol and by not being able to supply petrol demonstrators Volvo must be turning their back on a load of potential sales. His reply was that about 90% of Volvo customers in the UK bought a diesel. If indeed that's true, then all I can say is they don't conform to the general pattern of UK car buyers! Regardless of any other factors, there are a lot of low-mileage drivers whose motoring habits just don't suit, amongst other things, the diesel particulate filter of diesels. Since I've been retired I've become a low mileage driver and it's one of the reasons why I won't buy a diesel. And because the driving characteristics of a diesel are so much different from that of a petrol, I'm not going to buy a petrol on the basis of a test drive in a diesel.

Tomorrow I've got a test drive booked in a 150ps petrol Ford Focus Titanium, the engine of which is the basis for the Volvo T3 engine. The Ford dealer had his wits about him, and almost immediately found a used car that he could borrow from another dealer with whom he was friendly. The nub of the matter is that I'm coming to the limit of my patience regarding the unhelpful and dilatory nature of Volvo and their dealers. I'll keep you posted. If buying a Ford will make me no longer eligible to be a member of the Volvo V40 Club then so be it.
[/quote]

I feel like a bit of a traitor, but I just couldn't stand any longer the indifference and lack of interest I've been getting from Volvo Car UK Ltd and Volvo dealers in the UK over the fact that I wanted to test drive a petrol V40. The last straw was when they said I would have to wait a month before they could let me have a T3 to test drive.

In contrast, my Ford dealer has been as helpful as any dealer could possibly be. As I've said before, they sourced a used 150ps petrol Focus Titanium for me to have a 100 mile test drive in within a few days of me asking. They even offered to bring the car to my house.

Last Wednesday I ordered a Ford Focus Titanium X with the 182ps petrol engine which is the basis for the Volvo T4 engine. The front seats aren't as comfortable as those in the V40 but that's my only criticism. If I'd have wanted, my dealer would have swapped the seats in my Titanium X with those from a Focus "Edge" which are slightly more comfortable, at no cost to myself, but I decided not to take up that offer. As soon as I told them I preferred the 16" wheels and 215/55 tyres of the Titanium, rather than the 17" wheels and 215/50 tyres of the Titanium X, they agreed to do a swap of these at no extra cost. Standard features are active park assist, cruise control, heated front seats, bi-xenon headlights, electrically heated windscreen, rain sensitive wipers, dual-zone climate control, TFT audio system screen, auto-dimming rear view mirror, auto-dipping headlights, front foglights, multi-colour ambient LED lighting, power operated driver seat, passenger seat height and lumbar adjustment, deflation detection system, LED day running lights, and hill start assist, and I've added satnav as an option.

I negotiated an 8% discount, and all in all I'm well pleased. I'm expecting to get the car in late March. The dealer gave me an Owners Manual to study in the meantime.

Because the car is so similar in specification to a V40 SE Lux T4 I'll consider myself to be an honorary member of the Volvo V40 Club.

(This was originally posted in my "Overall gear ratios" thread in the "Engine and Technical" forum, but raytint suggested that it should really be included here in the "Orders" forum.)

 

[hasofy]

Congratulations to your new ride!

You've reasoned as I did, when choosing pertol over diesel, with similar pattern of use as mine.

Same situation in Sweden I've heard, as most people are interested in the diesels. Those who want to test drive the T3 or T4 have hard times finding one.

I've driven the new Focus with the same engine as the T3 from Warsaw to Lviv. As both cars have a lot in common, the driving experience is very similar. I think the V40 was marginally better in terms of driving dynamics, but there was no big difference. Both are very fun to drive, I think.

Another option for people in your situation is to test drive the V60 T3 if there is one nearby, bescause it's the same engine as in the V40 T3. I've driven this car many times. The V40 T3 is slightly better in terms of driving dynamics in my opinion, more of a naughty Volvo than the V60, I believe.

 

[subtlesilver]

i had a similar story - i wanted to test the t4 v40.. none of the v40's were available yet.. but there was an s60 t4 available.. my biggest reservation was how the 1.6 turbo would pull and since the s60 was heavier, if i was ok with that, it must be better.. i'm glad it turned out that way, else it would have been an expensive mistake..

 

[phil]

I also could not test drive a petrol car, only a d2 but as there are only 2 dealers in northern ireland, and I think 1 in Dublin but can't buy from there. I really had no choice but to go ahead and order without driving a petrol car, and I don't do the miles to drive a diesel car. Reading the reviews the T4 seems very powerful, and quieter running. Any owner reviews on the T4.

 

[ih8modem]

.......... I've now given my dealer the lifeline of obtaining a T3 for me to test drive, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

Considering that in the UK a third of new-car buyers buy petrol, then Volvo must be turning their back on a whole load of potential sales.

I've just had a phone call from my Volvo dealer, giving me an update. He said that they had requested Volvo Car UK Ltd to source a T3 demonstrator for them. After about a week of searching, Volvo's reply was that the soonest that they could supply a T3 for me to test drive would be in about a month. All I could (pointedly) say to the dealer was that I'd have to see what happened in the meantime. I made the point to him that about a third of new car sales in the UK were petrol and by not being able to supply petrol demonstrators Volvo must be turning their back on a load of potential sales. His reply was that about 90% of Volvo customers in the UK bought a diesel. If indeed that's true, then all I can say is they don't conform to the general pattern of UK car buyers! Regardless of any other factors, there are a lot of low-mileage drivers whose motoring habits just don't suit, amongst other things, the diesel particulate filter of diesels. Since I've been retired I've become a low mileage driver and it's one of the reasons why I won't buy a diesel. And because the driving characteristics of a diesel are so much different from that of a petrol, I'm not going to buy a petrol on the basis of a test drive in a diesel.

Tomorrow I've got a test drive booked in a 150ps petrol Ford Focus Titanium, the engine of which is the basis for the Volvo T3 engine. The Ford dealer had his wits about him, and almost immediately found a used car that he could borrow from another dealer with whom he was friendly. The nub of the matter is that I'm coming to the limit of my patience regarding the unhelpful and dilatory nature of Volvo and their dealers. I'll keep you posted. If buying a Ford will make me no longer eligible to be a member of the Volvo V40 Club then so be it.

Funny I had this conversation with my dealer when I ordered. He told me that getting a petrol demo was nigh impossible too. He showed me the list of 2nd hand cars they have, there were around 50 cars on the list, 49/50 were Diesel (not all V40's). This is the list they get from Volvo for them to get into their stock, previous factory demo's etc.

It came up as he had just concluded a deal with someone that had waited 3 months for a Petrol Demo. The person in question had eventually opted to test drive the Diesel V40 and a Petrol S60. Maybe an option for you to consider ?

Also waiting a month for a Volvo UK car may seem long, but I waited 4 months for a Golf7 Demo and 2.5 months for a Mercedes B-Class. These were through the respective factories as they work with our lease company to provide factory demos. I was not in a hurry.

 

[wizzy]

Yellowbelly, Rather a long way for you but my Volvo dealer has a T3 ES (13 reg) in stock at the moment. They are in Havant just outside Portsmouth. If you go to
http://selekt.volvocars.co.uk/selekt-search-results/?searchOptions=priceto=50000|mileage=100000|minage=0|maxage=7|zipcode=LN1 1BR|proximitydistance=50|vehiclemodelids=476,14432|fueltypes=8|engineccto=6000
You will see there are 4 petrol versions s/hand available within 50 miles of Lincoln.

 

[cueba11]

Yellowbelly, Rather a long way for you but my Volvo dealer has a T3 ES (13 reg) in stock at the moment. They are in Havant just outside Portsmouth. If you go to
http://selekt.volvocars.co.uk/selekt-search-results/?searchOptions=priceto=50000|mileage=100000|minage=0|maxage=7|zipcode=LN1 1BR|proximitydistance=50|vehiclemodelids=476,14432|fueltypes=8|engineccto=6000
You will see there are 4 petrol versions s/hand available within 50 miles of Lincoln.

I think he's bought a Focus now.

 

[ih8modem]

Yellowbelly, Rather a long way for you but my Volvo dealer has a T3 ES (13 reg) in stock at the moment. They are in Havant just outside Portsmouth. If you go to
http://selekt.volvocars.co.uk/selekt-search-results/?searchOptions=priceto=50000|mileage=100000|minage=0|maxage=7|zipcode=LN1 1BR|proximitydistance=50|vehiclemodelids=476,14432|fueltypes=8|engineccto=6000
You will see there are 4 petrol versions s/hand available within 50 miles of Lincoln.

Problem is the type of extended test drive Yellowbelly wants. Most dealers will not authorise such an extended test drive with a car on their own fleet, they normally refer you to Volvo UK directly / arrange a demo with Volvo UK.

 

[Ziggy]

just buy the T4! I have one - perfect......

 

[brissim]

just buy the T4! I have one - perfect......

Out of curiosity - is the T4 you get in SA the same as the T4 available in Europe (ie a 1.6l 4cylinder direct injection Ford engine), or the T4 we get here in Oz which is a 2.0l 5-cylinder Volvo engine.

Related to the original post, I'm still waiting after 3 weeks for a test drive of a V40 CC T5 AWD.

Tony