[Timv]

Greetings V40'ers.
I'm in the market to buy a used D3 V40 AUTO. Do I go 5 cylinder 2.0 or 4 cylinder 2.0. I intend to get a tune done to bring me to the D4 power levels or possibly more as I believe its just the ecu tune that is the restriction on the D3.
Secondly will the Powershift auto box handle the additional torque? What is the max T it can handle?
TIA

 

[lemOnd]

I can only speak for the 5 cylinder, I have a D3, raised to D4 level with the Polestar upgrade, which was worth every penny! I absolutely love the power curve and also the mild refinement of the gearbox, which is by the way not the powershift, but a classic auto box called Geartronic. This box has also been used in bigger Volvos up till the XC90 D5 with well over 200 hp. It can handle 450NM officially, but I read it can do 500.. The engine is probably also good for 200+ hp, but the 177hp of the D4 is bullet proof and an "official" solution, for me there's plenty of power and torque!
Last thing: the sound! Diesels normally don't sound good in any way, but this 5 cylinder growl is very satisfying and pleasant in my ears, sounds a lot bigger than a standard 2 litre diesel engine.
So if you ask me, get your hands on one of the last original Volvo 5 cylinders. 90% seem to be D3, but the polestar upgrade is nowadays only around 600€. If you're out for a VEA D3 and want to do a software remap, note that it is a different engine compared to the VEA D4 (which has 2 turbos!), while the 5 cylinder D3 and D4 are identical except for the tune.