2012 Volvo V40 T4 1.6 Turbo Review and Performance Comparison

Volvo V40 Performance Review.

Introduction:

The 2012 Volvo V40 T4 1.6 Turbo is a powered by a Petrol Straight 4. This variant of the Volvo V40 T4 1.6 Turbo is the 6 speed / Manual version and was first brought out around 2012. This was at around the same time as the introduction of the 2012 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse and the 2013 Nissan Skyline GT-R Black Edition R35.

This particular Volvo V40 has a 1596cc Turbo Petrol powerplant driven by the Volvo Front Wheel Drive system.

Alternative Petrol Straight 4's include the 1985 Alfa-Romeo Spider Veloce

The V40 shares its Petrol Straight 4 engine configuration with the likes of the 1985 Alfa-Romeo Spider Veloce and the 2019 Ariel Atom 4 2.0 Turbo.If you're looking for other similar performing cars which share the V40's Front Wheel Drive, Hatchback combination then how about the 2022 Volkswagen-VW Golf R Performance 2.0 Turbo or the earlier 2020 Toyota Avalon TRD 3.5 V6.

Power and Weight:

Weighing in at 1375 kgs (3031 lbs) places the Volvo V40 T4 1.6 Turbo in a similar weight category as the 2024 Maserati GT2 Stradale and the excellent 2022 Koenigsegg CC850 4.9 V12 Twin Turbo, give or take 50kg.

The Volvo V40 shares the same bhp with the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser 250 ZX (201 bhp)

In terms of pure power the 1596cc 16 valve, Straight 4 engine produces around 177 bhp (131 kW) @ 5700 rpm which is comparable to the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser 250 ZX (201 bhp) and also the 2020 Alfa-Romeo Giulia 2.2 16v Turbo Diesel (187 bhp).

The Turbo Straight 4 throws out 199 lb-ft (269.8 Nm) @ 1600 rpm placing it with cars of similar torque performance figures such as the 2020 Lotus Elise Cup 250 1.8 Supercharged (184 lb-ft) or the 2020 Lotus Elise Sport 220 1.8 Supercharged (184 lb-ft).

Power to Weight:

If you look at both power or torque of the 2012 Volvo V40 in comparison with its weight you get a much more accurate idea of its real world performance.

The 2007 Honda Civic 2.0i 16v VTEC Type R GT - FN2 (153.7 bhp per ton) has similar Bhp Per Ton stats as the Volvo V40.

The Volvo V40 has a power to weight ratio of 128.7 bhp per ton. Bhp per ton figures of the 2012 V40 T4 1.6 Turbo means you're competing with the 2007 Honda Civic 2.0i 16v VTEC Type R GT - FN2 (153.7 bhp per ton) and the equally quick 2007 Mazda 6 MPS 2.3T (153.7 bhp per ton).

Torque to Weight:

If you agree with the late great Carroll Shelby then arguably an even better indicator of potential performance is Torque!. However, torque isn't the whole story, you also need to compare weight as well for more real world comparisons such as torque per ton.

The Volvo V40 T4 1.6 Turbo generates around 144.7 lb-ft per ton. So if you're looking at what cars perform similarly either on the drag strip or at the traffic lights using torque to weight as a benchmark, then look no further than the 2024 Mercedes E Class E53 Hybrid 4MATIC+ Estate (169.6 lb-ft per ton) or the similarly performing 1998 Porsche 911 Carrera 2 (169.6 lb-ft per ton).

Acceleration:

The Volvo V40 T4 1.6 Turbo can accelerate 0–60mph in 7.50 secs or 0–100km/h (0–62mph) in 7.7 secs. Acceleration rivals to the Volvo V40 T4 1.6 Turbo include the 2020 Audi A1 A1 Sportback 35 TFSI S tronic S line (7.50 secs) or the equally as fast to 60mph 2019 Ford Focus ST 2.0 EcoBlue Wagon (7.50 secs).

The Straight 4 engine of the Volvo V40 T4 1.6 Turbo ensures that, ‘on paper’ at least, accelerates slightly faster than the 2013 BMW i3 0.6l Hybrid (7.60 secs) and the 2011 Abarth 500C 1.4 Turbo (7.60 secs).

Quarter Mile time is a close race between the Volvo V40 T4 1.6 Turbo and the BMW 1 Series 123d 2d Coupe M-Sport

On a longer format for acceleration comparisons the 2012 Volvo V40 can reach a quarter mile in an estimated 15.83 secs with a trap speed around 86.0 mph. Similar performances down the quarter mile drag strip can be found with the the BMW 1 Series 123d 2d Coupe M-Sport (15.84 seconds @ 85.9 mph) and a close race between the Fiat Punto 1.8 16V HGT Abarth (15.84 seconds @ 86.0 mph) too.

Top Speed:

Some modern performance cars are often artificially restricted particularly when it comes to max speed. 155 mph top speed restrictions are often used as part of the German 'Gentleman's Agreement' for example, so be cautious when using maximum speed figures. The 2012 version of the Volvo V40 T4 1.6 Turbo has a maximum speed of 140mph.

Top Speed of the 2012 V40 equals the Lancia Thema 2.9 V8 8.32 (139 mph)

If maxing out your car on the AutoBahn is your thing and you're wondering what has a similar top end performance to the 2012 Volvo V40 T4 1.6 Turbo then there's the slightly slower the Lancia Thema 2.9 V8 8.32 (139 mph) or how about the impressive Volkswagen-VW Golf 2.3 V5 (139 mph).

— AutoSnout

Figures & Specs Summary:

Related Links:

• 2012 V40 Rivals List.
• 2012 V40: Full Review and Comparisons.
• A Brief History of Volvo
• Compare the 2012 Volvo V40