| Front and side impact rating |
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Pedestrian test rating |
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Test Scores: Front 12(75%) Side 14(78%) Overall 26(76%) Pedestrian 8(22%)
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The S40
was awarded four stars for protection in frontal and side
impacts, the only one of 13 family cars tested to achieve
this result. The S40 performed well in the frontal-impact
test and no major failings were detected. However, a
reduced level of footwell intrusion would be beneficial.
The car tested was fitted with a driver airbag and
side-impact protection airbags mounted in the front seats
all of which are standard equipment throughout Europe. The
side airbags move with the seat and should be effective in
any seating position. |
Impact
Protection
|
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|
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| Driver
Front Impact |
Passenger
Front Impact |
Driver
Side Impact |
|
Frontal
Impact
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The
driver's screen pillar was displaced rearwards by only
48mm (1.9in) and the passenger compartment remained
stable. The driver's door required moderate force to open
it by hand and the passenger's door operated normally. The
steering wheel was pushed rearwards by 59mm (2.3in) and
downwards by 15mm (0.6in). There was moderate footwell
intrusion, with the brake pedal being pushed rearwards by
164mm (6.5in).
Protection of the head and neck was good, and head contact
on the airbag was stable. Protection for the chest was
marginal. The driver's left knee struck the column
cladding and then the facia panel, but protection for the
knee, thigh and pelvis remained good. The right knee also
hit the facia, but protection of the knee, thigh and
pelvis was still considered good, though there was some
risk of injury to both lower legs, and footwell intrusion
resulted in a 'marginal' rating for feet and ankle
protection.
Protection for the head, neck, and both legs was good,
though forces transmitted via the seat belt to the chest
presented some risk of injury. The results for the
passenger were not modified on the basis of structural
damage to the car. |
Side
Impact
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| Protection
of the driver's head rated as good. The seat-mounted
airbag deployed effectively and protection for the chest,
abdomen and pelvis was rated as 'adequate'. |
Child
Restraint
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| The
rear-facing seats in the Volvo required supplementary
straps. Volvo S40's seat for smaller children uses extra
straps to fix it more securely to car structure. There
were slight mismatches between child and adult seats,
though not thought sufficient to jeopardise safety. The
rear-facing seat used in the Volvo required a support leg
which extended from the child seat's backrest to the car
floor. There was a conflict between how far forward the
seat would need to be to provide adequate space for the
child's legs and the ability to move the front seat as far
rearwards as necessary for adults. The rear-facing seat
for 18-month-olds was good in frontal crashes, but in the
side-impact test it placed occupants close to the area of
maximum car-body intrusion. The dummy ran a significant
risk of chest injury. With the forward-facing restraints,
any side-impact intrusion into the cabin where the dummy
sat was much less of a threat. Although the car tested had
no passenger airbag, the child seats might be transferred
into a car that had them. |
Pedestrian
Protection
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Child
head impact
Three of the six test locations met proposed legislation:
over the air intake housing, above a bonnet strengthener
and over the oil filler cap. One point performed better
than average, two were worse than average – over the
bonnet hinge mount and at the join between bonnet and
wing.
Upper leg impact
None of the three tests met proposed legislation. All the
tests on the bonnet leading edge were worse than average.
Adult head impact
None of the tests met proposed legislation. One point was
better than average: on one of the washer nozzles. Five
points were worse than average, the worst over a bonnet
hinge.
Leg impact
None of the three tests met the requirements. One test on
the bumper was better than average, two were worse. |
Model
history and safety equipment
|
|
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| Introduced
in September 1995. The 1997 model-year S40 saloon features
anti-lock brakes, SIPS (side-impact protection system),
driver airbag, seat-mounted side-impact airbags,
height-adjustable front seat belts with pre-tensioners and
a three-point centre rear seat belt as standard equipment.
A passenger airbag is an option and was not fitted. |
| Make,
model and hand of drive |
Volvo
S40 1.8 RHD |
| Body
type |
4-door
saloon |
| Model
year |
1997 |
| Kerb
weight |
1231
kg |
|
