Madza 3 vs New Volvo S40

[genericuser]

I just caught a glimpse of the new s40 today and they didn't do a good job of hiding the mazda styling cues.. judge for yourself..

 

[slug420]

i greatly prefer the s40 myself....think its just soo pretty

it looks similar to the 3, but i dont know if they used mazda styling cues.

They stuck with a look similar to their other cars, and the 3 wasnt a very mazda-ish or unique look, it has styling cues from a lot of other cars on the market.

not tryin to bash anyone or anythin.....definitely see the similarities tho, did from the first time i saw the new s40

 

[yac2727]

I just caught a glimpse of the new s40 today and they didn't do a good job of hiding the mazda styling cues.. judge for yourself..

They use the same platform (chassis) so they have to be at least somewhat similar. The S40 of course looks (and is) a lot more refined. The Mazda 3 looks a lot sportier. I don't mind that though. I still prefer the 3s hatchback in styling over the Mazda3 sedan or the S40 sedan. But that's just MY PERSONAL opinion and I'm sure a lot of you see differently. (spin)

 

[Togan]

volvo isnt my typa car, i dont like the boxy looks, i want some curves in a car,.. smth like a stremline..volvo is always rectangular i dont like those kinds

 

[dugrant153]

The Volvo has optional AWD, I believe...

 

[icecube]

I like the S40 myself

 

[jersey_emt]

I took a S40 AWD T5 6-speed out for a test drive...great car. Doesn't handle as well as my MSP, but it was very impressive.

 

[Coleduh]

So, if the s40 has the capacity for AWD
and the s40 has the same chassis as the mz3
then can the mz3 have awd?

 

[slug420]

yep.

pretty sure this is public knowledge already.

Thats why burmeister is looking forward to replacing the protege rally car with the 3, and why a lot of people suspect the mazdaspeed 3 will be a really kickass awd car

 

[dugrant153]

I wonder if AWD would go into production Mazdas?

 

[Kooldino]

Interesting. AWD > *

 

[jlanger]

AWD and a 218hp engine. Should be a fairly quick little bugger. Kinda speny though I think the T5 is around 30k loaded and starts out at 25k.

 

[mazdaspeedpower]

Volvos are nice cars inside, and have decent build quality, however, I cannot get over the overall uglieness of them. Still nice cars, just not for me. I can definatly see the similarities, hell, it looks like they just change the centre cap on the rims, and added those fake rivot type things to make them look like three piece rims

 

[SVTJayC]

Jersey i'm curious, (im also from NJ), how did you get your hands on a 6spd one, the 6spd doesnt hit the US until mid year?

I think it would be hard for them to hide the fact that the cars share the same chassis, and probably lots from the same parts bin. I think the volvo did a much better down on the rear windows (They dont look "cut off"), and i like the tail lights better. I think the Mazda's front facia is nicer though. As far as the AWD coming to mazda, its certainly possible, but i doubt the volvo unit is a direct swap. More likely the Focus unit (in devel) would make it in. It's possible they are the same, but with Volvo's proprietary engines in there, there would be some extra engineering required.

 

[jersey_emt]

Saw one on display in Central Park... T5 6-speed. I asked the Volvo guy if I could drive it, he said yes (was very surprised). So we went for a quick 5 minute spin around the park.

 

[Tonys3]

A big difference is the price tag, the new volvo s 40 base model is 24,190 and puts out 168 hp with a 2.4 liter also, I know volvos are safe but i will stick with my 3s