The first time the full 258lb/ft of torque comes on stream in Volvo's S40 D5 is a genuinely eye-widening experience. Yes, you may have digested all the information in the press pack beforehand but the bald figures in no way prepare you for quite how rapid this car feels when the rev needle hits 1,800rpm and the turbocharger spools into action. This car might just be the perfect antidote to the old stereotype of humdrum Volvos. This diesel might well be more exciting to drive than many so-called sports coupes. It certainly left our Alfa Brera camera car trailing in its wake.

What's more, the engine has a real characterful five-cylinder off-beat thrum to it that encourages you to rather naughtily open the taps at almost any opportunity. The combination of that soundtrack, the elastic midrange urge and the surprising ability of the front tyres to deploy all that torque - in dry conditions at least - make the S40 D5 a real grin inducer. Press a little harder and you'll encounter the car's handling limits a tad earlier than you might expect but it's still a car with a whole lot of utility packed into its 4.47m body length.

Let's put that torque figure into perspective. It's almost as much as a E46 BMW M3 or a Nissan 350Z manages and in excess of what a Porsche Boxster S or a Subaru Impreza WRX can churn out. It's also enough to embarrass cars like Ford's Focus ST, Vauxhall's Astra VXR or the Megane Renaultsport Cup, some of the best regarded hot hatches on sale. Although all of these cars will leave the Volvo for dead on a twisty back road, this compact saloon plays to a different agenda, and is more at home on sweeping A-roads and motorways where a mere flex of your ankle will dispatch middle lane dawdlers.

The great thing about the S40 D5 is that it doesn't engender feelings of guilt when you do prod the loud pedal. In an M3 you can almost see the fuel gauge stutter as soon as you acquaint the gas pedal with the bulkhead, but the Volvo will manage to eke over 40 miles from a single gallon of fuel on the combined cycle. On a run, that figure extends to a smidgeon over 50mpg, while in town you can still expect almost 30mpg. Try getting within 25 per cent of those figures in any of the sporty models previously mentioned and you'll come up dry.

The S40 D5 also scores when it comes to emissions, making it a tempting target for company car user choosers. The 184g/km it emits is roughly the same as an entry level Ford Mondeo 1.8, and with this sort of performance on tap, it'll leave you searching for the catch. In case you were wondering, this Volvo will pitch itself through 60mph from standstill in 7.9 seconds and hit a top speed of 140mph.

"The Volvo S40 D5 is a pocket decathlete. It racks up some serious points in virtually every discipline it turns its hand to"

Replicating quoted acceleration figures is usually almost impossible as road testers are notoriously hard on clutches, engines, gearboxes and tyres but you won't need any Neanderthal gear shifting techniques to get near those figures in the S40 D5 as most models are ordered with the Geartronic auto box, the first time Volvo has offered the combination of diesel power and automatic transmission for the S40. A six-speed manual transmission can also be ordered from your dealer. Either way, rest assured that in real world conditions, the S40 D5 feels much, much faster than its on paper figures suggest.

The 2.4-litre turbodiesel is a version of the already proven Volvo D5 engine available with the Volvo S60, V70, XC70 and XC90. Trim levels run through SE, R-Design Sport and SE Lux to the range-topping R-Design SE Sport with on the road prices starting at £21,120 for the S40 D5 Geartronic SE. The S40 rides on the same basic chassis set up as the Ford Focus, the Mazda3 and the Volvo V50. That's not to say the S40 is simply a rebodied Focus. Although the underbody, subframes and suspension layouts are the same on all these models, there's vast scope for tuning of individual aspects so all drive differently.

Volvo has made some small incremental improvements to the car's look and feel. At the front end, the chrome-framed 'egg-crate' grille has been reprofiled and features a bigger Volvo badge. Clear lensed headlights and a wider air intake look a little more distinctive, while at the back there's a revised LED tail light assembly as well as a modified bumper, boot handle and tail pipe design. Drop inside and the controls on the trademark floating centre console have been altered while the centre tunnel storage area features a smaller handbrake and a revised armrest for better driver comfort.

Volvo hasn't skimped when it comes to safety and it claims that the S40 is as good to crash in as the flagship S80 saloon. Making a small car as safe as a big 'un takes some doing and it's only when you look at some of the finer points of how Volvo have achieved this that you realise quite what this commitment means. It involves casting the turbo housing as one with the exhaust manifold so that the engine is more compact when mounted transversely, giving more space for crush zones. It means developing the Intelligent Driver Information System which monitors how hard you're using the throttle, brakes and steering and will hold incoming telephone calls or satellite navigation instructions until things have calmed down so as not to distract you in the middle of a manoeuvre. It means using four different grades of high tensile steel for crash protection. Would the S40 look a little sexier with BMW-style flame-surfaced concave flanks? Probably. But side impact protection involves having as much deformation space as possible which is why it's slab-sided to keep its occupants looking good.

It's not often that cars turn up that combine as many favourable attributes as the Volvo S40 D5. As an all-rounder it's very hard to beat with excellent build quality, a premium feel, manageable running costs and punch to spare from that 178bhp engine. Although it may disappoint really keen drivers with its safety-first handling bias, it otherwise comes highly recommended.

TOP 5 S40 DEALS

The results below show the top S40 deals on buyacar

	Volvo S40 D5 SE 4dr Geartronic Saloon
	ETR	Mthly £352	Saving £3,642	Price £18,276
	Volvo S40 D5 SE Lux 4dr Geartronic Saloon
	ETR	Mthly £380	Saving £3,901	Price £19,485
	Volvo S40 D5 R DESIGN Sport 4dr Geartronic Saloon
	ETR	Mthly £351	Saving £3,728	Price £18,680
	Volvo S40 D5 R DESIGN SE Sport 4dr Geartronic Saloon
	ETR	Mthly £375	Saving £3,953	Price £19,727
	Volvo S40 D5 SE Lux 4dr Saloon
	ETR	Mthly £356	Saving £3,685	Price £18,453

typical 11.70% APR

PCP finance quote over 48 months,  10,000 miles pa,  deposit of £1000