volvo v40 d3

bear1

So I'm about to become a dad for a second time and this has raised a few questions and most notably is the car the wife is driving.
3d Grande punto which for just the three of us is just about ok but with the family now expanding it will no longer by practical.
We have a Passat wagon but its too big for her which then turned my attention to a v40.
Ive found a 2012 d3 for just over 11k with a fsh and quite ok spec.
Does anyone have one of these and are they practical?
The boot seems a bit on the small side and next week we are going back to see if we can fit it in without issue.

bazz26

Don't have one but have sat in one, they are a bit tight space wise and the sloping roofline could make getting a baby in and out in the back taxing. I don't believe the boot is particularly spacious on them either.

bear1

Yeah the rear space didn't seem the best but we've the Passat for the long distance stuff so not too bothered about the head room.
The boot didn't seem as big as the punto which was surprising but we will head back during the week to do the pram test.
The itself though is a lovely looking thing and quite smart on the inside.
The d3 also seems to be the pick of the bunch

Squeaksoutloud

We have one of these with one baby. Boot not as good as an A3 i think but can fit all the gear and travel system in flat without taking wheels off etc so good enough for me. Love it anyway and felt it was far better value for money than German equivalents and preferred the styling and better standard specs. Find it comfy too...full leather which is great for cleaning. Reversing camera useful tho as rear visibility somewhat limited with small rear window.

bear1

Squeaksoutloud wrote: »

We have one of these with one baby. Boot not as good as an A3 i think but can fit all the gear and travel system in flat without taking wheels off etc so good enough for me. Love it anyway and felt it was far better value for money than German equivalents and preferred the styling and better standard specs. Find it comfy too...full leather which is great for cleaning. Reversing camera useful tho as rear visibility somewhat limited with small rear window.

Thanks for that.
An A3 has popped into the equation but I'm just meh about Audi but the misses likes them.
08 170 Quattro but the boot does seem bigger tbh but just bland looking inside.

bear1

Funny enough ive been offered a 2008 a3 s line Quattro 170bhp diesel.
Spec isn't that great surprisingly, just the satnav, xenons and leather
What is the a3 like? Boot seems bigger but its also 4 years older than the Volvo.

bazz26

It's basically the same car launched back in 2003, sharing the same platform and running gear as the MkV Golf. 2008 was the year I think the A3 got a facelift which included the newer common rail diesel engine but double check that as the older PD diesel engine was sold upto late 2008 also. The 2.0 PD diesel would not be as reliable or refined as the newer CR engines.

bear1

Its the pd version but from reading online it seems to suffer from a catastrophic injector issue.
The loom shorts and blows the injectors from what it seems and some in the UK have paid up to 700£ per injector! Madness.
The misses has still preferred the Volvo so tomorrow we will go and test them both.

bazz26

VAG were doing recalls on those injectors afaik.