At the end of the first decade of the current century, Volvo was sitting comfortably in the facelift flow. Where the C30 and C70 got a completely new nose, the S40 and V50 had to do with a less severe operation.
The C30 and C70, respectively Volvo’s compact hatchback and convertible, exchanged their traditional Volvo face in 2009 and 2010 for a V-shaped face with much more expressive, but also significantly more sensitive headlamps. With the S40 and V50, Volvo slowed down a few years earlier, but the cars were also cut considerably here.
At first glance, it seems as if the Swedes were satisfied with a different layout of the lighting units and a new mesh in the grille, but secretly the shape of the headlights has been undone. The units are literally tightened, with somewhat curved top and bottom initially giving way to straight, though not parallel lines. The dark interior of the original was replaced by a light gray one.
The grille was slightly higher and slightly more rounded at the bottom than in the first batch. In addition, the bumper strips disappeared for an even tighter look, though they made way for a set of notches that optically connect the area around the license plate to the grille.
At the rear, the light units first stand out. Although the shape remained intact, the more tidy layout does a lot for the appearance. Once again there is a tighter bumper, supplemented by a “Volvo” spread over the flap.
Naming
For those wondering why we treat two models today, the answer is simple: the V50 was the second-generation S40 station wagon variant between 2004 and 2012, although two-thirds of its name seems to deny that fact. In this period, Volvo found it necessary to rate station wagon variants higher than the corresponding sedans. For example, the first S60 was the sedan brother of the second V70. As if that is not difficult enough, this flawed logic was released in the third generation of the V70. That car was the station wagon version of the second S80, because the second S60 had meanwhile been joined by a much more logical sounding V60. In recent years, the logic has returned to the Swedes and we know the “sets” S60 and V60 and S90 and V90, in addition to a whole series of XC variants.