VOLVO, to coin a Latin-based pun, is on a roll these days, writes William Scholes.
The latest XC90 is one of the best new cars of any sort, never mind large SUVs, that money - albeit quite a lot of it - can buy and Volvo's all-new BMW 5 Series challenger, the S90 saloon and V90 wagon, have also garnered rave reviews.
They ooze a sort of understated sophistication and quiet sense of luxury that generally escapes the posh German marques. And unlike Ikea, that other Swedish institution, Volvo's cars are actually pleasant places in which to spend time.
The XC90, V90 and S90 are the spearhead of Volvo's plan to revamp its entire range within just a short few years.
A new XC60 SUV is due later this year, to be followed by its S60 saloon and V60 estate siblings, and by the end of the year the company is expected to launch another new SUV, the XC40, to rival the BMW X1 and Audi Q3.
That means a replacement for the V40 family hatchback is at the back of the queue and will have to wait until 2018.
This explains why Volvo has given the V40 an overhaul in a bid to keep it competitive with younger or similarly refreshed competitors like the Audi A3, Volkswagen Golf and BMW 1 Series.
Here in Drive, we have always rather admired the small Volvo.
Superior safety is a given - it broke Euro Ncap's record score for keeping passengers safe when it was crash tested in 2012.
And even if you foil the V40's arsenal of automatic braking systems and sensors and manage to actually hit a pedestrian, the bonnet has an airbag to give them as soft a landing as possible.
The services of the V40's safety kit is something that you hope you never have to call upon, though it's comforting to know it's there if things go badly wrong.
But it is the Volvo's more every day qualities that make it so appealing.
The seats, for example, are superb, with a blend of comfort and support not found in other cars of this size. They were heated items on the test car, warming with such efficiency that they may even have been connected to a phalanx of those 33kw wood pellet boilers we've been hearing about recently.
The V40 feels solid and durable, every bit as high quality and premium as its makers advertise, and it exudes a sense of refined wellbeing. The world somehow looks a little better from behind the wheel of a Volvo...
Other plus points include the sharp styling, which remains distinctive even though this generation of V40 landed in 2012.
Viewed from the rear in particular, with the exaggerated shape of the tall taillamps and the black-panelled tailgate on full display, the V40 couldn't be mistaken for anything else.
Among the updates to the 2017 V40 are headlamps strikingly bisected by LEDs, in the same luminous 'Thor's hammer' design as found on the new XC90.
It's even fun to drive, which is not something that has always been synonymous with Volvo.
Sporting pretensions are sensibly played down to the benefit of comfort and the V40 manages the trick of remaining supple enough to soak up the worst excesses of Northern Ireland's roads while also cornering with verve and enthusiasm. Only slightly lifeless steering lets the side down.
The engines offered in the V40 are also excellent. We have praised the 187bhp D4 diesel unit in these pages before - easily at the front of the class with similarly potent units from BMW and Mazda - and the test car arrived with a 118bhp unit, which Volvo badges as D2.
As with the more powerful D4, this is a cracking engine, and despite being driven with gusto during my tenure still comfortably achieved more than 50mpg in 'real world' driving. Those with a more sympathetic throttle foot should be able to do much better, even if the claimed 84mpg is likely to be wishful thinking.
Downsides are the same as they have always been on the V40. While front seat passengers enjoy supremely comfortable accommodation, those in the back make do with lodgings that are cramped, noticeably so compared to a rival like the Audi A3 Sportback.
Limited room for big feet and a narrow door aperture mean adults won't be queuing up to get in the back of the V40.
Children will, of course, fit, though my junior rear-seat tester reckoned it was quite dark in the back as well as difficult to see out of the side windows.
The boot is also relatively small, and suffers from an awkwardly-shaped opening.
And to nitpick further, I sometimes found it difficult to get my clutch foot comfortable, though it has to be said that my size 12 feet are a stern test for many cars...
It's not the cheapest car in its class by any means either, and the infotainment system and layout of buttons on the centre console could look a little last-generation to some eyes, especially if those eyes have also been treated to an Audi A3 interior.
In the Volvo's defence, I rather like its arrangement of buttons and knobs and find it easy to use without having to take my eyes from the road; it's also true to say, however, that the new touchscreen system Volvo fits to its latest cars moves the game forward considerably.
If a run-of-the-mill hatchback isn't for you but you can't quite see yourself in a crossover, then Volvo also sells a so-called Cross Country version of the V40, which gets a raised ride height and some SUV-lite styling touches.
The Cross Country has an appealingly idiosyncratic vibe of its own, but even in standard form the V40 is a desirable car.
And if neither the tight back seats nor lack of boot space compared to an A3 are deal-breakers for you, then the Volvo V40 is worthy of serious consideration if a posh hatchback is on your shopping list.
:: AT A GLANCE
Volvo V40 D2 Momentum Nav Plus
Price: £22,855. As tested £26,030. Options included: winter pack, with heated seats and windscreen, £575; Volvo On Call £450; 'Active TFT' digital dashboard £300; flexible load floor with bag holder £100; keyless entry and go £550; spare wheel £150; 62 litre fuel tank, no cost option; 17-inch alloy wheels £500; metallic paint £550
Engine and transmission: 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel turbo, six-speed manual gearbox, front-wheel-drive; 118bhp, 207lb/ft
Performance: Top speed 118mph, 0-60mph in 9.8 seconds
Fuel consumption: 84.1mpg (EU combined); 53.6mpg (real world)
CO2, road tax, benefit in kind: 89g/km - not liable for road tax - 18 per cent
Euro Ncap safety rating: Five stars (98/75/88/100), 2012
