Volvo is readying a sporty R-Design version of its stylish V40, complete with sports chassis and more aggressive styling elements, for our market early next year.
Among the exterior styling treatments doled out to the RT-Design models are; satin chrome finishes for the grille frame and twin exhaust tips, diffuser, 18-inch alloy wheels and a choice of and additional five exterior paint finishes, including the pictured ‘Rebel Blue’ hue.
The R-Design treatment sees one of the standard car’s main interior highlights, the adjustable virtual binnacle layout with normal/sport/eco colour schemes, adopt an R-Design blue lighting scheme across all modes. Sports seats in a choice of ‘Nubuk’ cloth and full leather trims, aluminum facia trim accents and model-specific sports pedal boots, steering wheel and gear knob are among the other interior touches.
The R-Design can be had with a choice of two powerplants: the D3 turbodiesel developing 110 kW and 350 N.m of torque and the T5 turbopetrol with 187 kW and 350 N.m on tap, both of which are coupled with Volvo’s Geartronic automatic transmission.
Both R-Design models are underpinned by a Sports chassis that sits 10 mm lower than the Dynamic set-up in the standard car. The set-up comprises MacPherson struts with 25 mm piston rods up front and monotube dampers at the rear with anti-roll bars: a stiffer arrangement that Volvo claims will endow the V40 R-Design with a more direct, agile feel.
Although the R-Design models will only be available in February next year, local Volvo dealerships are already taking orders for these models, which will emerge on the back of T3 manual, T4 manual, D2 manual and D3 Geartronic models going on sale from mid-November.
R-Design pricing:
V40 D3 Geartronic R-Design R 363 300
V40 T5 Geartronic R-Design R 397 100
