Front wheel drive (FWD) / All wheel drive (AWD, 4x4)
Rear wheel drive (RWD) / All wheel drive (AWD, 4x4)
Volvo S40 is available with front wheel drive and four wheel (4x4) drive, while BMW 3 series can be equipped with rear wheel drive and four wheel (4x4) drive. All-wheel drive models tend to consume more fuel, so if you don't need off road capabilities, Volvo S40 also offers 2-wheel drive versions for fuel economy. 2WD versions also have lower maintenance costs.
Volvo S40 petrol engines consumes on average 1.2 litres more fuel per 100 km than BMW 3 series. On average, Volvo S40 equipped with diesel engines consume 0.3 litres less fuel per 100 km than the BMW 3 series. This comparison does not take engine capacity into account, so to compare the fuel consumption of specific engines, select the car version!
Ground clearance:
135 mm (5.3 inches)
140 - 144 mm (5.5 - 5.7 inches)
Dimensions
Length:
4.48 m
4.53 m
Width:
1.77 m
1.82 m
Height:
1.45 m
1.42 m
Volvo S40 is smaller, but slightly higher. Volvo S40 is 5 cm shorter than the BMW 3 series, 5 cm narrower, while the height of Volvo S40 is 3 cm higher.
Trunk capacity:
404 litres
460 litres
Trunk max capacity: with rear seats folded down
883 litres
no data
BMW 3 series has more luggage space. Volvo S40 has 56 litres less trunk space than the BMW 3 series.
Turning diameter:
11.1 meters
11 meters
The turning circle of the Volvo S40 is 0.1 metres more than that of the BMW 3 series.
