Ch-Ch-Changes: 2009 Volvo S40, V50

Volvo is having some challenges these days unloading its entry-level sedan and wagon. Heck, its entire lineup — even the well-reviewed and recently redesigned S80, V70 and C30 — is selling slowly. What’s a safety-minded Swedish company to do? It seems it’s raising prices, consolidating options and introducing an entirely new trim naming convention for its cars, including the S40 and V50. No significant mechanical changes have been made from 2008. The 2009 S40 will come in three trim levels: 2.4i, T5 R-Design and T5 AWD R-Design. The 2009 V50 will come in just two trim levels, deleting the front-wheel-drive T5 option and going with a 2.4i and T5 AWD R-Design only. The new Volvos will go on sale later this summer with the S40 and V50 on sale in early September. Pricing, photos and content breakdown can be found below, along... [read full story]