TAKING a car in for service could be frustrating. I have heard stories about how motorists are treated badly at dealerships.

TAKING a car in for service could be frustrating. I have heard stories about how motorists are treated badly at dealerships.

This was not the case when I took in the Volvo S40 2,0D powershift for a service at the Lazarus Motors in Centurion.

The booking was easy. I took in the car in the morning and got a call to collect it at 3.30pm.

This after the car had reached its 10000km service interval and its diesel filter was worn out.

Having made enquiries earlier, I received a call from a Lazarus Motors representative, who informed me that the diesel filter was now in stock and I should bring the car in for repairs.

Rising fuel costs, increasing traffic congestion and a growing emphasis on efficient, smaller engines with clean emissions are all reasons why the S40 2,0D is a perfect motoring package.

This 4-cylinder diesel engine has power output of 100kW and torque of 320Nm.

The car also does not lag behind on the safety front. It is equipped with a side impact protection system with airbags housed in the backrests of the front seats and a full-length airbag curtain that is deployed from the roof in a crash.

The powershift gearbox was introduced last year to the S40 2,0D and V50 2,0D.

Powershift gives the driver an automatic transmission that permits sequential gear-changes, just like Volvo's Geartronic transmission.

The difference is that with powershift even manual gear-changes take place without any time or power losses.

Since powershift, unlike a conventional automatic transmission, does not need a torque converter, planetary gears or multiple wet clutches, there is also none of the added torque losses that these features bring.

For R292500, the S40 is good value for money.