AS VOLVO'S medium range, the S40, has got bigger and bolder and so have the engines.

It feels much bigger than a car that sits on the new Ford Focus chassis, and good road composure, ride comfort, and handling have been enriched by two sharp, five-cylinder petrol engines, of 2.4 and 2.5-litre size, and a snappy 2.0-litre diesel.

There's 1.6 and 1.8-litre petrol units, of course, and a 1.6-litre diesel, but you've just got to go large to get the best out of one of the classiest compact executive saloons around.

A six-speed manual gearbox helps bring out the best in the four-cylinder 1997cc oil burner, which can do 130mph, and touch 62mph in 9.5 seconds.

A combined 48.7mpg is good, and that will stretch to the mid-50mpg mark on a long run one that can be experienced in good comfort.

Being in charge of an S40 is akin to wearing a well-fitting glove. Like Saabs, Volvos are very driver-orientated, and you quickly feel both at home and at ease with the controls, but then, it is all designed to aid the driver.

In this Volvo, secondary instrumentation and audio controls are located in a slim centre console, and it's all a very honest and functional stab at Scandinavian minimalism, at the same time helping to create a sense of space.

Keeping the untidiness down even further is an array of storage compartments, and the S40 boasts a fair-sized boot of around 400 litres basic capacity, with the split and folding rear seats boosting that when required.

This very fine, four-door saloon lays fair claim to being a five-seater, although leg room for rear-placed adults is no better than average. Ditto back-door access. Volvo prioritises the safety of its car occupants as a good parent would a child, so the acronym-laden protection is unsurpassed, and, reassuringly, is up to the standard of the much larger S80 range.

WHIPS, SIPS, and IC or whiplash protection, side impact protection, and inflatable curtain are just some of the capital-letter collections that bring peace of mind.

A look at the Volvo spec sheet shows very little difference between starter S, Sport, SE and SE Sport trims, so all S40s come very well equipped.

With the SE comes the information centre, powered driver's seat, rain-sensing wipers and leather upholstery, building on cruise control and powered windows.

If you're a Volvo fan but have no need for family space and find the S40 just a little too large, then wait a few months for the C30 supermini, due to arrive in the UK shortly after the public launch at September's Paris motor show.

PRICE: £20,640 Range spans £15,730 to £25,570.

ENGINE: 1997cc, 136bhp 4-cylinder.

PERFORMANCE: Top speed 130mph, 0-62 in 9.5 seconds.

EMISSIONS: 154g/km.

COSTS: City 37.2mpg, country 58.9mpg, combined 48.7mpg.

WARRANTY: Three years or 60,000 miles.

INSURANCE: Group 10.

All T&A road test vehicles are independently selected and assessments are carried out impartially by members of our own staff who base their opinions only on the vehicle supplied for these purposes by the manufacturer.