You're committed to buying a great-handling $30,000+ sports sedan, but the BMW 3-Series is too much money and the Subaru WRX STi is too much car. Being behind doors as thick as a bank vault's keeps your panic attacks at bay.

Being behind doors as thick as a bank vault's has the reverse effect of causing panic attacks. Swedish design makes you shudder in your Stride Rites and $33,000 cars on Ford small-car platforms make your accountant shudder in his Bass loafers.

· Speed Merchants:

· Fashion Victims:

· Treehuggers: No

· Mack Daddies: No

· Tuner Crowd: No

· Hairdressers:

· Penny Pinchers: No

· Euro Snobs:

· Working Stiffs: No

· Technogeeks: No

· Poseurs: No

· Soccer Moms: No

· Nascar Dads: No

· Golfing Grandparents: No

· Manufacturer: Volvo

· Model tested: S40 T5 AWD M

· Model year: 2006

· Price as Tested: $33,720

· Engine type: 2.5-liter, five-cylinder turbocharged, DOHC

· Horsepower: 218 hp @ 5000 rpm

· Torque: 236 lb-ft @ 1500 - 4800 rpm

· Redline: 6500 rpm

· Wheels and Tires: Michelin Pilot MXM4 P205/50 VR17

· Drive type: all wheel drive

· 0 - 60: 6.5 sec

· 1/4 mile: 15.2 sec @ 93.0 mph

· Top speed: 149 mph

· Fuel economy city/highway: 22 / 31

· NHTSA crash test rating front/side/rollover: drvr. 4; pass. 5 / drvr. 5 pass. 5/ 4

[by Mike Spinelli]

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