First Drive: Volvo V40

Volvo has always been known for being incredibly safe and offering a more characterful alternative to German rivals. Its new company image ups the safety ante while pushing to be a bit more premium.

The family hatchback market is a huge one, so refreshing the V40 to bring it in line with the company's new look is a pretty big deal for Volvo. AOL Cars spent some time with the 2017 model year facelift to see if it can challenge popular rivals, such as the Volkswagen Golf.