Weight distribution affects handling

At the specified curb weight your vehicle has a tendency to understeer, which means that the steering wheel has to be turned more than might seem appropriate for the curvature of a bend. This ensures good stability and reduces the risk of rear wheel skid. Remember that these properties can alter with the vehicle load.
The heavier the load in the cargo area, the less the tendency to understeer.
See also:
Using voice commands
The driver initiates a voice command dialogue by pressing the voice control button
(see the illustration on page 240).
When a dialogue has been initiated, commonly used commands will be shown in th ...
Towing a trailer
The maximum weights recommended by Volvo
for trailers with brakes are shown in the table
below.
Recommended hitch tongue load: not more
than 10% of the trailer's weight. The trailer
load should ...
Driving Impressions
Even when equipped with the automatic transmission, the S40 2.4i accelerates
with spirit, though the engine growls when pushed. Despite a taut suspension,
ride comfort is generally satisfactory, b ...
