2005 Volvo V50 Review

Specifications

All Wagon Drive

Once again, Volvo asks the question, why would you want to buy a minivan? And as it has done for the better part of a half century, the Swedish automaker answers with a functional and fun station wagon.

The 2005 V50 is the brands entry-level wagon in a stable bursting with exceptional family haulers, including the V70 and the XC70.

Launched in conjunction with the all new S40 entry-level sedan, the new V50 shares many engineering, design and performance attributes.

Both models come with two five-cylinder engine choices — a standard
2.4-liter producing 168 horsepower and 166 lb-ft of torque, and a 2.5-liter turbocharged powerplant pumping out a respectable 218 horses and 236 lb-ft of torque. Both engines come with either a manual gearbox, a five-speed with the base model and a six-speed with the turbo engine, or a five-speed automatic transmission with manual mode.

In response to growing demand for all-wheel-drive vehicles, Volvo has provided AWD as standard or optional equipment on every 2005 vehicle it produces. To date since 2004, 58 percent of all new vehicles sold by the automaker in Canada were ordered with AWD.

The V50s all-wheel-drive system is available only with the turbo engine package (dubbed T5), and when combined makes a formidable winter-driving package.

My tester was the top of the line T5 with AWD, and save for a few niggling things — A-pillar blindspots and a snug back seat for adults 6-feet and taller — I cant say Ive driven a more enjoyable, functional or performance-oriented midsize station wagon.

The turbo produces a big,
though refined punch, and the traction and control afforded by the AWD system convey a very stable platform in all driving conditions. Big 17-inch rubber on race-inspired rims help with the grip, and the brakes were always there when I needed them. Those big wheels added to the sporty look of my test V50, a far cry from the proverbial loaf-of-bread design that for years typified the Volvo wagon.

Another telling hallmark from Volvos earlier years remains, however, as the V50 boasts an industry-leading commitment to safety. The list of features is too long and technical to list here, but suffice to say Volvos reputation as a builder of safe cars is still solidly intact.

Where the company has made inroads in the last decade or so is in the interior styling and functionality of its vehicles. The V50 is just the latest in a determined march toward producing the fit and finish, ergonomics and overall good design found in German and Japanese automobiles.

Setting off the V50s interior is a truly elegant center control that looks like it was stolen from a Scandinavian sculpture exhibit. Housing the V50s climate and audio controls, the floating console flows like a waterfall into the gear shift and handbrake area.

Finally, being a station wagon, cargo handling and versatility are both excellent in the V50. Not only do all seats but the drivers fold flat, the space inside this midsize wagon is very big.

How big? I stuffed an eight-foot Christmas tree into the back of the V50, and astounded the scout master who sold me the tree by closing the rear hatch with the entire tree inside.

Why was it again you wanted that minivan?