Volvo V50 2004 Review

What we liked
>> Base engine a real trier
>> Turbo engine's a ripper
>> Rides smoothly, handles crisply

Not so much
>> Cramped driver footwell
>> Cupholders too big
>> Tyre roar in T5

OVERVIEW
Volvo is keen for Australians to shake off the tired and cliched 'Bloody Volvo Driver' image, but whether a confronting multi-stage advertising campaign is the right way to tackle this is up for debate. We don't think so, but then we don't run a major car importing business.

Far more effective, we think, to build good cars -- great cars -– and let the product talk for itself. We've driven the S40 compact sedan in May 2004 and, now, the V50 wagon in June 2004, and it seems Volvo isn't taking any chances... It's doing both.

The S40 and V50 siblings are Volvo's offerings in the compact end of the premium market. They sit in a hotly contested and quite congested market under the benchmark BMW 3 Series in price if not in size, competing against products from both Japan and Europe.

Both are built on what Ford Motor Company calls the C1 platform, which spawned the Mazda 3 and the 2005 Ford Focus. Ford owns both Mazda and Volvo, and collaborations like this make good business sense, as long as individual brand values aren't trampled in the process.

In this case all three vehicles have separate engines, gearboxes and suspension setups, ensuring that each has a unique dynamic character. Of course bodies and cabins are unique also; that goes without saying.

The V50 wagon, which replaces the old V40, shares much of its mechanical makeup and visual style to the S40 sedan, with very little difference apart from the obvious boot. Other changes include suspension tune, which is adjusted to handle the extra weight.

Oh, the name change is purely for aesthetics; bringing the wagon into line with the rest of Volvo's model range names where sedans wear 40, 60 and 80 badges, and wagons are 50, 70 and 90.

FEATURES
Volvo's V50 range looks a lot like the S40 line-up in that there's three front wheel drive models spread over a $14,000 price range at launch. The entry level care is simply called the V50 2.4 and comes with a 2.4-litre engine and a five speed manual gearbox. It's priced at $48,950, and a five-speed auto will cost an extra $2000.

For less than $50,000 you get climate control air-conditioning, electric windows and mirrors, remote central locking, cruise control and an in-dash CD player.

The middle car is a V50 2.4 SE and features the same 125kW 2.4-litre, five cylinder engine as the base car. It adds leather seats, steering wheel and gear knob, trip computer, floor mats and wood-effect interior inlays. A five speed automatic gearbox is optional at no extra cost.

Top of the charts at launch in June 2004 is the V50 T5, powered by a 2.5-litre, turbocharged five-cylinder engine which has an extra 37kW and 90Nm over the other models. Performance from this engine, mated to a six-speed manual or five-speed auto gearbox, is nothing short of astounding.

Equipment levels escalate in tune with the $62,950 price tag, and you gain a high performance sound system, multi-stack CD player, Bi-Xenon headlights, 17inch alloy wheels and aluminium sports interior inlays.

Despite the chronic overuse of the term, Volvo's right in calling this generation S40/V50 'all-new'; nothing is carryover. The new car, which is built at Ghent in Belgium alongside the larger S60 sedan, is 54mm wider and 24mm taller than the model it replaces. Interior space has improved as a result.

The car's increased footprint -- the axles are 78mm further apart, and front and rear track is around 60mm wider -- is said to improve on-road performance, handling and stability.

The biggest change is in design; the V50 adopts similar styling to its S40, S60 and S80 siblings, which means strong shoulder line, proud nose tall XC70-style rear lamps. Attention has been paid to details such as integrating the side turn signal repeaters into the external mirrors.

The interior is chalk and cheese to the car it replaces. Apart from the classy colours and material choices, the biggest talking point is the 'floating' centre stack, which houses audio and air-con controls. Look closely at the picture on the right and you'll see the centre console has no backing to it.

With differing finishes according to trim level, the centre stack has dominated discussion of the V50's interior. Certainly the T5's real alloy version is classy, however, we're not as sure about the Iced Aqua option. Described as Volvo staffers as 'edgy', the tinted clear plastic version frankly presents as unfinished.

COMFORT
The V50 interior comes in a choice of three colour schemes matched to combination leather-fabric or all-leather upholstery. High quality plastics adorn touch points, while chrome rings add a touch of class to the instrument binnacle.

Occupant comfort depends on which row you occupy. Access to the front seats is easy through large door openings and headroom is ample, adding to the feeling of substance. The steering wheel adjusts for reach and tilt over a good range, and the seats fitted to both the 2.4 and turbocharged 2.5 models we drove featured electric seat-squab height and tilt adjustment.

Two large, central cupholders proved useful for storing mobile phones and Big Gulps, but struggle to hold regular sized bottles and cans in their place. Door pockets up front will swallow a diary but probably not a full size magazine. There's also a nifty little hidey-hole behind the floating centre stack, ideal for keeping things out of site while the car is parked.

The rear seats of the wagon benefits substantially from the longer roofline. Where back seat passengers rub their head against the sloping roofline in the sedan, there's more than adequate headroom in the wagon. Legroom and under-seat foot room is fine as long as front seaters are willing to compromise a little.

Boot space is pretty good in the wagon given the compact car's overall dimensions, and the fact there's a full-sized spare tyre under the boot floor. There's no wheel-arch intrusion as Volvo's taken the strange approach of moving the side walls inside the wheel arches. The back seat folds flat 70/30 to allow longer loads.

SAFETY
It's a Volvo -- say no more. Safety is a serious concern of these guys and the V50 has a raft of active and passive safety features built in. Not the least of which is a chassis structure that utilises patented elements to, according to Volvo, deliver big car crash performance.

Active safety first and the armoury includes ABS antilock brakes complete with EBD electronic brake-force distribution and BA brake assist. Don't forget the V50's bigger footprint, which improves stability, and the T5's DSTC Dynamic Stability Traction Control, which can brake individual wheels to prevent a spin.

Passive safety starts with Volvo's claim that the new body is significantly stiffer than before. High-strength steel is used in high-risk areas to increase occupant safety, and the slimmer engine block allows an increased 150mm deformation zone to the passenger compartment.

In addition, the steering column now crumples horizontally in an impact and the pedals break off. Dual stage front airbags are standard on all Aussie models, as are front side airbags and front and rear curtain airbags. Hand-me-downs from the bigger Volvos include WHIPS anti-whiplash seats, SIPS side impact protection system

Volvo's introducing IDIS Intelligent Driver Information System on the V50. Essentially, it controls the speed at which information is passed on to the driver. For example, if the system detects -- through throttle inputs, steering angle and indicator operation -- that you're overtaking, it may delay the integrated telephone from ringing, or traffic updates from being relayed, until the overtake is completed.

The more onboard communication systems a car has, the more useful this system will prove to be, says Volvo. Not hugely useful now, but think of it as preparing for the future when all sorts of real-time information will come into your car, keeping you up to date with traffic conditions, fuel prices, car diagnostics...

MECHANICAL
Gone are the old and coarse four cylinder engines, replaced by five-cylinder blocks from Volvo's bigger cars which promise more power, refinement and better fuel economy. The engine's ancillaries -- such as alternator, water pump, air-con compressor and turbo unit -- have been relocated closer to the block which, in conjunction with changes to manifold design, results in a reduction of 200mm in width and 25mm in height.

The slightly smaller 2.4-litre engine is naturally aspirated and produces 125kW of power and 230Nm of torque. It's capable of accelerating from rest to 100km/h in 8.2 seconds, and has a claimed fuel consumption of 8.7 litres/100km.

The turbocharged engine in the V50 T5 displaces 2.5 litres, and produces 162kW of power and a strong 320Nm of torque -- and you really can feel it when driving. It's good for 0-100km/h in just 6.8 seconds and still returns 8.7 litres/100km fuel economy. That's right, the same as the non-turbo engine, mostly due to that whopping lump of torque on tap from 1800rpm which allows you to be more gentle on the throttle.

COMPETITORS
While not battling as many competitors as the S40 sedan, the V50 still has a job to do if Volvo is to return to the level of wagon domination it enjoy in the early 1990s.

Major rivals include the Alfa Romeo 156 Sportswagon, Audi A4, Citroen C5, Renault Laguna, Volkswagen Passat and Peugeot 406. The higher performance V50 T5 also rivals the MG ZT wagon.

ON THE ROAD
It's fair to say the new V50 is a whopping leap forward dynamically for Volvo. Gone are the days of slack-handling wagons with loads of safety gear. This is one Volvo wagon you'd actually want to drive.

But don't get carried away with the glowing prose; all we're saying is the Volvo's finally caught up with the rest of the pack. Against some it may be better, against others not quite, but that kind of finite judgement requires substantial back-to-back testing.

Taken in isolation, the Volvo V50 is a very accomplished, very polished compact wagon. It's enjoyable to drive -- both engine specs -- and rides wonderfully well for a $50,000 wagon. Build quality seems spot on based on the examples we drove at the launch in May 2004, and Volvo's choice of interior colours and plastics really compliments the cabin.

One demerit however must go to the ridiculous 'see-through' plastic centre console, which looks clumsy and out of place in an otherwise stylish cabin. But don't worry, it's optional. We'd choose the brushed alloy alternative instead.

Driver positioning is hard to fault with good steering wheel adjustment and seat movement. The A-pillar on either side of the windscreen takes some adjusting to so it doesn't block your vision. Still this car is a good argument for Volvo to bring transparent A-pillars -- as seen on its Safety Concept Car -- to production.

For fans of driving the T5's a revelation. It's got ridiculous amounts of torque on tap for such a small car, and made a mockery of the hills we conquered on the test drive. It's also a rewarding car to drive on twisty back roads, with a well sorted balance between smooth ride and firm handling that simply encourages you to find the limits. A real sports-wagon.

The T5 offers a strong, syrupy midrange and delivers it accompanied by Volvo's five-cylinder thrum that's a real favourite of yours truly -- gruff, muscular but not intrusive. Torque steer is not an issue in anything but balls out road racing and matched to the five-speed Geartronic auto performance is accessible and spritely. I look forward to driving the six-speed manual version.

But even the base model 2.4's engine is worthy of mention, if not as glowingly as the T5. Given the large price advantage it carries it's hard to find fault with sub-9.0 second performance, and it stacks up equally well against its main competitors.

It lacks the driveability of the more powerful turbo model, but nonetheless is more than capable of answering most needs -- regardless of which gearbox you choose.

In short, our comments on the S40 also stand for the V50. This is a well suspended, lively mid-sizer that rewards an enthusiast driver and at the same time won't alienate traditional Volvo buyers as it demands little in the way of commitment, if you're happy to trundle from A to B.

There are some niggles, such as the legibility of the odometer in strong direct light and the size of the front footwells -- there's only just enough room between the clutch pedal and tunnel for my size 10s which meant moving my foot up and under the pedal to ground it between changes.

Overall Volvo's onto a winner with the S40 and V50, a car that's a real contender for best in class -- finally!

BOTTOM LINE: Pace but a little short on space

The better part of 2500km in a little over a week is bitumen enough under the wheels to form a solid opinion of a vehicle. Factor in a variety of roads, from icy mountain twisties to capital city commute to police-infested intertstate highways and there's every opportunity to find a heap of things you don't like.

Well, try as we might, clan Sinclair found very little not to like about Volvo's T5 top of the range variant of its latest compact V50 wagon. In fact, let's get that only proviso out of the way. This is not a big car -- it might have five doors and a two-box silhouette but our experience is that it's a squeeze for four adult-sized travellers and their luggage. Indeed, we easily filled the load space with one motocross gear bag and overnight luggage for three.

Nor is there a lot of legroom out back. I'm no basketball player, however, keeping rear seat passengers happy still required me and my front seater passenger to raise our seats to provide some under-pew foot room. Six footers take note and memo for next holidays -- book a V70R or leave the kids at home.

Outright room aside -- the V50 is after all, a compact wagon -- the turbocharged 162kW T5 has a lot going for it. Well equipped and undeniably handsome in a Volvo sort of way, our test car was a five-speed auto equipped car -- a torquey, real-world-rapid combination we'd happily recommend.

While keen drivers will always favour a manual (a six-speed is offered), the T5 auto yields great lag-free open road overtaking performance, plenty of around town go and, via the manual Geartronic mode auto, more than a hint of sports prowess when the road gets interesting.

Top marks too for the open road economy of the car. Even at quasi-legal average speeds we could have easily covered the 700km-odd Melbourne-Adelaide jaunt on one fill of the V50's well-sized 60-litre (approx) tank. Oh, and those fancy headlights get a big tick too -- great penetration on both dip and high beam and a pattern that works at open road speeds.

Seven hours in the saddle found the leather-clad front seats comfortable but not absolutely ache-free. Commendable were the noise levels -- Volvo has long seemed to be able to tame the acoustics of its estates. Thankfully though, some of that trademark five-pot warble remains. And despite the fact the in-dash CD is good quality, we weren't obliged to load CDs to while away the hours. Unlike some Europeans, the V50's AM/FM tuner worked more than 20 clicks from the CBD.

Indeed, the only hiccup we had during our highway holidays was a blow out -- interestingly at 110km/h-plus while overtaking a couple of cruising motorcyclists. My, that got the attention -- theirs and ours! No cause was obvious (the tyre was terminal by the time we stopped) but thanks to a full-sized spare we were on our way in a couple of minutes and able to complete the remaining 300-plus km at normal highway speeds.

The incident begs the wider question regards the suitability of low profile rubber outside of limp home range. Hmmm, wouldn't have fancied the chances of replacing 50-series Italian rubber in the wilds of the Wimmera.

No cheapy at $62,950, the T5's nonetheless very well priced compared to its nearest competitors: the S Line A4 Audi Avant, and dare we say it, BMW 3 Series Touring. True, the Audi offers the option of all-wheel-drive and the Beemer added badge cachet, but the Volvo's now well and truly in the race.

There's a lot to recommend the V50 -- we reckon it's likely to be one of Volvo's most successful cars ever. Talk of an even more muscular 200kW all-paw V50R might be just hearsay, but if it is on the way then the Germans will definitely have their hands full.