USED Volvo V50 Estate (04 - 12)

My car

Had my volvo about 3 months now. Bought it when it was a year old, so nearly half list price already (specced up this "focus estate" is almost £31,500!! Car was poorly prepared by Arnold Clark, Aberdeen, bit I have since cleaned it up myself and it does look pretty smart in its Black Met paint. It drives very well indeed, slightly sporty but with a comfort that focuses don't have, and with a lot more class. This car has leather, sat nav, a very good HIGH performance stereo, bluetooth, keyless go, sunroof, laminated glass (which, apart from safety, makes it quite a hushed cabin) and several other options that make it a classy interior. As i haven't had to service it yet I will give 4 stars for driving and running costs. this is due to the engine. It only averages about 54mpg ( i didn't expect 74mpg as the books say, but i was hoping for high 50's), a really light foot will give yo more, but you will have to have an extremely light foot. 70mph the car does 55mpg, which i would say is average to poor for a 1.6 diesel. Obviously road tax is great at £20, which does help. The engine also has a flat spot at 1000-1200 revs so has no torque at all, which doesn't help when u pull out of junctions, and it does run out of puff at 3500+. Mid range ok and its can cruise all day at legal speeds. Cabin quality very good, with easy to use Sat Nav, stereo, cruise and heating controls.

My car

Changed from a Mondeo 2.2 TDCi Titanium hatch in feb and I have now covered 9000 miles. Performance is marginally quicker but averaging 47mpg which is an improvement and it gives a good compromise between emissions and performace for company car tax, but why no stop-start? Cruise control should be standard on a car with thsis list price. The 5 cylinder engine has a distinctive growl which you either love or hate, I'm definitely in the former camp. The car is comfortable and handles as sharply as the Mondeo, although legroom in the back is a bit tight. Now that i've got used to the centre console it is a doddle to use (more intuitive than MMI type interfaces, call me old fashioned but I still like buttons). The built in dog guard is great and it also acts as a bulkhead when the seats are folded to stop heavy objects sliding forward under braking.

Finally this is the first new car that I've had which has not had any faults whatsover, and that includes A4's and a 3 series.

My car

Had owned this car for 4 weeks, I am very impressed with the ride and the comfy seats, It is very quiet to drive compared to my 2.0 GT TDi Golf, one passenger thought it was a pertol engine. The doors on the V50 don't close with that assured VW feeling. I was getting 55 mpg from the Golf, yet I can only manage 43 mpg so far. This may improve once the engine piles on the miles. Over all I am happy with the car and it looks great in Titanium Grey. SE version has just about every extra's you could possible want.

My car

Bought this car when 3 years old with 60,000 miles on the clock. So far has had no problems. All the usual Volvo estate attributes - it's comfortable (great seats), functional (everything works well, especially the climate control) and high quality. Boot space is a bit limited though. I could do with something bigger. To drive it's economical (43mpg), punchy and a refined motorway cruiser. The engine's a bit clattery at town speeds though and the steering has typical Volvo ruberiness although it's agile enough. You're always aware of the weight at the front and it only ever understeers. Not the car to have fun in but then that's not what a diesel Volvo estate is for. What it does, it does well. Lack of space is the only real issue.