For The V50 is a fine drive, with punchy diesel engines, sharp handling and lots of grip. The cabin is solid, stylish, and well equipped.
Against The V50 isn't as spacious as many cheaper estate rivals and can't match some prestige-badged competitors for class, refinement or residuals.
What Car? says
Stylish and good to drive, if not supremely practical. The Volvo T5 doesn't convince as a sporting estate.
Reader review rating
There are 29 Volvo V50 versions available
Buyer's notes
Target Price team says:
The V50 is the estate version of the S40, which is based on the same platform as the Ford Focus.
On the plus side, that means you’ll have plenty of fun driving a V50, but at the same time, it can look an expensive buy – especially when it’s not as spacious or practical as you might expect.
Because resale values aren’t great, the best way to avoid losing big bucks is to pay as little as you can when buying. That means going for an entry-level trim and one of the smaller engines, but also getting as big a discount as you can.Our favourite is the 1.6D DRIVe model, with stop/start and its engine tuned for economy, giving sub-105g/km CO2 emissions. The basic 1.6 petrol engine needs working hard, but the larger petrol engines or the diesels are much better – albeit much more expensive as well.
Before you buy, make sure you check out the current promotions at volvocars.co.uk. You may find things such as free servicing or competitive finance offers.
Reader test team says:
Volvo V50 Estate 1.6D DRIVe R-Design 5dr
Good points - smooth, flexible, quiet engine,…
Volvo V50 Estate 1.6D DRIVe S 5dr
I've had the car for 8 months and covered 6,000…
Volvo V50 Estate 1.8i S (123bhp) 5dr
Bought my volvo 2.0d se sport about 18months ago…
Volvo V50 Estate 2.4 D5 SE 5dr
Performance and economy in a compact package. With…
V50 used car reviews
What Car?
is brought to you by
Haymarket Consumer MediaWhat Car? is part of Haymarket Motoring
© Haymarket Media Group 2010
