I'll admit it. I love Volvos. So when Volvo called up offer the V50 test drive, I said yes immediately. Partly also because the pup's driving the 850 T5 (which is an earlier version of the new station wagons!). I was very excited to see how much better this was compared to Biggie (pup's car).
Gorgeous innit?
When I went to pick up the car, the Volvo rep was just fantastic! She candidly chatted while walking me to the car. Showed me all the exterior stuff before showing me the interior. Explained and demonstrated what each button did. It was so refreshing to see another woman who knows a car inside out!
One of the last things she told me before I actually drove off, was "Please remember, this is not a power machine. Volvo prides itself in creating safe cars, and this model especially is not meant to be a road monster, so please don't expect that much out of it - power wise."
I liked her honesty. But I do agree with her. Station wagons like these are meant to be soccer mom cars. So having it super powered is not really THAT safe... although it does come in a 2.5L Turbo version :)
Performance wise: The V50 I tested was a 2.0L with a 4 cyclinder DOHC engine with six-speed Powershift transmission on a 1,890kg (1.8ton). As the rep mentioned - it wasn't that all powerful, but the drive was very smooth. The gears shifted almost instinctively, I could barely feel it pull (you know that pull when auto cars shift gears?).
Drive/handling wise: It was quite impressive. It had a good grip and with a larger/heavier behind, I thought cornering would be difficult but it proved otherwise. I entered the highway via one of those huge circle interchanges and thought that the G-force would whip its ass outwards but it didn't!
I liked how stable it felt for both normal city driving and highway. The pup and I decided to take a road trip up to
Genting Highlands - famed for its cool weather and super winding roads. I told the pup that I'll drive up and he can drive down. Although there were sections where there was a steep incline and the car was a tad underpowered, but it handled the corners VERY nicely.
Looks wise: I think the new V50 looks sleeker although I'm not crazy about the blue.
Plenty of cargo space (which btw, this is my 'standard measurement' for car boot space. I see how comfortably I fit in that part). And of course the back seat can fold flat completely for more space. Although if you compare it to the 850 T5, you won't be able to fit in a queen sized mattress or a large couch comfortably because of the size and shape of the boot door.
I lifted this image off from
here, but yeah see the door shape here? It's very boxy where as the new one has got sleek slopes, so you'll get less space to put stuff in. Really.
I love how the cockpit is styled in a simple and practical way. Everything's placed just right and there aren't TOO many buttons to confused a new driver.
LOVE the floating console! It's just so one of its' kind... and the best part, it's got a compartment behind it so you can put your handbag there! No more leaving it sitting on the passenger seat while you're driving alone or dumping it on your lap with a car full of people.
A console that makes sense and looks like a proper console. Buttons are placed for easy reach by the driver and easy to understand.
The pup and I drove the V50 for about 4.5 days on ONE full tank. I drove it back to the office on Thursday and then home. Then the normal to and fro from work on Friday. Later that night, we drove to Cyberjaya to test it on a really straight road. Then it was breakfast and groceries on Saturday morning. Oh lets not forget the road trip up to Gentings and back...
All that and I had about 90km left to spare...
And see... it's not like we were driving like maniacs - the average speed recorded was 31kmph.
It ran for 12L/km for the whole trip (city and highway driving) which is much higher than what the Volvo website's average shows. City (11.3L/km), highway (6.4L/km) and mixed (8.1L/km). So we did not too bad!
I actually like how the headlights are not on the indicators. I know it sounds weird but turning a knob to get the lights on were kinda fun for me... yes I know I'm weird.
See that little camera under the side view mirror? That's a digital camera that helps you with your blind spots. The Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) records and notes down how close objects are when it comes into your blind spot range and if it seems to pose a threat, an orange blinking light inside the cabin will go off to notify you.
Kinda cool but also kinda annoying when you're stuck in a jam.
This version has got TWO child booster seats (I'm stressing on TWO because I know someone who bought the V50 after I test drove it and she only has ONE child booster seat and it's in the middle).
So yeah, if you've got young kids that don't really fit into a regular car seat or its safety belt....
... just reach under the seat, pull the lever and a booster seat pops up! What most people don't realize (and when I say most people, I mean that I went around asking a number of my friends) is that safety belts (or most safety equipment) don't work when it's not in use properly. So now the safety belt will definitely protect your younger passengers!
One last look at the magnificent V50, folks!
