2009 VOLVO V50 reviews

Volvo V50 DRIVe Stop/Start 2009

If versatility is your goal in a modern motorcar where you need a bit of pep to blow away the blues - qualified with a dash of sense that tells you you’re doing both the planet and your wallet good when you’re driving - you couldn’t do better than to entrust yourself to the new V50 DRIVe. small estate which is based on the Ford Focus - but is so much better buil and starting at £18660 it’s not bad value. It’s the perfect town and country adaptable package combining svelte Swedish lines with commodious estate-like capacity. You’ll feel like a saint driving it, knowing that it’s mpg and low carbon footprint are considerable enough, almost to convince you that you’re doing the planet a favour in owning such a machine. Solid as a Swedish Sunday underneath, its appearance is the epitome of good modern taste. You won’t find Flash Harrys and Harriets fighting over each other to own one of these. Instead, owners are likely to be well-grounded and sensible folk who don’t mind looking good, but eschew vulgarity. Contact with the road is provided by energy saving tyres that have a firm grip on today’s ecological agenda. If owning one of these cars won’t exactly give you the time of your life, it will fit in nicely with the life you are expected to lead in these times. It ticks all the boxes, while managing, at the same time, to box clever - so expect no flash but plenty of dash: verve with the Volvo twist, in other words. The interior is cleverly appointed to combine maximum security for occupants - a prime Volvo aim, of course, - with ergonomically pleasing and functionally comfortable automobile upholstery. It’s an airy cabin that is confidence inspiring and constantly reassuring and you can choose from a number of different trim spec. levels. Everything has substance, and, of course, there’s a five star safety rating. Belt and braces security is born of stability control systems to save the terminally incompetent from themselves and should you finally crash, there are more barrage balloons on board than were used to protect London in the Blitz. One marvel of this car is the combination of aerodynamic and aesthetic efficiency with load carrying capacity that’s adequate - if not huge (enough for all but the antique dealer and his grandfather clock, I suggest.). The eco systems function by switching the smooth and torquey 1.6 litre, 108bhp diesel engine off every time you stop - and being a Volvo you can guarantee it’s going to start up again without any hassle every time. `But surely performance is compromised and sacrificed on the altar of mean spirited money saving, celery eating, greenness. A chap can’t have his cake and eat it.` I hear you say. Well in this instance I’m pleased to report that it’s not, and you can. Driving it is a joy, and if you need to make rapid progress, the car is lively enough - cruising quietly and smoothly at high motorway speeds and zipping about on A and B roads if you need to. Low rolling resistance tyres, low friction transmission oil in the gearbox, lowered ride height, slippery aerodynamics, magic jiggery pokery mapping of the engine management and the ’stop/start system (Which can be switched off) all contribute to the frugality. The only doubt that lurks in the corner of my mind is ’how long will the starter motor and ring gear last?’ - but then since it’s a Volvo they’re probably made of some yet undiscovered metal that is harder than diamonds and will last forever. At this juncture I must tell you about a fifty-five mile Sunday bimble along twisty A roads and quiet country lanes. (The sort of trip that Trusty Trevor and Theresa would make to visit a National Trust property.). Never exceeding 60mph., but certainly not holding up traffic, the economy proved to be inter stellar. A mind disorientating 82.3 mpg showed on the trip computer! (My bicycle doesn’t do that). Immediately I telephoned my MP and instructed him to rush through a Bill consigning all hybrids to the dustbin. Volvo deserves a New Years Honour for producing such a good, solid, sensible - and enjoyable car. Volvo marketing and design people, over the years, have cleverly carved out a niche in the market. Not only that - among motor manufacturers they are indeed ahead of the game, because more than most companies, Volvo have proved themselves the rule makers and mould breakers. There’s nothing quite like a Volvo. Now - let me STOP praising the car and START enjoying driving it. Eco driving has never felt so indulgent.