Used Volvo V50 Estate 2004 - 2012 review

The Volvo V50 is both exactly what you’d expect, yet also refreshingly different.

Being a Volvo, it has excellent safety credentials including the same whiplash and side impact protection systems as larger Volvos of its time, and it feels very well built. Yet, compared with previous Volvo estates, the V50 is notably handsome and, most shockingly of all, relatively small on the inside.

Boot space is tighter than you’ll find in any of its rivals, particularly because the wheel arches intrude enough to make it quite narrow. On the plus side, the V50 can still hold a folded baby buggy with plenty of room to spare, while the flat loading lip and split-folding rear seats are a help when it comes to loading heavier items. Plus, being able to fold the front passenger seat flat might just come in useful for getting that flatpack bookcase home.

Passenger space is a little tight for those in the rear, so while kids will be fine, taller adults are likely to wish for more head and leg room. No such complaints for those in the front, and with plenty of adjustment in the driving position and excellent seats, it should be possible for drivers of all shapes and sizes to get comfortable.

As with rivals such as the Audi A4 Avant and BMW 3 Series Touring, the V50 is based on a saloon (the S40), but unlike those cars it has underpinnings that can be traced back to the Ford Focus.

However, on the move the V50 majors on comfort and stability, dialling out some of the Ford’s fun-to-drive character. The ride is a touch firm on Sport, R Design and Drive-E models, but other V50s are more relaxing, and low noise levels makes it a good car for long journeys.

In the V50's lifetime, its engine range included 1.6, 2.0 and 2.4-litre diesels, plus petrol engines ranging from 1.6 to 2.5 litres, the latter of which was sold in top-spec T5 trim with the option of four-wheel drive.

A facelift in mid-2007 resulted in sharper styling (particularly in R-Design trim), an improved in-car entertainment system and the option of a manual gearbox for the D5 diesel engine.

Further changes in 2010 resulted in the 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engine being replaced by Volvo’s five-cylinder unit of the same capacity, now known as the D3 or D4 depending on power output. At the same time, a new 1.6-litre diesel became the D2, and the 2.4-litre T5 and D5 engines were discontinued.

The bottom end of the market for V50s starts at less than £1000, but for that money you’re in banger territory. Even doubling that budget will likely still get you a car with comfortably more than 150,000 miles on the clock. On the plus side, this shows that V50s can cope with plenty of use, but we’d still be tempted to have at least £3500 in our pockets before starting our search, for it is here where cars with a full service history and more sensible mileages begin to appear.

For a really clean V50, you’ll need £5500-6000, while at the top end of the market, £8500 will buy a late, low-mileage example with a good specification.

Volvo was keen to court the company car market with a low-emissions Drive-E version of the 1.6-litre diesel V50, which qualified for either exemption from road tax due to a sub-100g/km CO2 output if fitted with a stop/start system, or a £20 annual bill without one.

Launched in 2008, the Drive-E upgrades also allowed the V50 to return more than 70mpg in official fuel economy tests, which owners find translates to comfortably more than 50mpg in normal real-world driving.

The more powerful diesels will all comfortably exceed 40mpg. Opt for a petrol engine and you can expect 35mpg from the four-cylinder units, but the five-cylinder 2.4 and 2.5 are significantly thirstier, with most drivers unable to get more than 30mpg out of either.

Volvo’s servicing prices are on the high side, so it will pay to find a trusted independent specialist to look after your V50.

Entry level S models were later renamed ES, and actually include a decent amount of equipment including climate control, alloy wheels and a CD player. Upgrading to SE adds part-leather seats, cruise control and parking sensors, while later SE Lux models also came with sat-nav and full leather. Sport – later renamed R-Design – got 17in alloy wheels, an upgraded stereo and sporty styling touches, all designed to provide an equivalent to BMW’s M-Sport trim level. An optional family pack added two integrated booster seats in the rear.

Although petrol V50s were comfortably outsold by diesels, it is actually the former we’d recommend as a used buy in order to reduce the chance of expensive repair bills.

Our favourite Volvo V50: 1.8 S (later ES)

The V50 straddles the ground between mainstream and premium with great success, both in image and used prices. That also means it faces stiff competition from both sides, whether it’s more spacious and cheaper alternatives such as the Skoda Octavia, Vauxhall Astra and Volkswagen Golf, or more upmarket rivals such as the Audi A4 Avant and Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate.

If you enjoy a sporty drive it might also be worth increasing your budget to reach a used BMW 3 Series Touring, which handles beautifully and has a slightly larger boot than the V50.

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