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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday April 9, 2008 - 29 FAMILY OWNED & OPERATED You'll Love Our Service! OAKVILLE 905-827-3286 V50 Volvo-compact sport wagon with flair VOLVO V50 T5 2008 AT A GLANCE BODY STYLE: compact sport wagon DRIVE METHOD: front engine, front- or all-wheel drive ENGINE: 2.4-litre inline five-cylinder (168 hp, 170 lb/ft); 2.5-litre turbocharged five-cylinder (227 hp, 236 lb/ft) FUEL ECONOMY: 2.4-litre, 10.5L/100 km city (27 mpg), 7.0L/100 km highway (40 mpg); 2.5-litre turbo, 10 .7L/100 km city (26 mpg), 7.0L/100 km highway (40 mpg). Premium fuel. PRICE: $32,995-$41,495, as tested $47,745. WEBSITE: volvocanada.com Dubbed a sport wagon by Volvo, the V50 offers both utility and performance with the turbocharged T5 model, producing 227 hp. Unlike wagons of the years gone by, the V50 lives up to its sporty look with sedan-like handling and acceleration. By Lorne Drury Metroland Media group During the '90s when the minivan conquered the world, the station wagon at first took a back seat and later became almost extinct in North America. Most manufacturers dropped the wagon like a hot potato for the minivan, which became the flavour of the day. Today, the tall wagon or crossover is doing to the minivan what the minivan did to the station wagon a few years before. But over the years, a few car companies such as Volvo stayed the course with the station wagon, and provided buyers with an alternative to the minivan. These days, with wagons making a comeback of sorts, Volvo is still in the game big time, and now offers three choices of wagons, including this week's tester, the V50. The V50 sport wagon, as Volvo calls it, replaced the V40 (with the introduction of a five-cylinder engine in place of the four cylinder) for the 2005 model year and uses the same platform as the S40 sedan and C30 hatchback. For 2008, the compact V50 features a bump in horsepower and a new black eggcrate grill-- similar to the S40. It also gets some fresh design cues both front and back on the outside along with more storage space on the inside. Unlike the hulking, uninspired styling of station wagons of the '60s and '70s, the V50s of the world today look as nice as their sedan counterparts. The V50 is sleek and, dare we say sexy looking, and handles in the same league as a European sports sedan. Needless to say, this is light years ahead of the boxy station wagons Volvo was known for a decade or so ago. Among the interior upgrades for 2008 is a larger, more functional centre console. It is accompanied by changes to the door panels that allow for increased storage space and an extra speaker when the top-of-theline Dynaudio system is selected by customers. The V50 comes in three versions, starting with a 2.4-litre inline five-cylinder engine in the base model, producing 168 hp and 170 lb/ft of torque. My tester had the turbocharged 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine mated with a smoothshifting six-speed manual transmission. That engine produces 227 hp (up 9 hp over the previous year) and 236 lb/ft of torque. An all-wheel drive version of this model is also offered. The V50 starts at $32,995, jumping to $38,995 for the T5 and $41,495 in AWD form. Additional options including a Sport Package ($3,850), Sports Styling Package ($2,750), Dynaudio Package ($1,000) along with metallic paint and integrated child booster seats bumped the price of my tester to $47,745-- quite a jump. However, given that its main competitors-- the Audi A4 Avant, BMW 3 Series and Volkswagen Passat Wagon-- are all premium brands as well, the price isn't out of line. The V50 T5 comes with either a six-speed manual transmission or a five-speed automatic with Geartronic. The base model gets a five-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission. Among the new features for 2008 are optional Active Bi-Xenon headlights that expand your vision range by up to 230 per cent and allow you to see better around corners. This was on my tester as part of the Sport Package, which also included 17-inch alloy wheels, heated front seats, power driver's seat, auto dimming rear view mirror with compass, headlight washers, cargo cover, Homelink and Dynamic Chassis. The cabin of the V50 is plain, yet functional. The seats are up to Volvo's usual high standards in terms of comfort and support and the instrumentation is easy to navigate. I particularly like the screen at the top of the dash that gives temperature and fan settings, both of which are regulated by easy- to-use rotary knobs. Volvo makes good use of space inside the V50. With the seats upright, there is room for five adults with lots of space for luggage. Being a compact, rear seat legroom is not overly generous, but five people can fit fairly comfortably. If more cargo space is required, the rear seats have a 60/40 split. With both rear seats and the front passenger seat folded flat, there is 1,307 litres of cargo space. I haven't driven the base model V50 with the 2.4-litre engine, but you couldn't go wrong with the turbo version. It is quiet and peppy, while the six-speed manual shifter is a pleasure to throw through the gears, it shifts so smoothly and seamlessly thanks in part to the lightness of the clutch. The optional 12-speaker Dynaudio premium sound system is amazing. Anyone spending long hours commuting would find the $1,000 expense well worth it. Volvo has built its reputation on safety and many customers return time and time again for that very reason. With the V50, you get the standard safety features including side impact and side curtain airbags and Volvo's front seat whiplash protection system. Also standard are four-wheel ABS, electronic brake distribution, and dynamic stability and traction control. The Bi-Xenon headlight system and all-wheel drive are two safety-related options worth consideration. The Sport Styling Package included an exterior styling kit, rear spoiler, sport steering wheel with aluminum inlay and shift knob with aluminum inlay. Wagons may not be for everyone, but they make much more sense than so many of the gas-guzzling SUVs on the roads today. With the V50, you get the best of both worlds-- the functionality of a wagon combined with the performance of a sports sedan. For many families, a compact wagon like the V50 may be just the ticket for years of happy motoring.