Hello and welcome to this weeks post! This week you are in for a treat! I managed to test not one, but two different Volvos. Let me say, what I thought was a mundane old man's car (but let’s be honest here, they did make the 850R…), is not. Now, before we start, go grab a cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate, because this is going to be a long post. Done? Good. So, without further ado, let’s get into this.
2005 VOLVO S40 2.4i A/T
POWER: 125 KW
TORQUE: 230 N.M.
0 TO 100 KM/H: 9.8s
MOTOR: N/A TRANSVERSE INLINE 5
GEARBOX: 5 SPEED AUTOMATIC GEARBOX
The first Volvo I tested was the 2005 S40 2.4i Petrol. It is either a car you love or hate. I by the petrol head god I fell in love with that naturally aspirated five-cylinder motor. I’m usually not the N/A motor believer, but this engine has a lot of which it can be proud. As you know, I drive a TSI Polo (link), and I have become so used to a turbo lag that a driving a car with a N/A engine was refreshing. The power was there from the get-go, and it loves climbing through the rev range, but at 4500 RPM the power starts to taper off.
Interestingly, when you take traction control off, turn the wheel hard and floor the gas pedal, the car breaks traction and goes sideways. Not exactly what I expected from a front wheel drive car, but hey, it is a 2.4 litre 5 cylinder, and power does strange things to a front wheel drive car.
Now, the comfort bit, the interior is all leather with soft touch plastic on the dash and other bits and pieces. I love the Volvo centre console, everything is within reach and is very intuitive to operate, so much so, that after a short while you don’t even need to look down to figure out where anything is. But, by far, my most favourite item in the whole interior, is that gear selector. It is amazingly chunky and fits in your hand perfectly. Not to sound like Doug Demuro, but it is SO satisfying to select a gear with, it pops into gear with a satisfying “clunk”. It’s like the car is asking you if you want that gear.
Rating
4 out of 5
2008 VOLVO V50 D5 GEARTRONIC
POWER: 132 KW
TORQUE: 350 N.M.
0 TO 100 KM/H: 8.5s
MOTOR: TURBO TRANSVERSE INLINE 5
GEARBOX: 5 SPEED GEARTRONIC
The second car I tested was the 2008 Volvo V50 D5 Geartronic. Mouthful of a name if you ask me, but hidden in that name is a real gem of a car. Yes, it is an estate, but if you cast your mind and forward, Volvo has a habit of making estates that are particularly good, for example as mentioned above, the 850R estate. Their current “Hot” estate is the V60 Polestar, which as I’ve heard, is impressive.
The V50 is a “standard” 2.5 turbo diesel, but it is really, and I mean really, good. Sure the engine is loud but is a large, inline five diesel that generates a considerable amount of power.
Getting into the car I was pleasantly surprised; it felt like I was getting into a car that was brand new. Like in the S40 above, the controls were intuitive and felt like I was right at home. The only thing that is weird is the key slot. The slot is on the left on the dash. With the newer models, you put in the key and push a button. With the older models, you still turn the key. But boy, once you turn that key and fires up, it’s like opening a portal to another universe. You can almost feel the power weighting for your right foot to give the signal to unleash the beast.
Driving the car was a fantastic experience. Besides the fact that the car is loud, thanks to the engine, it drives and handles like a sports car. It doesn’t feel like an estate, but rather a hatch. When you do give the signal to unleash the beast, it does so with gusto. The Geartronic ‘box drops one or two gears depending on how hard you press down on the pedal, and that famous low-end diesel torque rears its head and propels you forward.
Unlike the S40 above, this car behaves its self in the corners, even with traction control off. NO FUN! But other than that, it is a reliable, fun car with the capacity to carry many people and many, many things.
Rating
4.5 out of 5
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