Volvo V50 R-Design

Text: Sam Hardy / Photos: Pete Gibson

June 2008

• Rating:
• Latest deal price: from £17,831 to £24,629

The V50 is Volvo’s top-seller – so how do you make it even more appealing? Simple: add a racy bodykit and give it parent firm Ford’s latest twin-clutch auto gearbox. The result is the V50 R-Design Sport Powershift.

However, while the compact estate has always been popular, it’s also costly and not very spacious. Are the updates enough to overcome this?

We’ve already seen the R-Design Sport styling upgrades on the C30 (driven in Issue 990), and they’re just as striking here. With a mesh front grille, bodykit, 17-inch alloys, roof spoiler and R-Design badges, the car stands out. Cabin changes include the introduction of two-tone hide upholstery, a leather-trimmed steering wheel, aluminium centre stack and blue dials.

The visual updates are worthwhile – but what about that box? The Powershift six-speeder is the same as in the Focus. A rival to the likes of VW’s DSG, it is available only on the 134bhp 2.0-litre diesel model at present. Thanks to a hefty 320Nm torque output, the V50 covers 0-60mph in 9.2 seconds (two-tenths down on the manual version), while averaging 47.1mpg and emitting 159g/km of CO2.

The transmission feels like a very smooth auto. But keen drivers would still be better off with a conventional three-pedal set-up; there is no sport setting or steering wheel paddleshifters, and the manual mode is not especially intuitive.

Still, leave the selector in ‘D’ and you can cruise in a relaxed manner. The engine is quiet and there’s very little road noise. Only the firm ride hampers refinement. The V50 isn’t much fun in corners – the steering is numb – but fine build quality gives the car a prestige feel.

The Volvo isn’t as big as a Focus estate, offering 417 litres and 1,307 litres of load space with the seats up or down respectively. Also, when you add the £1,250 Powershift gearbox, this R-Design Sport weighs in at a hefty £22,420. We’d go for the regular manual car, which with the R-Design Sport tweaks is slick and stylish, but at a more reasonable price.

Tell us about your car in our Driver Power survey.