Tell someone you just got a new station wagon, and their reaction will usually be the same as Mrs. Griswald’s in the National Lampoon movie. Performance, good looks and excitement are usually the last things to cross their mind. This is no “Family Truckster”. It’s obvious they never drove the Volvo V50. To look at this car, you don’t expect to like it. Your mind knows it is a wagon, but your eyes just don’t see it.

The V50 has been around since 2004, when it replaced the V40. New to the ’06 model, are a few minor improvements; new wheels, steering wheel controls for the audio system, newly designed (and much improved) cup holders, and last but not least the T5 model now has an in-cabin filtration system available as an option. There are three model variants on the V50 – the standard V50, the T5, and the T5 AWD. Ours was the regular T5, with an MSRP of $33,355.00. Options to the $29,615 base price included: Metallic Paint, Climate Package, Automatic Transmission, and Dynamic Stability/Traction Control.

Let’s assume that you still think the car LOOKS like a wagon, get behind the wheel and this all changes. The turbo charged inline 5 has enough torque, even with the auto trans to keep the traction control busy. The car handles as good as any sedan I have ever tossed around a turn. Here is the strange part, and maybe it is the level of safety that Volvo has hammered into our heads for decades, but the car just feels right. It is hard to explain, but even Angel backed me up on this. There is a strange sense of comfort, confidence, and familiarity mixed into the V50. I don’t know how or why they did it, but Volvo has managed to make you forget you are driving a wagon. Maybe it is because they have been doing it right for such a long time. Angel and I have always been a huge fan of the 850 R’s from a decade ago.

Speaking of Angel, here is a car that I would not have expected a guy who stands all of 6’ 7” would be comfortable driving around in. The interior was laid out perfect for a guy who likes minimal gadgets. The HVAC controls took a minute to figure out, but once I had the sequence down, it was no problem to get everything the way I wanted. The stereo was simple, and I liked the 10 available presets, since six is never enough.

All in all I think that Volvo did a great job in engineering the perfect small wagon. If you were to look at its competitors like the 3-series and the Audi, you can tell they are nothing more than a sedan that had a topper grafted onto the roof, where as Volvo purpose-built this car form the ground up. I would imagine the six-speed AWD version would be even better. Don’t forget to add some tweaks of your own, and you have a great alternative for a SUV.