2006 Volvo V50 T5 Road Test
Let me admit to a bias; I dislike front-wheel-drive (FWD) configurations- period. With that off my chest I can confidently state that the Sport-Package-equipped, Volvo V50 T5 is the best handling FWD compact wagon I have tested, and quite likely the best handling FWD wagon available today. It's Volvo's entry-level wagon intended to give the Germans a run for their Euro dollar. Direct competitors of the V50 include BMW's 325xi Touring wagon and Audi's A4 Avant wagon, both of which are all-wheel-drive (AWD) configured. Not to be left curbside when it snows, the V50 can also be equipped with AWD although front wheels alone pulled this week's tester. This mighty trio of sport wagons all measure similarly in overall dimensions and in their ability to stow gear. Despite its svelte proportioning, the V50 comfortably passed my compact-wagon litmus test by swallowing my road bike whole. With the wagon's rear seat folded flat, there was no need to drop the front or rear wheel from the bike's large frame to fully insert the human-powered machine into the V50's cargo hold.
