Driving Impressions

Driving Impressions  - 2006 Volvo V50 Review - Reviews - Volvo V50

Volvo's smallest wagon is just as refined and tightly built as the bigger V70, if a bit snug inside. Performance is a strong point with the turbocharged model, but the T5's ride can get rough on harsher surfaces and a little jittery even when rolling through moderate imperfections. The T5's manual gearbox operates easily, and Volvo's automatic operates smoothly. An all-wheel-drive V50 behaved admirably on snow and ice.

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    Design concept
    The Volvo S80 is a car that expresses a more dynamic evolution of Volvo's exterior design language. It's more sweeping, more elegant, tighter surfaced, and has a leaner and more agile look. &quo ...

    Driving dynamics: steering, brakes and transmission
    All XC70 models get Volvo's innovative AWD (All-Wheel Drive) transmission as standard. This advanced system, which automatically apportions torque front-to-rear depending on need, improves the XC7 ...

    The Looks
    The improvements over the previous generation are of course most noticeable by simply looking at the S80. I wouldn't call it striking, but it is handsome — bordering on the masculine, yet still ab ...