Volvo does not build many cars like the Volvo V50: a 5-door station wagon with Petrol engine, built from 2004 to 2012 in the decade of stability control, dual-clutch gearboxes and the first serious hybrids. Its designer of record is Fedde Talsma.
The background
The Volvo V50 is the station wagon version of the Volvo S40 small family car ("C-segment") first unveiled at the 2003 Bologna Motor Show, both assembled at Ghent, Belgium. Sharing the Volvo, Ford, and Mazda Global C-car Platform with the European 2nd-gen Ford Focus and the Mazda3, the V50 featured interior "theatre" lighting, a floating center console, and "Volvo Intelligent Vehicle Architecture".
The engineering
Under the skin sits Petrol engine; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. Kerb weight is 1445 -. The gearbox is a 5-speed MTX-75 Manual transmission / manual / 5-speed Volvo M56 / 6-speed Volvo M66 manual / 5-speed Aisin AW55-50 automatic transmission / automatic / 6-speed Aisin TF-80SC automa. The wheelbase is 2640 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Where it sits
Where it sits in Volvo's history is not in doubt: the Volvo V40 (1995–2004) came before it; the Volvo V40 / Volvo V60 followed it; it was built at Ghent (Volvo Car Gent. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Chrysler 300, the Suzuki Swift, the Hyundai Tucson. Its Volvo stablemates include the Volvo 144 and the Volvo 264 TE.
The money
On the used market today a Volvo V50 typically changes hands for $13,300–$19,100, and running it — fuel and maintenance at its age — costs about $4,236–$5,848 a year. Insurance sits around $1,490–$2,170 a year. The figures are class-level estimates from the federal record, with the formula on the methodology page; the model-year pages carry complaints, recalls and repair costs year by year.