Talk to me about the V50 Diesel!

[danyeates]

Hi,

I've just sold my tuned Audi S4 Avant on a bid to find something more economical and something cheaper to service/repair.

It need to be an estate, diesel, doesn't need to be huge (as it'll only ever be my girlfriend and I but I like to estate boot when we're camping or windsurfing etc), importantly I'd like it to be cheap to tax, insure and run. First instincts were to go for a Honda Accord estate, nice looking car from the front but questionable from the back! Reliable, yes, but not too keen on the interiors.

Then a friend suggested I look at Volvos. I never considered a Volvo before but I do remember my friend getting a V50 when it first came out and I loved it. I still think it looks great 5 years on. So what do I need to know about them? Were they facelifted at all? I have between £6,000 - £7,000 to spend but would prefer to spend £6,000 or under if possible, so that might rule out the awesome looking Sport model. I have seen a 2005 V50 2.0D S with low miles for £6k so I'm very tempted by that. And it's local.

How do the models vary? What different models are there and what options do you get on each one? I've seen the S, SE and sport so far.

Also what is servicing like? I've never owned a diesel. Anything I need to look out for when I'm looking for one?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,

Dan

[mondayo]

Hi Dan,

I had a V50 on a 56 plate, mine was the petrol, so I can't comment on the diesel. However on the spec front, I had an SE and it had a fair bit extra kit of the S from what I can remember.

Mine had leather, cruise, climate, cd autochanger, electric memory drivers seat....there was a facelift on them late 06 (I think) and quite a bit of that kit got removed and there was some slight tweaks to the interior and bumpers.

If I can answer any other questions, just ask.

[ewenm]

I've got a new V50 D4 (new engine naming - 2.0l 177PS 5-cyl) and really like it. It's a lovely place to sit, great interior, engine is good nothing amazing but plenty good enough for normal driving. I think the engine options were 2.0d and 2.4d on the older models perhaps with the 2.4 denoted D5?

Edit: Interiors - I like the R-Design interior (think S-Line ) and tends to be a slightly more aggressive bodykit too without being over the top IMO.

Edited by ewenm on Sunday 24th October 18:41

[y2blade]

I drove the V50 2.0d (136bhp) a couple of years back and thought it was very underpowered other that that it was a nice enough car

go for a D5 variant...you will love it

[danyeates]

mondayo said:

Hi Dan,

I had a V50 on a 56 plate, mine was the petrol, so I can't comment on the diesel. However on the spec front, I had an SE and it had a fair bit extra kit of the S from what I can remember.

Mine had leather, cruise, climate, cd autochanger, electric memory drivers seat....there was a facelift on them late 06 (I think) and quite a bit of that kit got removed and there was some slight tweaks to the interior and bumpers.

If I can answer any other questions, just ask.

Thanks, I think I'm going to go for the SE if I can't find a Sport in budget.

[danyeates]

ewenm said:

I've got a new V50 D4 (new engine naming - 2.0l 177PS 5-cyl) and really like it. It's a lovely place to sit, great interior, engine is good nothing amazing but plenty good enough for normal driving. I think the engine options were 2.0d and 2.4d on the older models perhaps with the 2.4 denoted D5?

Edit: Interiors - I like the R-Design interior (think S-Line ) and tends to be a slightly more aggressive bodykit too without being over the top IMO.

Edited by ewenm on Sunday 24th October 18:41

There seems to be a 2.0 and a 2.4 D5 as you rightly say. I've had a good look around and it seems that the D5 is around £10k plus so whilst it would be awesome to own the D5, unfortunately the money isn't there to buy it. Plus it's a stop gap for the winter until my boat sells in the spring. At which point I'll buy an RS6!

The R-Design looks nice too after doing some research today, but again, it's out of budget.

PS. Had a look at your profile. My girlfriend is called Ashley and we live in a little village called Ashley. There's a similar sign saying "Ashley, please drive carefully". Ironically, she wrote her MR2 off not far from that sign

[danyeates]

y2blade said:

I drove the V50 2.0d (136bhp) a couple of years back and thought it was very underpowered other that that it was a nice enough car

go for a D5 variant...you will love it

Wish I could afford the D5. I work in the marine trade so I know the D5 as a marine engine. The 2.0 may well be underpowered but I'm sure it'll do me for the winter. Maybe I could get it remapped! I'm yet to drive one but hoping to take a few out this week.

[mondayo]

I think the models were S, SE, Sport and SE Sport...don't see many of the SE Sports though.

If it's only a car for the winter, then I'd definitely go for the 2.0D over the 2.4 as the 2.0 will be much more economical. It's not a ball of fire, but should be nippy enough for the winter. I had this engine in a Mondeo a few years back and had it "chipped" and it certainly made a decent improvement.

Edited by mondayo on Sunday 24th October 19:47

[danyeates]

mondayo said:

I think the models were S, SE, Sport and SE Sport...don't see many of the SE Sports though.

If it's only a car for the winter, then I'd definitely go for the 2.0D over the 2.4 as the 2.0 will be much more economical. It's not a ball of fire, but should be nippy enough for the winter. I had this engine in a Mondeo a few years back and had it "chipped" and it certainly made a decent improvement.

Edited by mondayo on Sunday 24th October 19:47

Great, thanks for your help. Very useful.

[y2blade]

danyeates said:

y2blade said:

I drove the V50 2.0d (136bhp) a couple of years back and thought it was very underpowered other that that it was a nice enough car

go for a D5 variant...you will love it

Wish I could afford the D5. I work in the marine trade so I know the D5 as a marine engine. The 2.0 may well be underpowered but I'm sure it'll do me for the winter. Maybe I could get it remapped! I'm yet to drive one but hoping to take a few out this week.

I'm sure it will do you for the winter then yes getting it remapped will help a lot
would you be after a Manual one? the one I drove was Auto

like I said above, the V50 is a nice enough car to drive...very comfy too

[danyeates]

Manual would be best, yes.

[F i F]

I'm on the second of two V50s.

First was a 55 S 2.0D 6speed, it did starship mileage all over Europe and Scandinavia and THE only thing I had go wrong with it was that the windscreen washer system seals leaked around the tank, pump and the supply lines to the headlight washers. My fault tbh for not premixing the additive and water, but it was fixed under warranty.

Current is a 58 SE-Lux 2.0D 6sp Powershift, not especially high mileage as work has changed and I drive job cars more and more. However again the only things that have gone wrong are,

- a very mild (yet strangely irritating) buzz on the steering wheel airbag cover. You can stop it by light pressure but it soon comes back. Dealer had one go at fixing it, so they say.
- Service due light came on early than it should have done for 37500 mile service. Possibility that somebody put in semi-synth oil on service instead of fully-synth, not proven.
- Also it had a spate of Particulate filter full messages, and being an auto I suppose it doesn't get the full welly & full revs treatment that the prev one got, but a quick hard run down the motorway when that message appeared the second time seems to have blown the crap out of it.

What do I reckon? Well it's a small car, no space for clutch foot on manuals, but as I have an auo now mine is fine.

Interior stowage space in terms of oddments bins and pockets is a bit lacking. Seats comfy, not as good as S60/V70 but still quite OK. The age of car you will be loooking at will still have a stowage box incorporated in the boot load cover (I think) not sure which year it was phased out. My current car does not have it and I miss that as a space to store regularly needed stuff, wash leathers, tyre pressure gauge, torch, dusters, all that malarkey.

Handling somewhat uninspiring but OK for a commuter and front suspension really doesn't like transverse ruts / ridges across the road. It sounds like the front suspension is going to fall off but it copes with it and grips.

18" rims make the ride far too harsh, 17" as on the current one are just about OK, and 16" fine.

Brakes are fine and cope well with high speed stuff in Germany when you can sometimes ask them to peg it back from 120 mph plus when some Dutch caravanner doesn't look in his mirrors. You know that they are having to work but copes admirably. Personally I don't like the way the brake pedal sinks to the floor when you do a static brake test first thing in the morning, but acc Volvo They All Do That Sir, and it seems they do too. But once on the go fine.

Fuel cons I get 46-47 week in week out, bit more in winter, thta's down to tyres, over 50 on runs.

Lights, best had since rally cars which had monster Hellas hung off the front. The HiDs are even better.

People moan about the Volvo sat-nav, I find it quite OK and one of the easiest to set and deal with using the wheel buttons / joystick.

Sound system OK, decent bass if that bangs your drum.

I see complaints about the engine performance, well no nothing special diesel estate with 130 bhp ish is ever going to be quick in the overall scheme of things, so for people to say it's seriously underpowered I'd say they are talking.... well let's suggest voices go muffled when they sit down. Yes the D5 is a better engine and is quicker but in the real world where you are constrained by so many other factors nothing much to complain about.

Fuel tank a bit small in my opinion, only 52 litres and when the reserve light has been on for ever and the fuel gauge is wrapped round the empty stop only ever managed to get about 47-48 litres in it.

Anything else you want to know just ask. HTH

[F i F]

Just reread y2blade's comment that the one he drove was an auto. I think this was the reason he thought it was underpowered and not the engine. The first T5 I drove was an auto and I wondered if the engine was in limp home mode.

In reality it's just the way the Volvo auto boxes work, the car does not seem at all fast, and as I said above, no 130 bhp diesel estate is fast in absolute terms. When you analyse what is going on though is that the car seems not to acclerate all that quickly but in fact more just gathers pace very effectively. If you see what I mean.

So I stand by the comment that the underpowered term is wrong but you can get that impression in an auto. For example my current one with the dual clutch auto doesn't often end up second at the traffic lights grand prix if I give it anything other than a VERY light throttle.

[halo34]

I would agree on the power thing, auto suits bigger engines to be honest.

I had the V50 on a 24hr test drive and didnt feel it was lacking in anyway (it was a manual) I simply opted for the V70 for space reasons.

Having said that I do love the d5 engine and especially the new one

Have you bought one yet?

[Petrolhead_Rich]

the 2.0 diesel has some nasty service costs, 72,000 is around £1000 (£750 for the DPF alone!!), parts for the C30/S40/V50 can be quite expensive (wheel bearings were the horror that made me stop using mine (£300 a side!)

Nice cars to drive, nice manual gearboxes, smart interior, good build quality, etc..

[plfrench]

F i F said:

Lights, best had since rally cars which had monster Hellas hung off the front. The HiDs are even better.

Really! I find the headlights on mine appalling. Definitely the worst aspect of the car. Main beam is fine, but dipped is dangerously bad. They seem to cut off after a very short distance, and the light they do cast on the road in front appears very dim. I'm sure the HID's are better, but the standard ones are poor.

[F i F]

plfrench said:

F i F said:

Lights, best had since rally cars which had monster Hellas hung off the front. The HiDs are even better.

Really! I find the headlights on mine appalling. Definitely the worst aspect of the car. Main beam is fine, but dipped is dangerously bad. They seem to cut off after a very short distance, and the light they do cast on the road in front appears very dim. I'm sure the HID's are better, but the standard ones are poor.

well if you don't like sharp cut off I can understand perhaps.

I was a bit worried on my first one as I'd heard bad reports of projectors but they were OK.

What I did find is that alignment is critical, which is stating the obvious. However fitting top notch bulbs is also critical as they do seem very critical to filament positioning. I had one set of mains which pointed at the ground when the dipped were aligned correctly, and then I had a set of dipped bulbs that when they were aligned correctly the mains were pointing up in the sky like searchlights looking for ze Germans.

Having said all that my Golf dipped is better with not so sharp a cut off and better illumination up the kerb, but the mains need a couple of rally pencils to fill in the distance, which the V50 doesn't need.

[y2blade]

I'll be going for a D5 one of these next.