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Volvo V50, the most affordable Volvo to offer you a dose of Scandinavian experience. Practically, the Volvo V50 is the most mainstream of the Volvos, because this is the only one all of us can afford.

So the Volvo V50 has quite a mission to fulfill. If it's still the only Volvo we can realistically afford, then it should make an impression worthy of the mystery of the Rue Morgue. A short, low-cost, but memorable presentation.

Even though this car was assembled using parts borrowed from Ford and Mazda dumpsters, the car still remains a Volvo. This is because we are in the dark ages when Ford bought Volvo, "borrowed" it's technology, almost bankrupted it and then sold it on. Practically, Volvo remained like at the dentist: With the money taken and in pain.

But at least it received a series of decent engines and some technology from Ford that made the Volvo V50 and Volvo S40 relatively affordable new cars and very affordable in 2025. In fact, the Volvo V50 is an S40 with a boot, so I could should copy paste that review instead. It's just that I've gotten used to filling up random space to make it look good in my work reports, so I'll write a full review.

Especially when we talk about a car that represents the classic Volvo recipe: A station wagon, which looks good even after so many years, with a dubious interior for some and torn from the Baywatch movies for others (like you have that surfboard as a dashboard... you know? Baywatch? Surf? No? Ok, I'm escorting myself out)

It has relatively space, it moves relatively decently, it is relatively reliable and it is relatively safe. Basically, it's almost a Volvo. Half Volvo, half Ford, half Mazda. You have a station wagon that looks like a Volvo but is not quite as roomy as a Volvo. And with all that, the Volvo V50 sold more than the tickets to Murders in the Rue Morgue play.

Volvo V50 Engines

Petrol

• 1.6 B4164S3 of 100 horsepower – An entry-level petrol that is vaguely related to the ideea of the S40, but which has nothing to look for on the V50. As for reliability, as long as you replace the timing belt on time, you won't have any outstanding problems. Or any kind of problem.


• 1.8 B4184S11 of 125 horsepower – Borrowed from Mazda, this petrol engine is a symphony of sports, on a non-sports car. Comes with oil consumption and timing chain, this engine can be thirstier than it's larger 2.0 brother and needs revs to understand something of it, but it is definitely more fun. And it's prone to oil chugging later in life, as with most japanese petrols.


• 2.0 B4204S3 of 145 horsepower – Another living classic from Volvo, this 2.0 aspirated petrol with a manual gearbox represents a classic Volvo recipe, because the Volvo V50 is still half you, half me. This, half new, half old fashion.. By far the most reliable, even if it is a 3310 of the automotive world. Sure, it's a Mazda engine, but this one uses less petrol AND less fuel than the smaller 1.8 so it's an absolute win.


• 2.4 B5244S5 of 140 and 170 horsepower – We change the tone and we move from Mazda engines to proper Volvo engines, and go from 4 cylinders to 5 cylinders. As with any old-fashioned Volvo, as long as it gets new oil on time and stick to the maintainance schedule, you should have no problems with this straight-5 behemoth.


• 2.5 Turbo B5254T3 of 230 horsepower - Used extensively by Volvo and not only (see Ford Kuga or Ford Focus ST), this 2.5 Turbo in 5 cylinders is exactly what you need. Occasionally you will have to change the air flow meter, but in essence this engine is also built from the same materials as the Channel Tunnel.

Diesel

• 1.6 TDCI D4164T of 109 and 115 horsepower - You would recognize this engine from the Ford Focus II and Peugeot 307, and you would be right. Very dependent on quality oil, just as a rooftop party is dependent on pills, and if it does not have quality oil, the filter will clog and the turbo will be starved. And you will replace turbos because you didn't think of replacing the oil filter. The major change in this engine is that only the engine is of PSA origin, the engine annexes are made by Volvo. Unfortunately however the injectors are still PSA so they will require frequent replacement aswell. Just an overall NO of an engine.


• 2.0 HDi D4204T and D5204T of 136, 150 and 177 horsepower - We continue with the borrowed engines and come with problems with injectors, EGR, compressors, swirl valves and compressors, for the 136 horsepower engine atleast which is a PSA unit. The 150 and 177 horsepower units however are Volvo's own straight-5 recipes and those engines are fine pieces of automotive art. Definatelly worth it.


• 2.4D D5244T of 163 and 180 horsepower - And finally, we're logging off with Volvo's classic 2.4 straight-5 diesel. I'm not convinced that it's worth the extra taxes and extra fuel and the extra maintainance for not alot of extra oompf that it has over the 2.0D straight-5, but this is one glorious engine.

Volvo V50 Reliability Issues

• Because you have a Volvo V50, you are most likely a family guy who stays away from the latest news, so you still use a classic engine start key. Be very careful with this key because it has a habit of breaking bad more than the guy who played in Malcom in the Middle.


• I'm not too convinced with the automatic gearboxes... although, if you are the kind of family man who bought his Volvo V50, you probably want a classic manual gearbox. However, if you are thinking of leaving the car as a dowry to your grandchildren and you are thinking of an automatic transmission, be very careful not avoid one with the famous Powershift, the famous autotragic from Ford. As good as a beer spilled on the floor, isn't it Ford Focus III?


• Failures on the part of the ECU and especially for the steering column. Basically the UE goes into technical unemployment and you are left without the column blocker and practically remain stranded in the parking lot. 


• Diesel engines are prone to DPF, injectors, turbos failures and/or clogging. Basically, any problem under the sun. And so that you don't have a moment of respite, be very careful with the first engines because, although they are reliable, they are Euro 3. Then you've really screwed up.

Volvo V50 Verdict

Yes, that surfboard like dashboard is not for everyone. Yes, the dimensions are not up to Volvo standards. Yes, the reliability is not quite Volvo level either, because this car is not really 100% Volvo. It's like a kind of german doner. It's not really the original recipe, it has elements added by us because we like it and it's a slightly different experience. However, I have to repeat what I said in the S40 review. If you drive the 1.6 HDi engine from PSA and you don't take care of it as if it will quit at any moment, there is a good chance that you are just another member complaining on the Volvo forum that this is a bad brand and it is to be avoided .... Yes, there were serious issues with that engine and to top it off, that was the most popular engine. But if you avoid that engine and go for something else, maybe you won't see this car and this manufacturer with the same bad light with which I look around the park at night for the next bench to sleep on.

Which engines do I recommend? Honestly, the classic combination of 145 horsepower 2.0 petrol and a manual gearbox is the most Volvo among Volvos. But you will probably buy a 1.6 HDi and complain on forums and groups that the Volvo V50 is a car as wrong as the excessive media coverage of Jake Paul vs Mike deGrasse Tyson. However, since you're here and you want to be educated, then you must go for the 5 cylinder 2.0D diesel, in both 150 and 177 horsepower guises.