Congratulations if you've managed to stick around this long. Most people will spot a story on a diesel Volvo estate and make time to do things a little more interesting such as creosoting a fence or reconfiguring their sock drawer. This, however, is no common or garden Scandinavian suitcase swallower. With a 180bhp diesel engine and an entertaining chassis, this is very much a closet funster. Volvo may have dressed the V50 D5 in a rather sober suit, but it's a car that knows how to entertain if you show it a decent road.

Volvo already have a diesel V50, powered by a 136bhp 2.0-litre powerplant. For the average motorist, it's probably the most sensible choice, getting to 60mph in nearly 10 seconds with a 130mph top end and an excellent 48mpg fuel economy figure. Keenly priced and with a friendly emissions rating, this is the car to go for if you're merely looking for a well-rounded, modest, compact Volvo estate. I suspect that you're not, however. A part of you has recognised that a need exists for something practical and affordable to run, whilst another part of you still hankers for the ability to dispatch dawdlers with disdain on snaking B-roads and to be able to elicit a sharp rebuke from your other half as you floor it down a motorway on-ramp. That's why you'll like the V50 D5, priced from just over £23,645, £3,000 more than the equivalent 2.0-litre diesel variant. Bear in mind though that this includes standard 'Geartronic' automatic transmission, a pricey option on the 2.0 diesel. For buyers wanting a slick six-speed manual 'box and looking to save a few pounds, Volvo now offers it.

As with virtually all turbo diesel cars, the sprint to 60mph isn't, on the face of it, all that exciting. Volvo claim a figure of 7.9 seconds for the Geartronic versions but if you put away the stopwatches, you'll think it's a whole lot faster. The reason for this is that diesels rarely excel at the sprint to 60, having to wait for their turbos to spool up and the subsequent gale of torque is often so great that it causes either wheelspin or the traction control system to illuminate the dashboard like the entrance to Caesar's Palace. A couple of factors hint that this Volvo is a genuinely quick car. First, a sub-eight second 0-60mph time from any automatic car is going some. Secondly, anybody who has ever driven a turbo diesel car capable of notching off these sort of acceleration figures will know just how addictive the mid-range acceleration is when the turbo's on full song. As a cross country tool, this Volvo will be way quicker than its 2.4-litre petrol equivalent.

"The D5 engine is a proven piece of engineering. Putting it into a V50 creates a very potent compact estate"

The 350Nm of torque is more than you could expect from a Porsche Boxster S or a BMW 630i and a good deal more than a comparable vehicle such as the most powerful Saab 9-3 Sportwagon diesel. A particulate filter reduces soot particles by 95 per cent and CO2 emissions should be modest, keeping business users' taxation burden in check. This isn't the first Volvo the 2.4-litre D5 engine has found its way into, having seen service in the S60 saloon, V70 estate, XC70 AWD crossover vehicle and the XC90 luxury 4x4. The difference here is that the V50 has a much tighter engine bay and after much head scratching and chin stroking, the Swedes have redesigned most of the engine ancillaries to get it to fit. The manifold and turbocharger have been integrated into a single unit in order to free up space.

Volvo claim the V50 is designed to go head to head with cars like the BMW 3 Series Touring and the Audi A4 Avant, although pricing will pit it closer in reality to the Alfa 159 Sportwagon in a niche just below these premium models. It's a wise choice and at first glance, the Volvo manages to marry the bulletproof feel of the top German cars with a keen price. As ever with Swedish cars, you'll also get a good deal more horsepower per pound.

At the front of the latest model, the chrome-framed 'egg-crate' grille has been reprofiled and features a bigger Volvo badge while clear lensed headlights, LED tail lights and a wider air intake give the car some more presence. The interior benefits from revised controls while the centre tunnel storage area features a smaller handbrake and a revised armrest for better driver comfort. Better cupholders, bigger door bins and an auxiliary input for the stereo under the armrest are all included.

As you'd expect, Volvo haven't skimped when it comes to safety, and they claim that the V50 is as good to crash in as the flagship S80 saloon. Making a small car as safe as a big 'un takes some doing and it's only when you look at some of the finer points of how Volvo have achieved this that you realise quite what this commitment means. It involves casting the turbo housing as one with the exhaust manifold so that the engine is more compact when mounted transversely, giving more space for crush zones. It means developing the Intelligent Driver Information System which monitors how hard you're using the throttle, brakes and steering and will hold incoming telephone calls or satellite navigation instructions until things have calmed down so as not to distract you in the middle of a manoeuvre. It means using four different grades of high tensile steel for crash protection. Would the V50 look a little sexier with BMW-style flame-surfaced concave flanks? Probably. But side impact protection involves having as much deformation space as possible which is why it's slab-sided to keep its occupants looking good.

The Volvo V50 D5 isn't going to be for everyone. So good is its little brother that it becomes almost an extravagance to opt for the extra power. If you do feel like treating yourself but don't want to get too self-indulgent, this V50 represents a very appealing package.

TOP 5 V50 DEALS

The results below show the top V50 deals on buyacar

	Volvo V50 D5 SE Lux 5dr Sportswagon Estate
	ETR	Mthly £365	Saving £3,949	Price £19,584
	Volvo V50 D5 SE Lux 5dr Geartronic Sportswagon Estate
	ETR	Mthly £387	Saving £4,165	Price £20,592
	Volvo V50 D5 R DESIGN SE Sport 5dr Sportswagon Estate
	ETR	Mthly £360	Saving £4,009	Price £19,867
	Volvo V50 D5 SE 5dr Geartronic Sportswagon Estate
	ETR	Mthly £361	Saving £3,906	Price £19,383
	Volvo V50 D5 R DESIGN Sport 5dr Geartronic Sportswagon Estate
	ETR	Mthly £359	Saving £3,992	Price £19,786

typical 11.64% APR

PCP finance quote over 48 months,  10,000 miles pa,  deposit of £1000