Volvo V50 T5 | Shed of the Week

One thing slightly particular this week within the sculpted form of this uncommon and rorty Volvo V50 T5, 220hp of Scandi goodness in a light-pressure turbocharged straight-five formed cake.

A lot of you will not be sufficiently old to have heard reside the soul-stirring wail of the five-pot rally automobiles of outdated and as such gained’t be remotely within the information that, sooner than he become clinically sedentary, Shed used to be an enthusiastic follower of the rally scene. Certainly one of his most powerful reminiscences is the sight and sound of Armin Schwarz’s lumbering Audi 200 Turbo hammering in the course of the Kielder Woodland within the overdue Nineteen Eighties. The icy unmarried observe ‘street’ used to be virtually inconceivable to stroll on, let by myself force alongside, however Schwartz used to be maxed out in a automobile that regarded a long way higher suited for minicabbing than rally degree monstering. Shed won’t ever be capable of describe the noise it made. Nor will he ever be capable of fail to remember it.

Suitably tuned, a rally model of the Volvo V50 T5 would were similarly incongruous and subsequently similarly memorable pounding via the ones frozen forests within the early 2000s. Unfortunately Volvo by no means went down that path, however the 2.5-litre turbo 5 nonetheless made a characterful street engine for the V50. Thus provided, the T5’s best whack used to be 149mph and the 0-62 got here up in 6.9 seconds, so it wasn’t a sluggish automobile. Oddly, despite the fact that, it by no means felt particularly fast both. That used to be the object with five-cylinder motors. They’d an excessively comfortable high quality about them. The only at the V50 T5 used to be somewhat closely silenced, too. Height energy did not are available till 5,000rpm, whilst the 236lb toes top torque arrived at simply 1,500rpm, a bonkers hole that made it laborious to seek out any form of candy spot.

When those V50 range-toppers got here out in 2004 a couple of scribblers requested what the purpose of the petrol used to be when the two.0 diesel model produced an identical quantity of torque as the two.5 petrol, and the two.4 D5 diesel generated much more. The proper PistonHeads solution used to be that no rally automobile value speaking about had ever used a diesel engine.

In some way this actual T5 turns out to have amassed 25,000 miles between June 2019 and June 2021. That would not be value commenting on have been it no longer for the truth that the automobile does not seem to have reported for an MOT take a look at in 2020. The ones of you who have not made an early get started at the Christmas sherry will take into account 2020 because the yr of giant Covid. Numerous MOT checks have been postponed at the moment however Shed does not take into account them being totally cancelled. Thoughts you, he does not take into account a lot in this day and age, particularly within the chilly climate we are having at the present time which he feels has grew to become his gray subject into the similar consistency because the fats balls that he places out for the birds, a type motion that the postmistress is at all times thanking him for.

Anyway, we will skip previous that and have a look at the newest take a look at in June 2022 which informed us of non-serious put on to 1 entrance brake disc and a few misting on one entrance surprise. Assuming the ones are simply looked after, what’s going to you find yourself with? Neatly, even if the V50 shared its chassis with the Ford Center of attention, Volvo did not set up to switch a lot of the Center of attention’s eerie sense of steadiness into their child. It treated k in a relatively heavy, understeery form of means, a trait magnified within the Haldex AWD model, however for lots of Volvo consumers such nuanced dealing with dynamics very a lot took a again seat to the extra prosaic advantages of solidity, convenience, excellent cabin heating and superb audio.

This actual V50 seems sensible in silver with black leather-based and the mileage is 138,000, which isn’t that prime. Neither is the £1,250 worth. Shed could not in finding every other T5 2.5s on sale in the United Kingdom to check it with, let by myself any that have been as reasonable. Hardly ever sudden, actually, as T5s most effective accounted for one in twenty V50 gross sales international and the two.5 represented just a small share of the ones. He did see a T5 2.4 170hp petrol from the similar yr with 139k at the clock going for £1,990, any other ’06 2.4 with 85,000 miles at £3,992, and but any other ’06 2.4 with 53,000 miles at £4,990. Whether or not somebody is paying those costs is any other subject, nevertheless it will provide you with a sign of the worth of our £1,250 138,000-miler.

What is the catch, then? Neatly, the ones of you who’ve laid off the absinthe can have spotted a small fly on this T5 pudding, specifically the point out within the advert of overheating. As we all know, overheating is what posh folks do right now of yr. It is an blameless sufficient excitement for us people but if it is taking place to a motor automobile it is not so excellent. Maximum people affiliate overheating with blown head gaskets. That can be the case right here. On the other hand it will no longer. Those Volvos are identified for sticking thermostats. If the engine in this one hasn’t if truth be told bodily overheated and if there is not mayonnaise within the radiator as a substitute of coolant this one may just become moderately the cut price.

If then again the former proprietor merely left out the overheat caution and carried on riding it, it’s going to be £1,250 very poorly spent. A little bit just like the hundreds that Shed has spent through the years on home ear defenders.