| | 2005 Volvo V50 - Review - Automobile Magazine |
 | | Volvo's previous small wagon, the V40, was a terrifically average car that ambled down the road of mediocrity with a 1.9-liter, 170-horsepower four-cylinder engine, front-wheel drive, and an automatic transmission. |
 | | Volvo officials explain this situation by halfheartedly muttering something about the front-wheel-drive manual T5 being lighter and less expensive, but it seems counterintuitive that performance-oriented drivers would want a manual transmission only if they could use it to smoke the front tires like herring. |
 | | Volvo wagons have a long tradition of being so relentlessly functional and dorky that they actually became sort of cool-see the 240 and the 700-series, for example. |
| www.automobilemag.com /reviews/wagons/2005_volvo_v50 (603 words) |