Faults:

Leaky rear washer gasket fixed under guarantee

Outside temp gauge seems to be dodgy - will get it fixed at next service.

General Comments:

Just as comfortableas the V40 was (ultra comforatble)

The SatNav works amazingly (listing phone numbers of each of the POI in the database)

Seriously loud and great sounding ICE

Heated seats get to temp within a min

The noise from the 5 cylinder engine is superb

Handling is a big improvement over the V40.

However, drinks a lot of fuel (but then you know that before you buy a T5)

Over all I really love this car from a drivers stand point.

My wife on the other hand can't see the difference between this and the 2.0T V40 we had before as far as comfort etc goes.

Unless you really want the performance edge over the V40 you have to ask if it's worth spending almost double the cash needed to by a V40 T4 / 2.0T that's only a year or two older.

Faults:

Initial interior trim rattles sorted at first service.

Oil Leak in main oil seal engine / gear box took four attempts to sort and fix under warranty. This appears to be a known weakness as a modified oil seal was fitted.

Fuel economy averages 40mpg - not bad, but way below the claimed manufacturers figures.

General Comments:

Overall a quietly confident and understated high- performing car; I am still pleased to drive it 30 months into ownership.

Handling, low end grunt and motorway comfort are exemplary. The Ford Focus derived chassis combined with Volvo build / design / safety features are a potent combination.

However, these positives are slightly offset by the lack of stowage space and surprising limitations of estate practicality - rear seat folding is a pain, and rear luggage cover is intrusive.

I would love to see a 4wd diesel version.

Faults:

Had faulty door locks for about 4 days. Called dealer and he reported that a new software upgrade was available and that they were getting ready to send out notices on a service recall. They scheduled it in and had the locks operating correctly right away.

Also had a faulty pressure sensor switch - fixed just as quickly.

General Comments:

I love this car. It accelerates quite well and handles nicely. On the snow it really shows its colors - you can't get the car to break loose. I put ~10,000 snow and ice miles on it and it is by far the best snow car I've ever driven.

Front seats are very comfortable, and the sound system is excellent, with little road noise. Rear seats are suitable for children or small adults.

Think of it like a Subaru with class.

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong so far, except that I have an inkling that the rear seatbelt indicator isn't working correctly: I think that it only recognizes when the front seat users haven't belted up and not the rear seat users.

General Comments:

This car is a company car and therefore, I pay a monthly charge for it. As I had previously driven an Audi A3 that I was sad to give away, but couldn't afford an A4 Avant, I went for the 109bhp V50. After ordering the V50, I started to read up on the V50 engine and was wondering if I had made a mistake.

Certainly, the V50 is considerably slower than the A3 and doesn't handle like the A3 (I think my wife is sick of hearing me say this :-) ) but then the V50 wasn't built to be an A3 and it does it's job well. The car is great for driving around town and the occasional high-speed motorway run - we don't need more than this.

It is comfortable (has lots of extras that I would have had to shell out a lot for with an Audi) and safe. It has a reasonable size of luggage space, although I find that pockets in the passenger area of the car are lacking and the glove compartment isn't very usable. I got the following extras which I would recommend if you live in town and more than one driver uses the car:

- park assist

- electronically adjustable driver seat with memory function for three drivers

- the dala t-tec seats are also good

- alloys (to make it look even prettier)

- what I wish I had got, but didn't were the Xenon lights: again, I had them on the A3 but miss them on the V50.

What I don't like is the luggage space cover that greatly restricts the amount of space that you have for larger objects in the trunk. I have since taken it out and fitted the net roll instead.