Volvo V50 Interior & Passenger Comfort Concerns

PF_Flyer

Does your V50 fit you like a glove? Are you looking for something that will help get that stain out of the carpet? This is the place to discuss anything and everything regarding the layout and upkeep of the interior of your V50.

jmk5

I recently rediscovered Volvo at the Minneapolis Auto Show. The V50 T5 AWD caught my attention, more appropriately GRABBED my attention. WOW! Looking to replace my 2000 Passat 4motion wagon (good car with 100K miles), I am looking at the BMW325Xi, Avant A4 1.8T, Passat GLX 4motion, and now the Volvo. QUESTION: Standing at just under 6' 1" will I find the car comfortable to sit and drive for 100+ miles per day with or without the electric sunroof?

awd_driver

I was already set to buy a LLBean Outback. (I still have a 260K+ Legacy) Then, I saw a V50 T5 AWD while getting my wife's car serviced. I bought the T5 a week later (January 3rd). I'm 6'3 - I use it for several long 160+ mile each way trips a week - it is very, very comfortable. What sold me on it, besides the obvious, is that the seat goes back much further than the Outback. I have long legs, and I can actually walk after I get out of the car. I love it. Its good in the snow, but I recommend the dynamic stability control (which I didn't get - grrr) if you live in snow country.

zed_ny

I love hiking in and around new york but do not like talking camping gear etc with me. i am in the market for a new car and volvo V50 looked very impressive.

All other things aside, has oneone tried flattening the rear and passenger seats and tried sleeping in the car. At 6'2" I'm sure i will fit in the car nicely. My only concern is about how flat the seat really gets. And does it have any kind of bump between passenger and rear seat when folded.

Please advise if any other wagon falls in this category if V50 does not.

Thanks

barrak

Unfortunately, I don't have a Volvo dealer close by to take a look at a V50 first hand. Before I go to look at one, though, I'd like to get some impressions from people that actually own one as to the overall roominess of the interior. I have a wife and three kids and, while this won't be the primary family car, it will carry us all on trips on occasion to balance out the miles on the minivan.

Do you think the rear seat is roomy enough for two car seats and an older child? I'd love to find a V50 with integrated boosters, but can't seem to find any on a dealer's lot.

Thanks in advance for the input!

jrct9454

No, I probably would not try to stuff 2 car seats and any other living being in the back seat of this car [or the A3, for that matter] for any length of time. I guess it depends on the temperament of the "older child" - patient and compliant, or restless and hard-to-please? If the former, maybe....if the latter, never.

barrak

One other question, as I really can't tell from the pictures...

The specs listed on a couple different forums list the cargo capacity on the V50 to be well below that of the Mazda3 wagon. How can that be? Edmunds, for example, lists its capacity at 14.7 cubic feet, while the Saab 9-2x is listed at just under 28. Is the storage in the back really that small?

jrct9454

That's an easy one - the former is the factory number with the back seats up; the latter is the number with the back seats down. I can assure you these three cars are not radically different behind the seats....the Saabaru might be a tad bigger, but not in any significant fashion.

This sort of stuff always has to be taken with a grain of salt, and a little common sense. The people who compile these numbers sometimes don't do a logic check before entering the data. These cars are all within inches of each other in exterior and interior dimensions.

jrct9454

REVISED answer:

The 14.7 cu ft is for the area behind the seats, but below the cargo cover [about window line].

The 28 cu ft [or 27 and a fraction for the V50] is behind the seats, BUT FILLING THE CARGO AREA ALL THE WAY TO THE ROOF [no rear visibility, but rear seats still in place].

When you fold the seats down in any of these cars, the number gets up into the 40+ range, more of less, again depending on whether the measurement was taken above or below the window line.

The point is, I guess, that the V50, Saabaru 9-2x, or A3 are all similarly sized - each has a few inches here or there in either the back seat or the cargo area that are different, but none of them is going to be significantly bigger than any of the others.

satchmo

When shopping for a car earlier this year, the amount of room in the cargo compartment was a concern, as I needed space to accomodate my 90 lb dog. I ended up buying a Mazda3 5-door and found the space to be acceptable --but just barely-- to Chewy. I found the listed specs to be wildly variable --you really need to look at the cars for yourself. Having closely examined both cars, I can assure you that the Volvo V50 has considerably more cargo space than the Mazda3 wagon. Hope this helps.