Along with its ability to accomplish a 0-100kph sprint in 8.3 seconds (manual transmission), the turbocharged mill is quiet and beautifully refined in its operation; liquidity of performance is one of the T5's most notable and wholly desirable aspects. And when combined with Volvo's six-speed manual gearbox, the pleasure is compact wagon Nirvana.

There are few manual boxes that shift this flawlessly. The short-throw stick finds each cog with nothing more than a slight push or pull while a light-effort progressive clutch smoothly unites the spinning parts, making every shift deeply satisfying.

Despite being a wagon, the V50 offers a somewhat deceiving cargo capacity.

Rock solid structural integrity
It only takes a few bumps in the road (pardon the pun) to appreciate the V50's rigid structural integrity. Such manifestations of malice are absorbed by a tremendously composed suspension system and not transmitted into a shudder-inclined body. The solidity of the whole affair ensures no unnecessary thumping or pounding permeates the serene cabin- and I revel in such an attribute.

Composed ride quality paired with taut handling characteristics
While not exhibiting mushiness or pillow limpness, ride quality is remarkably compliant given the taut handling ability of the Swedish sled. I would argue that the V50 delivers a more polished ride character than its two main competitors, the BMW 3-Series and the Audi A4 Avant. The noted rivals may harbor an edge in outright handling capability but in typical driving scenarios, the slight advantage is not likely to be an issue.

I enjoyed the T5's ability to remain cemented to the asphalt when pressed into a bend. Handling dynamics felt neutral and quite predictable. Steering response is sharp however some may find steering resistance to be on the light side, contributing to less road-feel than the German products proffer. As one would expect from Volvo, the performance of the V50's 4-wheel antilock brake setup is simply superb.

Volvo: safety first
The V50 is laden with a full suite of inflatable protection as standard equipment, including side impact airbags for front seat occupants and side curtain airbags for all outboard seating positions. Front seats also feature Volvo's WHIPS, Whiplash Protection System.

The V50 is equipped with Volvo's DSTC, Dynamic Stability & Traction Control technology, which hopefully will prevent the need to test the many other safety and occupant protection systems built into modern Volvos.

My tester was fitted with Volvo's Bi-Xenon Active headlight technology. I was impressed with the effectiveness of these illuminators, finding them to be among the best I have sampled.

Volvo's Bi-Xenon headlight are part of a long list of security features.