The Sacramento Bee's view

Latest Volvo is a practical cargo carrier with decent gas mileage Generally speaking, I’m not a wagon kind of guy.

That wasn’t always true. When the kids were small, I owned a Buick wagon that could carry nearly all their toys and souvenirs on family vacations. Still, this practical form of transportation never prompted my heart to race.

Imagine my surprise when I tested a Volvo V50 wagon last year … and really liked it. I said so in a review. Then imagine my surprise at all the hate mail I received. I’m serious! Hate mail over a Volvo wagon.

The more-civil complaints claimed that, well, I didn’t know what I was talking about. The V50 was overpriced, too small, not very nimble and should be drummed out of the Corps of Wagons.

Huh? Excuse me?

So, when a 2006 version of the V50 – the turbocharged, all-wheel-drive model that’s the most expensive among three trim levels – became available, I jumped at the chance to take another look.

The verdict: All you wagon whiners who dissed the V50 are all wet.

OK, it’s not a giant wagon. It’s only 177.7 inches long with a maximum cargo capacity of 62.9 cubic feet (with all the seats folded down)- about what you might get in a typical sedan using the back seats and front passenger seat to haul non-humans.

If you want to transport your living room furniture in one trip, there are big sport-utility vehicles for that purpose. But if you want to go that route, I have one question: Have you noticed the price of gasoline lately?

The V50 is a practical cargo carrier – perfect for the family road trip or those bulky items you cannot fit into the trunk of your coupe or sedan. And the wagon’s fuel economy numbers aren’t too bad: 20 miles per gallon in city driving and 28 mpg on the highway.

Those numbers would be higher, but there was a turbo-charged, in-line 5 engine under the tested V50’s hood. It cooks, with 218 horses and 236 foot-pounds of torque stepping up at a mere 1,500 revolutions per minute. Here’s a wagon that can leave them in the dust when the light changes, should your right foot be so inclined.

Handling on the 2006 V50 was exceptional, so I don’t know what to say to those who thought the 2005 model was mushy and unresponsive. The turbo-boosted, five-cylinder power plant in the tester readily dished up the power, and the V50 was stable and agile in slalom runs, uphill climbs, freeway merges and surface street dashes.

No, it does not handle like a Nissan 350Z, but I don’t know of any wagon that does – including the Dodge Magnum.

The bottom line on the tested V50 was $33,355. I’ll concede that’s pricey for a small wagon. But that included add-ons such as metallic paint ($475), a $675 “climate package” (heated front seats, headlamp washers, rain sensors), a $1,200 automatic gearbox with a fancy manual-shifting option and dynamic stability/traction control ($695).

Personally, I’d keep the stability/traction control and scrap the rest, which would put you at around $30,000. For that, you get a lot.

The lengthy list of standard equipment on the V50 was laced with goodies: leather-wrapped steering wheel, dust/pollen filter, tilt/telescoping steering wheel, personal settings for audio/climate control, heated/power exterior mirrors, footwell lights and ultra-plush floor mats to name just a few.

And if $30,000 for a wagon still makes you cringe, please note that the 2006 Volvo V50 2.4i with a 168-horsepower, five-cylinder engine (that gets 25 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the open road) starts at $26,205 … again, nicely equipped.

Worried that a small wagon doesn’t provide that margin of safety to make you feel secure on the crowded roadways? Puh-leeze! This is a Volvo, the automaker that all but patented vehicle safety.

Fully one-third of the standard features listed on the 2006 V50’s sticker consisted of safety/security features. The package included side-impact curtain air bags, high-strength steel around the interior cabin, a whiplash-protection system, a safe-approach perimeter lighting system and an engine immobilizer with coded keys.

And here’s something you don’t see on a lot of vehicle stickers: The radiator has a patented coating that helps convert ground-level ozone into oxygen as you drive.

To sum up, there are faster, cheaper and bigger wagons to be found in U.S. showrooms. But you’re not going to find another wagon that has the quality mix of the 2006 Volvo V50. So, there!

Boy, I hate to get emotional about wagons.

VOLVO V50 AT A GLANCE Make/model: 2006 Volvo V50 T5 AWD. Vehicle type: Five-passenger, four-door, all-wheel-drive wagon. Base price: $29,615 (as tested, $33,355). Engine: 2.5-liter, turbocharged in-line 5 with 218 horsepower at 5,000 revolutions per minute and 236 foot-pounds of torque at 1,500 rpm. EPA fuel economy: 20 miles per gallon city; 28 mpg highway Transmission: Five-speed automatic with clutchless manual shifting feature. Steering: Power-assisted rack and pinion. Brakes: Power four-wheel discs with anti-lock and special braking enhancement features. Suspension: Sport-tuned independent, MacPherson strut-type on front; multi-link independent on rear (with stabilizer bars front and rear). Fuel tank: 15.3 gallons. Cargo volume: 62.9 cubic feet. Curb weight: 3,483 pounds. Track: 60.4 inches on front; 60.3 inches on rear. Height: 57.2 inches. Length: 177.7 inches. Wheelbase: 103.9 inches. Width: 69.7 inches. Tires: P205/55R16 all-season tires. Towing capacity: 2,000 pounds. Final assembly point: Ghent, Belgium.