Steep hills and headwinds are no problem in the Volvo V50. With a brawny 258lb/ft of torque to call upon in a relatively light car, the Volvo flew from 30-60mph in just 11.4 seconds: a full 11 seconds quicker than the Seat Altea XL. That same muscle made short work of the hill start, too. The handbrake held with ease; after a brief spin of the front wheels, the Volvo shot up the hill.

Stability at the legal limit was impressive, and the V50 sailed calmly through the lane-change manoeuvre. The firm suspension prevents any pitching or wallowing, but passengers will feel each bump in the road as a sharp thump. It’s a shame such stability hasn’t been combined with a more supple ride.

You expect an estate car to be practical, but our test team could only fit half our holiday luggage in the boot; many estates can comfortably beat the Volvo’s 417 litres of space with the rear seats in place. Further marks were lost for having an aerosol in place of a spare wheel. And £23,000 is a lot to pay for a relatively small estate car.

2019
Category Winners
2019 Up to 1400kg

Škoda Octavia

Hatch 1.5 TSI 150PS SE L DSG

2019 1400-1549kg

Seat Ateca

2.0 TSI 190PS FR DSG

2019 1550-1699kg

Volkswagen Arteon

2.0 TDI 150PS Elegance DSG

2019 1700-1899kg

BMW 520d

Touring xDrive M Sport

2019 1900kg+

Land Rover Discovery

3.0 SDV6 HSE

2019 Best Budget 4x4

Dacia Duster

1.5 dCi Ambiance 4x4

2019 Best Plug-In Hybrid

Land Rover Range Rover Sport

P400e HSE Dynamic

2019 Best Ultralight Tow Car

Seat Arona

1.0 TSI 115 FR

2019 Fuel Economy Award

Ford Focus Estate

1.5 EcoBlue 120PS Titanium X

Previous Winners
2018
1700-1899kg

BMW 520d

Touring xDrive M Sport

2017
1900kg+

Land Rover Discovery

3.0 Td6 HSE*

2016
1400-1549kg

Skoda Superb Hatch

2.0 TDI 150PS SE Business

2015
1400-1549kg

Volkswagen Passat Estate

2.0 TDI BMT 150PS SE Business DSG

2014
1400-1549kg

Nissan Qashqai

1.6 dCi (130PS) Stop/Start System Acenta Premium

2013
Up to 1424kg

Skoda Octavia

2.0 TDI CR 150PS Elegance

2012
1725–1899kg

Jaguar XF

2.2D Premium Luxury

2011
1425-1574kg

Volkswagen Passat Estate

2.0 TDI 170 Bluemotion Sport

2010
1900kg+

Land Rover Discovery 4

3.0 TDV6 XS

2009
1900kg+

Volvo XC60

D5 SE Geartronic

2008
1575-1724kg

Ford Mondeo Estate

2.0 TDCi Titanium auto

2007
1575-1724kg

Volkswagen Passat Estate

2.0 TDI Sport 4Motion

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