V50 Sport or SE

[slim]

Hello all, please be kind new member here. Currently looking to buy a 2005 V50, first company car. Love the looks of the sport but would like a cd changer. Se has changer amongst other items but brochure says comfort chassis and sport has a dynamic chassis. Can anyone tell me how different the two chassis' are or whether I could retro fit a cd changer to the sport.
My local dealer only has a 2.0d se sport for test drive, so would include both sport chassis and luxury interior. Have limited budget and must have diesel, can't afford a se sport. Thanks in advance for your help.

[7050man]

not too sure about differences in practical terms, but I've an SE "comfort chassis" and it is firm enough to give a good ride if you want to buzz around the country lanes. I suppose if you want to go racing in it then you might choose the dynamic one.

The 18" wheels will be much noisier as well, which might get on your nerves if you drive long distance, especially considering the poor state of our roads these days.

I'm more than happy with the luxury and features of the SE, with the chassis being pretty good anyway. Either way you won't be disappointed.

[Marmoset]

As far as I know, the sport and SE share the same springs and dampers so the only difference the larger wheels and body kit on the sport - the handling will be pretty similar for ither then.

The CD changer is available when you specify the high performance stereo as an option. The choice seems to boil down to whether you wnat leather and a few toys inside the car or the bigger wheels and a body kit outside (which does look good in my eyes)

I've got an SE diesel and I quite like all the creature comforts (auto dimming mirror, leather, cruise etc)

Hope this helps the decision

Rich

ps - someone correct me if I'm wrong about spring/damper rates being the same - I thought they were when i bought mine.

[slim]

Thanks for that info, much appreciated. How about retro fitting a changer is that possible? I am leaning towards the sport on looks alone, but really dont fancy going back to a single cd player. Test drives booked for Saturday, got a feeling I'll end up smitten.

[Marmoset]

The dealer can probably do it but get it included in the purchase price, if you buy the parts after getting the car it will be prohibitively expensive I think. The sound system is pretty complicated on these cars though (fibre optic network) so the dealer my not be comfortable doing this. You can only ask the question I suppose.

[dennisl1]

I looked at the sport but having trial driven both an S and and SE I was more than happy with the handling of the SE and also just a little concerned about the road noise from those cart wheels. I have 17 inch on mine and the handling is very good. Much better than my V70 T5. The car just gives you confidence that it is going to go exactly where you want to place it.

I also have the 'Premium sound system' which has a six CD changer built into the centre console, My son (very critical) says it sounds fantastic!.

I had a spoiler fitted, bought brand new on Ebay for £9.99 and sprayed and fitted by Kastners of Exeter for £100.

Hope this helps

Best wishes

Dennis

[unclelonghair]

I drove a 2.0D Sport and found the ride a bit jarring due to the 18's

Much prefer the ride of my T5 SE on 17's (which has the dynamic chassis), and the interior is much nicer as well.

The Premium Audio is a worthwhile upgrade in the SE as well - adds Dolby Prologic II, a centre speaker, and a more powerful amplifier.

[blackrat]

Picked my sparkling V50 SE 2.0D up yesterday. I test drove the SE and SE Sport and although the Sport does look better it is bumpier and of course more 'stealable'. The SE has all bells and whistles without the body kit and bigger alloys, not much for the additional £1200 or so. I am more than happy with my lovely grey beauty sitting in the drive................................... COVERED IN SNOW AND ICE!!!!!!!:baring_teeth: The winter pack including the heated seats were a good option though!!!!!

[SimonMac]

Hi All - Can anyone clear up if the S40 T5 has a Comfort or Dynamic chassis (sales brochure not clear on this...)? Does it depend on the model of T5 (SE or Sport) or do all T5's have the Dynamic chassis?

I currently have an S60 2.4 SE and am considering a S40 T5, but do not want a bone jarring ride - any comments / feedback most appreciated!

[iainmd]

When I bought my S40 T5 SE IIRC all T5's came with the 'dynamic chassis'.

[pigapumbu]

Hi All - Can anyone clear up if the S40 T5 has a Comfort or Dynamic chassis (sales brochure not clear on this...)? Does it depend on the model of T5 (SE or Sport) or do all T5's have the Dynamic chassis?

I currently have an S60 2.4 SE and am considering a S40 T5, but do not want a bone jarring ride - any comments / feedback most appreciated!

I have a V50 T5 Sport. With the 18" wheels I don't find it has a bone jarring ride. In fact I quite like it. Its not so noisy as mentioned before but the wheels are easily curbed.

Love the body kit but along with the roof rails, I don't think it does the car any favour in the fuel consumption department. Also I notice the sport look tends to draw more attention and hence the numerous scratches on the bodywork. :) All the older cars at home when parked on the roadside by the house never gets a scratch. Sadly the v50 sport does.

That said, I would still go for the sport everytime. The looks, the ride, the larger wheels just compliment the car well. Give it a try. I am sure you won't find it overly hard.

cheers

[MavUK]

Hi All - Can anyone clear up if the S40 T5 has a Comfort or Dynamic chassis (sales brochure not clear on this...)? Does it depend on the model of T5 (SE or Sport) or do all T5's have the Dynamic chassis?

I currently have an S60 2.4 SE and am considering a S40 T5, but do not want a bone jarring ride - any comments / feedback most appreciated!

I have no idea what chassis I have on my V50 (T5 AWD) but I can say that it's fantastic - comfortable and the handling is still great.

I'd say the biggest difference between the cars is the seats. My sister in law had a 1.6D as a temp car whilst her V40 was being fixed and it had hard, uncomfortable seats. Enough to put my wife off of swapping our V40 for the V50. our V50 has all the options on it and the seats, and ride, are easily as good as the S60 my parents in law have (yes a fully Volvo family, until last year a fully V40 family - 1 1.8, 1 2.0 and 1 2.0T). The only thing I don't know is what the difference is when you buy the car, I can imagine the look on the dealers face if you go oin asking for the comfortable seats please, not the hard ones...

[CW_]

I would go for an SE over the sport. The reason the ride is different is partly becaouse of the rims but also due to the front roll bar which greatly improves the handling. (rims can make for a bumpier ride of the tyres are'nt well maintained) Personally I'd take leather, and CD changer over some big wheels and a body kit. Also get the winter pack for the heated seats, very cosy at this time of year. If it's a new company car go for a dark exterior like black or dark grey as it makes the plastic exterior bits look better. Internally the quartz beige looks great as it matches the rest of the trim better than the calcite cream. I dont like the dark interiors. PS of you get the alu trim it will get scratched very quickly. The wood is the best option.