IF YOU’RE feeling particularly depressed this weekend, why not drive from Dublin to Roscommon town half a dozen times.

A return trip to the cradle of mid-western civilisation multiplied by three, will do nothing for your ‘Happiness gauge’, but it will establish the absolutely astonishing fuel economy credentials if you do the journey in a Volvo V50 DRIVe.

It must be surely a sign of these cash-strapped times that we at Herald Top Gear are getting in a tizzy about great economy, but my recent experience with the Volvo was the most exciting thing about the Swedish car I’d ever seen.

Now exciting and Volvo never sat comfortably in previous generations, but that has all changed, thanks to sexy design tweaks and some superb styling, along with age-old reliability.

SIZZLING

The sizzling XC range right down to the space-age sexy C30 have all transformed the sensible to the sexy.

Even this apparently modest model was something of a hit.

Looking like a slightly smaller younger brother to the V70 the V50 was more than big enough for all the family and a week’s worth of baggage.

It looked sumptuous in its own skin, and got quite a few head-turns during our times together thanks to a sporty and stylish visage.

A 1.6 diesel engine and 2.0 litre petrol are available, with the former being the one I was charged with during my week away.

Drive wise, the experience was decidedly exciting, with enough power on board with the fullest of loads.

Out back there is a decent sized 417-litre boot, which is more than trebled with the seats folded down.

As it happened the seats up option gave plenty of room for all those bits and bobs needed for that week away.

Passenger wise there was loads of space for the ones in the back, and the front seat occupant had loads of room.

A wider front grille and new sexier light covers give the Volvo a real tweak up top, and add to that superb sporty look we have already mentioned.

As I said the 178bhp engine was quite superb, and gave a lovely growl when coaxed into life.

BUZZ

This is a real tonic because even 20 years ago the great buzz about Volvos was the superb lift you felt upon acceleration.

The dash was a very simple affair, and as you know, there is nothing wrong with plain dashes, as long as their not overly complicated jumbled affairs like some of the more fragrant brands out there.

I did have a little difficulty getting the CD player going, but that’s probably more me than the car.

Indeed the entertainment system was surprisingly sober, bordering on the dour.

But once again, you do have to check yourself, because due to the excellent drive quality you often forget you are in an average-sized car.

The Volvo V50 DRIVe will cost you €29,920 to €33,370.

- Ian Mallon