VOLVO 850 T-5R

Rapid Swede wore a sober suit and running spikes

- Matt Robinson

IF there's one word that's most closely associated with Volvo, it's surely 'safety'. The Swedish manufacturer has made great strides in making its cars safer, as well as everyone else's; don't forget, the three-point seatbelt was a Volvo invention that it then made available to other manufacturers.

The term 'sporty', on the other hand, probably isn't something that'd spring to mind as quickly. And yet, Volvo has had a damn good go at challenging preconceptions of sensibility with some red-hot models.

The 740 Turbo was perhaps the first notable attempt, with the assistance of some particularly punchy marketing. "The basic idea behind the Volvo 740 Turbo," one print advert read, depicting the car next to a Lamborghini Countach towing a trailer. "How to survive a midlife crisis with dignity," read another.

The first Volvo to truly be known for its sporting pretensions didn't come until a good few years later. We're talking about the 850 T-5R, which involved tickling the already potent 2.3-litre turbocharged five-cylinder engine of the 850 Turbo to produce 237bhp, at the same time as fettling the suspension and chucking all the must-have toys at the standard equipment list.

You could have one as a saloon or this estate, but we all know that a wagon like the one we have here is the cooler option. Sliding behind the wheel of this example, I'm immediately struck by the generous equipment levels. Heated, electrically adjustable leather and Alcantara seats, electric windows all round, electric mirrors, climate control - all the major boxes of the day are ticked. The cup-holders have a fantastically dramatic way of folding out, and the interior door handles are rather quirky. They're chunky little tabs which are mostly hidden from view, recessed within the door pulls.