My impression of the Volvo S80


After the S80 presentation I attended a month ago I have been longing for a test drive and today was the day that I got to roll in Volvo's new flagship.
Sorry to disappoint you guys but I have zero pictures from the test drive because I was in a rush and forgot my camera(but did surprisingly remember to bring my AUX cable) and my cell phone is still in for repair. The good news is that I have some shots that I took at the presentation a while ago.
drive evening which turned out not to be that exclusive since you were able to attend it even if you hadn’t received an official invitation.
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Arriving at the dealer I was welcomed by a young lady and since there were quite some people there I asked how many S80s were available for test drive and the answer was 8. While standing in que at the sales desk a man returning the key to an S80 said that “the ride was like a dream”. I didn’t get too jacked up by his statement but it did increase my expectations. The majority of the people who were stand in que were the usual Volvo demographic group, meaning Swedish and atleast half a century old.
When it finally was my turn to speak to the lady behind the desk I told her that I wanted to drive the big dog of them all, namely the V8 but after hearing her response to my request I quickly changed my mind. Since most of the people there were hungry for the V8, the waiting list was far from short and I therefore settled for a 2.5T. While waiting for a car to be available there was an eatable salad/bread buffé for the ones who can’t say no to free food. I wasn’t that found of their buffe and walked around in the dealer until they called to my cell phone and told me that a key to a 2.5T powered S80 was waiting for me.

Stepping inside the car I was warmly welcomed by the sand beige interior which was sober and absolutely flawless looking. The interior quality is nothing but good. It might not be on a par with the A6 but the buttons felt right, the design was very Scandinavian and were of my liking.


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Still there were some quality flaws such as with the knobs which had a 1-2mm gap around them and could with some force be moved around. Furthermore the lower part/wall on doors didn’t feel too solid and could also be shaken with some force. Another minor flaw was the inside of the glove compartment lid which was made of very disgustingly cheap plastic which didn’t feel nor sound too good when struck. Lastly the panel(console) on the roof could have been constructed much better since the whole panel more or less gets pressed up whenever one button buttons are pressed. One feature that I loved was the AUX socket which made it possible for me to plug in my ipod and let Lil’ Wayne – the Mobb blast through the speakers while I was driving.

Driving the car I was extremely surprised that………………………………….the car was a Volvo. Since it is based on the same platform as the up coming Mondeo I expected it to be significantly sportier than the current Volvos but it wasn’t. If you have driven a Volvo in the past you will probably not feel insecure behind the wheel of the new S80. The steering was extremely light and lacked feedback. I doubt that I would easily be able to drive quickly through cones with that car.
The comment about the “ride being a dream” was in one was right. The suspension was extremely soft and I can’t even remember feeling any bumps on the road, though I do have to say that the car didn’t lean so much in bend like the current S60 does. As I mentioned earlier the car had a 2.5T engine under the hood, which develops 200hp. Since it is a luxury car the engine sound was barely noticeable unless you floored the gas. All of the power was transmitted through an automatic tranny which I wasn’t able to examine it more properly since I was only allowed to drive the car for 10 minutes.
My conclusion is that Volvo isn’t breaking new grounds with the new S80 and neither will it attract new buyers to the brand. It is without a doubt a genuine Volvo. People who have never liked Volvo cars won’t like it but the ones who love Volvo will cherish it. If you’re looking for a thrilling ride it isn’t the car for but more for the people who want a decent priced, modern and comfortable luxury car but don’t want to buy an A8 and S-class. Is it my cup of tea? Don’t think so. It is a long distance cruiser and after driving it I was doubt full that I at this age would want such a non exhilarating car. I may also add that I does have many cool features a’la S-class unfortunately many of them aren’t standard but the seats is something that you simply cannot hate, they are so freaking comfortable, you even forget that you are sitting. Price wise the car is a bit pricey. The 300hp version cost around 50k which is more or less the same price as a 306hp 540i.
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damn Luw you really testing cars, first Lexus and now S80

I have also driven the C70, and as a matter of fact it was a Volvo test car. I maxed it out. Gotta live an maintain. If testing cars is a crime then you are as quilty as me

Nice review.

I think the S80 would meet most of our expectations.

It sounds like a nice car. Thing is, I don't think I want a cruising car at the moment. Give me something smaller and more agile.

If I was in the market for a car slightly bigger (?) than a 5er/E/A6, then it would get a look, for sure.

The interior looks good though, and I'm also of the opinion that Volvo do some of the best seats in any affordable category. The exterior looks pleasant enough, but certainly more evolutionary than revolutionary. It's not such a bad thing anyway.

Thanks for the review, Luw!

The interior looks very good in this color combo and the exterior design is the best i have ever seen from Volvo (the front lights and the grille remind me a bit of Audi Q7 ).
Overall i 'm not sure how this car drives but judging from the photos it's a nice alternative to the German competition.

That said, I prefer the C6. It's so much more... unique.

Are you talking about the citroen, or the A6?

Nice review Luw, seems like it's just a plain old Volvo, so nothing different!

From the pictures I love the design, looks so much more rounded than the old S80, and looks fresh and model! Do you think they will make an R model?

Awsome review Luw. The layout is great, great written and if I didn't know you were Swedish I'd think it was written by a professional English journalist.

As for the car. It is a Volvo so everything you said isn't really a surprise, and your right when you say that Volvo lovers will cherish while other people will just go for something else.

And I just have to give kudos to Volvo for their seats because it's impossible to give too much about that. I've spent nearly 12 hours in a Volvo seat whereas about 8 were without a break and I still thought I could spent alot more time there. Even the back seats are that comfortable, at least if your not 3 people back there.

The s80 in indeed larger than the competitors. compared with the 5er it is atleast 1cm longer in every dimention. What makes the S80 2.5T really attractive is it's asking price of 28k which about 80k less than a 525i. Ont he other hand it doens't come with that many goodies. Options such as active chassi, keylss go, BLIS(blind spot camera) are not standard. Volvo produce very comfortable seats and I'm suprise them manage to improve them with every new model.
if you guys ever get the chanse to take a deep look at an S80 V8, open the hood and take a look inside. you will be amazed by how compact the engine is. It barely takes up any space in the gigantic engine bay.

Regarding an R model, the supposed beast below have been spotted which is rumored to be an S80R powered by a turbo charged V8 developing 400hp. It all sounds promising but with the S80 V8 having an asking price of 50k I'm sure that an R model would cost atleast 60k which is more than what most people are prepared to pay for a Volvo.