Volvo S80

Volvo's S80 is excellent value and well laid out inside, but the driving experience falls short and the diesel engines are comparatively unrefined.

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Rating:
On the road price: £0 - £48,100
For : Price, generous equipment, mid-range punch, good seating position
Against : Unassuming styling, five-cylinder D5 too coarse, small boot, unsettled ride quality

Driving:
Most Volvo S80s will feature the company's five-cylinder D5 diesel. It may be down on capacity compared to larger rivals, but it still has a healthy 185bhp output. Couple this with a light kerbweight, and you've sprightly acceleration. On the road, it offers muscular mid-range torque, but annoyingly, had an intrusive engine note. Put simply, the five-cylinder is a touch coarse, and not as pleasant to listen to as rivals. There were also vibrations through the clutch pedal, and the six-speed manual gearbox is long-winded and ponderous compared to others. Promisingly, driving dynamics were developed here in the UK. Certainly, anyone coming from the old S80 will be instantly impressed. The new car has a far stiffer chassis, less steering kickback and rides more comfortably, especially on rough roads. But it's not as settled as we'd have hoped, and doesn't smother bumps brilliantly. Nor is all well in terms of handling. The front-wheel-drive chassis doesn't feel as sophisticated as rear-driven competition. And although it's capable through corners, with good turn-in, grip and limited roll, the Volvo's mature personality means it's not that enjoyable to drive, and not as agile as rivals.

Marketplace:
Although Sweden wants to take the fight to the Germans, it's not being overly ambitious. Volvo aims to sell 5,000 S80s a year in the UK - that equates to about a third of annual BMW 5-Series sales. Smoother and more aerodynamic than its predecessor, the new S80 is also less imposing, and doesn't have the heavy shoulder line that gave the original character and an air of solidity. It's unmistakably a Volvo, but fails to stand out. There are five trim levels and five power outputs, including the popular D5 diesels - and this is the first Volvo saloon to be available with V8 engine power; the 4.4-litre model is also the only S80 to be available with 4WD. Rivals include the BMW 5-Series, Audi A6, Mercedes E-Class and Saab 9-5.

Owning:
The S80 may be shorter than its key rivals, but it still offers generous accommodation for two in the rear, with sculpted backrests which split and fold to boost practicality. It's worth noting that the front passenger chair folds, too. However, the 422-litre load bay is the smallest in this test, and is blighted by a narrow opening. Drivers have a much better time of things than their luggage. The seats are plush and well padded - if not that supportive - while there is a wide range of adjustment on the steering wheel to enhance the superb driving position. The focus of the interior is the floating centre console. It's not such a design statement here as in the S40 compact exec, and you can't really use the space it frees up, but it's well laid out and simple to use. It's excellent value too - our test SE was the cheapest car in the group when we pitted it against rivals from Audi, BMW and Mercedes - and while it's only one rung up from the base S80, it still gets electric leather seats. Residuals look strong too, and pence-per-mile costs are competitive. Shame we averaged only 34.2mpg from the diesel engine.