Freedom Volvo

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Walk Around

The Volvo S80 may be the best looking sedan in the mid-range luxury class. It's arguably the most distinctive. Younger people may find that surprising, but folks with longer memories will not. From the late 1940s, well into the 1970s, Volvos ranged from functionally handsome (recall the 122 and 144 sedans) to quirky-sexy (the 1800 ES Sport wagon). For a while after that, as tighter budgets for new-model development forced Volvo to de-prioritize styling, the company cleverly promoted packing-crate ugliness as a self-righteous virtue. It was a successful strategy, and it bought the independent Swedish automaker another 20 years of survival. Thankfully, however, sometime in the 1990s Volvo rediscovered curves.

Americans got an eyeful of Volvo's slinky new style when the first-generation S80 debuted in 1998. It was low and sleek, and rounded at the nose; but with broad shoulders and slab sides suggesting the much-loved 122 of 1956. Strikingly distinctive taillights followed the tapered contours of its rear quarter panels. About all the S80 seemed to share with the Volvos of the previous two decades were its six-window greenhouse and the diagonal stripe across its grille. Visually, it had more in common with a Jaguar than with any Volvo in a generation. And it set the style for every Volvo that's come since.

The latest S80, which debuted for the 2007 model year, dispenses with even the six-window roofline, favoring the semi-fastback profile of the smaller Volvo S60. As a result, perhaps, the S80 now looks a bit like a bigger version of a little Volvo. But it's also even sleeker than previous S80's, and the new roof is said to work better in the wind tunnel. The current S80 is also rounder in the corners, and higher in the tail, where it retains a less massive rendition of those intriguingly three-dimensional tail lamps. Up front, a domed hood still flows into a rectangular grille trans-sected by Volvo's trademark diagonal stripe. The bumpers are clear of arbitrary detail. Brushed aluminum moldings on the lower doors are optional on the T6 and standard on the V8.

The previous S80 looked like a big car. It's harder to judge the size of the current model (unless it's parked next to something else), but its overall length of 191.0 inches almost exactly matches the BMW 5 Series, Cadillac CTS, Lexus GS 350, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Saab 9-5. The Volvo's wheelbase, at 111.6 inches, is the second shortest of this group (only the Saab, at 106.4 inches, is shorter) but is comparable to an Audi A6 (111.9) or Acura RL (110.2), both of which are longer than the Volvo overall. The S80 is significantly larger than a BMW 3 Series or Mercedes-Benz C-Class; but it costs more than those cars, also.

It will take a sharp eye to spot a 2009 model. As with other Volvo's this year, V-O-L-V-O is spelled out wider and bolder on the trunk lid. The base 3.2 has new standard 17-inch wheels Volvo calls Cassini, with a bright-finish, nine-spoke pattern. Standard on the V8 are new 18-inch Balius wheels with a turbine-blade look. The T6 keeps its standard 17-inch Canicula wheels from last year, a bold, open, five-spoke design that we like a lot.

Wheel options are plentiful. The new 18-inch Fortuna Diamond Cut, offered on both six-cylinder models, has seven spokes with a sharp, almost machined appearance that varies with the light. The Venator (also 18-inch, but carried over from last year) also has seven slim spokes but a cleaner, brighter look that makes it our esthetic favorite for both the 3.2 and the V8. Optional on the T6 only are the 18-inch, seven-double-spoke Zubra and 17-inch seven-triple-spoke Meissa (which was standard on last year's V8).

Included in the Convenience Package is the Personal Car Communicator (PCC), an electronic key fob that can lock or unlock the S80from distances up to 110 yards, and can tell you what state the locks are in. It can activate the alarm, and can sense the presence of a human heartbeat inside the car.

Interior

2009 Volvo S80

The instruments in the S80 are mounted in the traditional Volvo trapezoidal binnacle, and Volvo's watch dial instrument faces are now standard on all models. The freestanding center stack that connects the dashboard to the console is a key design element, adding a Bang & Olufsen kind of elegance to the interior. An analog clock at the center of the panel is standard on the V8 and optional on T6.

The switches, controls and instruments follow traditional Volvo themes, but everything is contemporary, including the tachometer and speedometer, more classic and less industrial than in previous designs.

The navigation system, when ordered, pops up out of the dashtop, either by using the steering-wheel-mounted controls on the right rear of the wheel or the provided remote control, which stores in the console. We found the steering wheel controls a bit fussy and hard to use, but owners will figure them out quickly.

A menu system tailors the seats, rearview mirrors, climate control, audio, navigation, and, the amount of steering wheel feel in the car's speed-dependent power steering system.

The sumptuous surroundings in the S80 are amplified by the wonderfully comfortable seats and the generous front and rear legroom that helps to put the S80 car squarely in the luxury class. The seats are available plain, heated, or heated and cooled.

The 160-watt, eight-speaker sound system will play MP3 files and has an auxiliary input for iPods and other players. Also available is a five-channel, 12-speaker Dolby Pro Logic II surround-sound system developed with Dynaudio.

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