The Volvo S80 is a brand new car with significant improvements in every sense. The new S80 is built on the Ford EUCD platform along with other Ford models - the S-MAX, Mondeo and Galaxy, although these are very different models. The S80 has new 3.2 L 6-cylinder or 4.4 L V8 engines and can be all-wheel drive. The V8 has 316 hp and 440 Nm of torque. Developed in conjunction with Yamaha, this engine is one of the cleanest V8 engines in the world and was first introduced in the Volvo XC90. The interior of the S80 is considered one of the most comfortable in the entire car industry - the car is much more luxurious than the previous generation and boasts an atmosphere of "Scandinavian design". The car is undoubtedly renowned for its superior safety features - it is rated excellent for front, side and rear-end crashes and is better than its German or Japanese competitors. In addition to many common safety solutions, the car also offers a BLIS (Blind Spot Information System) system to help keep track of blind spots invisible to drivers, as well as a system that checks vehicles in front and alerts the driver if they get too close. All in all, it's an extremely safe, comfortable, solid and quite good-looking car, the only question is whether it will attract younger buyers, which Volvo has been struggling with lately.
I’ve been driving it for more than two years. Before I had 2004 Audi A6 3.0 TDi AWD. However, the mileage run didn’t satisfy me (180.000 miles), this resulted in constant repairs…So, I decided to look for a better alternative, better ration of quality and price. This Volvo S80 was my first one. It had very good mileage, seemed to be well-kept and maintained, plus I knew how popular it was due to its safety and size. In fact, I was totally surprised. Sound-proofing equals to Audi, but the chassis seems to be a lot more comfortable than Audi. This I realized only after my first ride with Volvo. Even though Audi dealer assured that there’re no prob with the vehicle yet driving it on a bumpy road caused additional chunking sound. This appeared to be completely different with Volvo. If to compare the interior space, I think Audi is more spacious than Volvo. Nonetheless, the quality of the material used for Volvo interior is excellent. Seats are also very comfortable. An automatic transmission provides a superior driving comfort and smooth gear shift.
Performance
This engine is quite good and relatively economical. In the city it consumes about 26 mpg. But I think it’s normal bearing in mind Volvo’s size and automatic transmission. In winter time it didn’t’ cause me any problems, the only thing I had to do was to change the car battery. Once I to tried Volvo with petrol engine… what can I say, it works quieter, more pleasant, but since I do plenty of business trips, fuel consumption is my top priority.
Reliability, running costs
Every vehicle loses its value, sooner or later… But I pay more attention to its durability rather than the depreciation. So if to assess the cost of overall repairs, I’d say this Volvo will keep its value for some time.
Recommendations to buyers
Like with any other expensive or luxurious vehicle, be attentive to it, and constantly take it to a care car service to have it checked. Although well-kept diesel vehicles are hard to find, still it’s possible to find the lucky one.
Best rated hatchbacks
Best rated sedans
Best rated SUVs
Best rated coupes
Commercial vehicles
