Test drive Volvo S80 1998 - 2003 sedan

The character is Nordic, even

The word Volvo has recently flashed in the news. And even then to say - how is it a company capable of, as it turned out, in such a short time to completely update the model range, could have been in hibernation for so long, stubbornly releasing - yes, reliable, but differed by a lethargic and uncomplicated design? Of course, there were developing new pendants, engines, electronics ... But what did the consumer see? And he saw the corners, massive racks of the roof and a complete absence of temperament.
 

At first glance on the S80 model, standing in the exhibition hall of the press center of the plant in Torslanda, it became clear that the author’s team under the leadership of the arc Fraster had achieved his own. Recognition in a new style - that’s why the designers fought. The elongated, two -level hood and trunk, located at a significant angle to the longitudinal axis, the front block -phara - undoubted innovations, but the proportions and silhouette of the car remained traditional. You can not recognize the Swedish flagship only from behind - the shape of lanterns invented by designers is very unusual. But again, having seen them once, you can’t confuse the car with anything. In this form, which we immediately nicknamed the piano, the creators make a special emphasis - all presentation attributes are decorated not by the traditional blue -white Mars, but by red with an image of the rear lamp S80.
 

Before the car body goes to the painting chamber, it is necessary to completely remove dust from it - this operation largely determines the final quality of the paintwork.
 

The task is not easy, and solve it in different ways. For example, in the paint shop of the Volvo plant in Torslanda - where the S80 model is made - new equipment was recently installed. It seems to be ordinary - dust from the body is removed with rotating brushes, as on a mechanical car wash. Static electricity is also used here. The material of the brushes is unusual - ostrich feathers!
 

The company asks to calm down with ostrich fate - only feathers that have fallen naturally are used, as well as those that are carefully plucking from birds bred on special ostrich farms.
 

Of course, to brush off the dust from the collection of thin porcelain, you can’t imagine anything better than a panicle of ostrich feathers. But see this on an industrial scale! It is a pity that the panicle is not included in the standard S80 equipment.
 

The locals reacted interestingly to the car. We stayed many times in cities and villages, at parking lots near restaurants and yacht clubs, and at first no one paid attention to the car - there is never a few foreign cars rolling out in Sweden. But as soon as someone saw an emblem on the radiator or a nameplate on the trunk, as it should: this is Volvo?! - And the car was instantly surrounded by numerous spectators, who, as we understood, for the most part adhere to very conservative views on auto design and are adherents of forms that have been traditional until recently for Volvo. They relate to all kinds of innovations wary and were greatly concerned - how did it not affect the change in the appearance of the security and reliability of the machine? It seems that if it were not for the ever -increasing competition and not the risk of being suppressed from the market by more reversing companies, Volvo would have produced its angular irons ...
 

The S80 model should replace the outdated Volvo 940/960 and mainly intended for America. However, the employees of the company's marketing department did not ignore other regions - this is evidenced by the scope and thoroughness of the preparation of the test for journalists preceding the world premiere, which will take place at MIMS in Moscow. Your humble servant and test pilot Alexei Vasiliev went to this event from the motor editorial office for this event ...
 

During the introductory course of everyone, of course, we familiarized themselves with the technical characteristics and features of the design of the new car, but we will not dwell on them here - the relevant information can be gleaned from the July number of the motor. Now - a test drive.

 
In the morning we were given a legend and keys, asked not to violate the rules of movement rudely, and also not to be late for a change of cars, planned 150 km from the city. We got the most powerful version - S80T6, with an automatic transmission, supplemented by the GEARTRONIC mode.
 

The engine is almost not heard, and with closed windows in the cabin - generally complete silence. With the adjustment of the passenger seat, I managed quickly, two of its mechanical adjustments allow only the distance to the torpedo and the back tilt. But Mr. Vasiliev had to dig into - the driver's chair has so many settings that you need to know exactly what you want from him in advance. However, you can adjust the landing in motion - electric drives allow. The driver's remote control has memory - in three provisions.
 

They twisted a little on the site - and on the road. Vasiliev - behind the steering wheel, and I still look at the dashboard. It has two displays. The left shows instant or general fuel consumption and its stock, and also gives recommendations that help move most economically. Also in the left window, the number drew from the built -in phone is displayed.
 

On the right display - the odometer data and the figure showing what the transmission is turned on, both with automatic and manual operating modes of the checkpoint. The elasticity and power of the motor is clearly demonstrated - the first switch occurs at 60 km/h, the second at 100, after that it is better to look not at the device, but at the road.
 

After overtaking the third gear and forgetting after that about the box, we calmly moved around the city - with restructuring, accelerations and almost complete stops. The thrust on the bottoms is confident, but the engine acquires real abuse only after the turbocharger is turned on, i.e. After 3000 rpm/min. For a smooth increase in power and smoothing the so -called turboyams, two small parallel working turbines are installed on the motor. Each is driven by exhaust gases from three cylinders, and thanks to the selected ignition order (1-5-3-6-2-4), turbines are spinning as if in turn.
 

With a sharp pressing of the accelerator, the car makes a very energetic throw forward, which is accompanied by wheel slipping in low gears - does not work at low speed of the APS. Fans of acute driving along a slippery road will help the stabilization and control systems that are included in the standard equipment of Volvo S80T6, and are set to order in other versions.

 
The gchteborg is a small city, but the movement here is quite intense, and the game started at the beginning of the path is quickly tired of the game - in the city mode, a regular machine gun is more convenient and copes with its responsibilities perfectly without outside help. We go to the freeway - here you can fully evaluate the smoothness of the course and dynamics of the S80.
 

It turned out to be pleasant to go in a car leading the champion of Russia. Having sufficiently observed Vasilyev on racing tracks, I did not expect that on a public road he would turn into such a calm and neat driver. Fast, but smooth accelerations, correct overtaking, soft braking ... Plus, the comfort of the car - I fully enjoyed the movement ...
 

As already noted, the cabin is very quiet. The engine is listened only to high speeds. The turbine is not heard at all. Occasionally, when hitting cracks in the asphalt or traveling to the side of the road, light slap slaps are heard. The body at such moments does not react to irregularities at all - a multi -link suspension on the subframes perfectly extinguishes vibration. The S80 overcomes more serious obstacles such as railway crossings or beds of police officers very peculiarly, in the words of Mr. Vasiliev - as a truck with a trailer. The truck here is the front bridge, and the trailer is the rear wheels. The front of the car reacts to unevenness normally, rising at the time of collision and then rolling down, and the rear bridge simply swallows the obstacle, allowing the body to maintain a horizontal position. Either this is the result of the suspension setup and its interaction with the stabilization and control systems, or the NIVOMAT body has been installed on the machine - we never figured out. But the effect is very unusual.
 

The work of numerous electronic systems is also felt with straightforward movement at high speed. Periodically, there is a feeling that the wheels begin to live some of their own, a separate life - the car cries or is barely twitching. Apparently, the computer believes that there is a risk of demolition, and brakes the wheels ...

 
In the middle of the journey, Alexei and I switched places. By this point, I was already roughly imagining what the car was capable of. But one thing is to go a passenger, another is to twist the steering wheel yourself. The steering turned out to be sensitive, with a good reactive moment. The brake and gas pedals are rather elastic and informative. In a bunch of multidirectional steep turns, the S80 is perfectly held on the trajectory, demonstrating absolutely neutral rotation. Here it is not only in the suspension and electronics, but also in the excellent car weighty, which, coupled with a successful ratio of the base/track (1.77) - makes the machine a little subject to transverse rolls. Well, powerful stabilizers in front and behind successfully fight longitudinal.
 

On the left side of the steering wheel, a cruise control keys were found. Our path at this time ran along the hilly area with numerous descents and climbs. Having developed the desired speed, I pressed the power button and removed my leg from the gas pedal. On the horizontal surface, the car rolls evenly, at the beginning of the rise slows down a bit, then the tachometer arrow shows a quick set of revolutions, and the speed is leveled. But on the descent, the car itself does not know how to slow down - you have to interfere and hold it out of moderately accelerated car all over. And this is with such an amount of electronic systems!
 

They changed the car at the intermediate point. This time we got a version with a 2.9-liter atmospheric engine and a 5-speed mechanical gearbox. The machine is calmer than the T6, but not much, although the difference in engine power reaches 70 hp. According to passport data, when accelerating to hundreds of S80 2.9, it loses a turbocharged version as much as a second, but subjectively this is imperceptible - primarily thanks to a mechanical box. The programs are approximately equal, the engine is elastic, and acceleration occurs evenly and confidently. The impression is slightly spoiled by a soft and uninformative clutch pedal.
 

In terms of quality and comfort, cars do not differ from each other. The only inconvenience is that the bright smooth coating of the second one glitters, reflected from the windshield. In T6 with a dark salon, we did not notice anything like this. And after all, the designers were paid attention to the intra -axial rear -view mirror, supplying it with an electrochromatic filter that protects the driver from blinding. And what about the panel?
 

The first day passed without adventure. They began the next, but the car is not to blame for this. In the car’s cabin, we did not find a card with a new route. Rather, at first there was a card, but someone from the group before the start took it to see. And I forgot to give. And we left the hotel parking last ...
 

The general direction was known, and at first we tried to catch up with one of the colleagues in order to sit on the tail. Where is there! It seems that the signs of speed restrictions are visible here except ours. Realizing the futility of our attempts, we calmed down and went to look for a place for photography.

 
Traveling is good, but traveling well (by Volvo, for example) is even better. Well, if this also happens in a country so well -groomed and pleasant to the eye as Sweden, then it doesn’t happen better! We rolled in turn, in a free shift, taking places in front or behind. They turned anywhere, stopped, stared at the beauty, went to the cafe ... The day flew by unnoticed, they got a lot of pleasure, and in the evening they also met familiar television people on the road. Tearing out of their rows of the operator with the camera and conveniently placing the latter in the trunk, we were able to appreciate its volume.
 

They returned to the city together, but on the road were again lost. I had to do it on my own. The autobahn with the pointer of the gchteborg was found quickly, but as a result they drove into the city from an incomprehensible one and ended up in an absolutely unfamiliar area. The map and tips received on the gas station helped slightly. The gchteborg is located on several islands connected by bridges and tunnels, there are such complex three-, four- and five-story interchanges that it is impossible to get on the right road, not knowing how to read pointers.
 

We searched for their hotel by the method of sequential approaches - about 10 km in every hour. And they found it - two hundred meters right on the course, but ... on the other side of the river. It remained to find a ferry crossing. A long walk was good for us: having left for a walk to the city at night, we moved so confidently that they could probably give the headedless to some local taxi drivers ...
 

Two days, almost completely spent in the car, left a very pleasant impression. The car is really luxury, provides an equally high level of comfort to both the driver and all passengers. An excellent climatic installation allowed us not to be afraid of either traffic jams in the sun or the evening coolness of the coastal zone. Silence in the cabin is an important point: you are less tired, which is especially important on a long trip. Fortunately, we did not have a chance to test the security system in the work, but the large dimensions, the solid behavior of the car in motion and the reputation of Volvo, of course, inspire both calm and confidence.
 

The final bar to the S80 portrait is the built -in GSM standard phone. Oh, how many calls began with the words: you know, I'm here in Sweden somewhere, I say from the car ...
 

Text: Evgeny Romatovsky, Alexey Vasiliev
 

Photo: Authors.
 

SPECIAL OPINION
 

Alexey Vasiliev, Miller Pilot team racer
 

Workplace of the driver

Much more convenient than on previous models. The slope of the central console is significantly increased, but it has become more massive, which narrowed the legs space in the pedal area. However, the side surface of the console is made well - the knee does not rest on any ribs and corners. A large number of support control keys are difficult to immediately figure out what's what. The mirrors and opening buttons are not very successful - to get to them, you have to either move the elbow back, resting it on the back of the seat, or bend the wrist strongly.
 

Landing

It happens easily: unlike most machines of a similar class, the S80 has a low threshold. However, as already mentioned, the driver's legs are placed in a narrow and long tunnel. It is convenient and familiar to the racer, but some owners may not like, especially those who have excess weight. The large angle of opening of the doors is convenient at the entrance and exit, but the doors themselves are long, and you have to reach far to the handles. For some reason, drawing elements of locks are absent or poorly, you have to vigorously slam the door, overcoming the elasticity of the sealing of the opening.
 

Seat

Convenient, the location of the elements is successful - the central soft inserts on the back and pillow, falling under the weight of the body, and more elastic side, fixing the back and hips. The headrest is not regulated, but its shape allows a person of any growth to rely on it with the back of the head, so the headrest will be useful not only in an emergency, but also for unloading the cervical vertebrae. A large number of configuration options - the final adjustment will probably be able to carry out only after 5-6 days of constant operation of the machine. I would like to lower all the entire chair below - even with my slight growth, the landing seemed high. The upholstery material is very good: the skin in combination with the roll has excellent frictional properties - it is quite possible to do without such developed lateral support.

 
Review

The front and side for Volvo is simply beautiful: the front racks are quite narrow, although they contain part of the inflatable curtain. The massive panel is located on the same level with the lower cut of the windshield. The wipers hiding under the hood is convenient. A passing is clearly visible in the rear -view mirrors, but the dimensions of the car are not felt, since the body in the central part is much wider than in the rear. In the darkness, the rear lights are helped on board. Ring to reversing is not easy - the feed of the car is high. With the headrests thrown down, the review does not improve, especially since passengers can be behind.
 

Steering wheel

It is more convenient than in the previous series. Even steep wooden inserts that are available on some versions do not interfere with holding it in their hands. The fracture point of the steering column is far from the steering wheel, which, in combination with adjustment in length, allows you to choose the optimal position. The steering wheel switches are unsuccessful - when working with them, too much effort is required, and the effect of pulling is absent.
 

Pedals

The clutch pedal on the S80 2.9 is too soft and uninformative due to a powerful hydraulic drive, the operation area is small. The brake on both versions of the machine has a low move and works very efficiently. The gas pedal is not connected mechanically with the engine, so the force on it is always uniform, this allows you to accurately dose the strength and degree of pressing. On versions and with mechanics, and with an automaton of the gas pedal and the brakes are located strictly under the right leg. A very good stand for the left - tall, comfortable and exactly in its place.
 

GPP lever

On a car with automatic transmission, an headman with a rib is inconvenient in front. If it was a clean automatic machine - it's okay, but when switching manually in the palm of your hand, the corn can appear. Version with mechanics - without complaints: the lever is convenient, you can work with it without tearing your hands away from the armrest, only with a brush. It is especially good that the force attached to the movement of the lever to the right and to the left is the same.
 

The overall impression of the salon

A very pleasant and thoughtful interior, ergonomics is equally well calculated for both the driver and passengers. There are some disadvantages as the manufacture of plastic elements. The built -in telephone is great, but the number of the number of the number is located to the right of the steering column, and the display on the left, so you have to look back, taking it away from the road.

 
Suspension

Quite soft and long -term, stabilizers of the transverse stability and front, and from behind prevent large rolls. The back cart moves as if separately from the car. If even a slight difference occurs in the frequency of rotation of the wheel - for example, when hitting a small obstacle, the electronic system slows one of them, and the car seems to squat and slip. In fact, exchange rate stability is on top.
 

Engine and box

From T6 I expected better dynamics. Probably, with a mechanical checkpoint, one could achieve more impressive results, but the 6-cylinder version with turbocharges is equipped only by automatic. But S80 2.9 - with a less powerful engine and pen - a very successful machine in this sense.
 

Controllability

Very good. A heavy, long -playing car is obedient and predictable. A hydraulic booster with a variable characteristic allows you to very purely perform any maneuver - within a reasonable one.


Dynamics

Not that excellent, rather good - the class of the machine and its mass corresponds.
 

Brakes

Provide a reliable and confident slowdown. Electronic assistants and successful amusing prevent the body's skills during braking, the redistribution of masses on the axes does not occur, which allows the control systems to make a greater force to the rear wheels. ABS has never worked, this suggests that the brake efforts are agreed with the mass of the machine and the type of rubber.

 
Bliss

A good car is not for me, of course, but for my father, for example. The machine that determines the face of its master is respectability, confidence. For me, it is quite unexpected that Volvo managed to make such a car, so the pleasure of it is double. For a complete buzz, I would like a more temperamental version.
 
 
 

Source: Motor magazine [No. 9/1998]