Test drive Volvo S80 2003 - 2006 sedan
Volvo with male character
S80 sedan dressed in fashion
For me, so the female word - a car - with respect to the S80 is not too appropriate. The fact that this is precisely the car says at least the famous emblem of the company containing the masculine icon. In this case, completely corresponding to the potential of the sedan. And what is fashionable today among men? To keep yourself in shape, look representative, have good manners, be able to support the conversation, whether it be the premiere in St. Petersburg Mariinka or communication with a car service mechanic. The flagship Volvo is quite capable of emphasizing the dignity of the owner. Moreover, after restyling and with a new, more powerful engine. Image strengthening
What has changed in this car compared to the previous version? Firstly, body design. True, there are not many innovations in it and only a fan of the brand will notice them. It’s the same as changing the jacket on two buttons - to fashionable, four -pugful: those around them hardly focus on this, but they will certainly miss that you began to look more elegant. The appearance of the car as a whole noticeably freshened. Pay attention to the modernized front end with the original radiator grille, modified fog lights with a more powerful light of lamps, another bumper that received a chrome bar in the air intake area. The shining metal is now also covered with door handles, a bar on the lid of the trunk and thin moldings, passing under the windows and sides of the doors.
The main innovation from the back was the lanterns, which are now slightly smaller than the parts of the predecessor’s details in the form of the details of the predecessor, and in fashion have acquired stop-signals based on LEDs. According to recent studies, such lights light up several times faster and brighter than conventional tube, and accordingly warn the drivers traveling behind your actions. In addition, the shape of the rear bumper and door mirrors slightly changed. As for the salon, it was practically the same. Easy changes in the color scheme of the plastic of rotary regulators and buttons, a slightly redesigned dashboard, as well as the transfer of door handles to a zone more convenient for the hands - that’s all. However, there was no need to say the interior in honor of the interior. The flagship S80 is from those cars with which you get used to just a few minutes of communication. Thanks to clearly worked out ergonomics and very high -quality decoration materials, for which it is damn nice to take your hands - whether it is the hood opening lever, a glove compartment or a button of seats, lined with light skin. The only drawback of the interior of a particular car that has been on the test, which, however, in many ways only a matter of taste is a steering wheel with a wooden rim.
It is not as convenient to hold on to him as for a steering wheel, sheathed with skin - if it is hot on the street, and the air conditioner works inside, the palms instantly begin to slide. Otherwise, everything is at the highest level. This applies to the convenience of planting the rear passengers, and to the sound of a chic radio with a built-in CD-Diski chainer, and to visibility. That's just the TV, the monitor of which smoothly emerges in the middle of the front panel, disappeared slightly. With our broadcasting standards, he jokes poorly. This option itself costs about four and a half thousand dollars, but for its reconfigure it will have to be given about one and a half thousand. Light and affordable
The British have an expression of Easy Going. In the case of the Volvo S80, it is time to translate it verbatim - easily going, or, in our case, traveling. The main news in the updated sedan is a five -cylinder 2.5t motor, which replaced the previous engines with a smaller one hundred cubic centimeters with volume. As in the previous versions, the new power plant is equipped with a low pressure turbine and begins to pull from low revolutions. How is this motor good? Firstly, increased to 210 horsepower with power and a torque, now reaching 320 Nm. Paired with an automatic five -speed gearbox, the engine shows a very decent agility, accelerating this difficult car to hundreds in only eight and a half seconds.
The maximum speed is 225 km/h. At the same time, I note that the speed set occurs completely imperceptibly and smoothly, there is no sharpness, a jerk of a machine gun, and shrill slippers. Among other things, the new motor is equipped with a system of changed phases of gas distribution, due to which it is quite briskly responded to press the gas pedal and helps in fuel saving. During a torn city ride, the business class sedan consumes only a little more than twelve liters per hundred kilometers - at least, it was this figure that the side computer gave out after I burned a whole tank of gasoline over the weekend. Agree, a very moderate indicator. On the highway, things are even more raining - when moving at a speed of 180 km/h, the instant consumption of fuel, again, according to the on -board self -script, does not exceed eight and a half liters. (Here I would like to make a reservation: the editorial board of automobile news advocates for full obedience to the rules of the road and a civilized driving, and we try to carry out all such tests of cars on closed roads or early in the morning on empty straight straight tracks). If it came to suburban highway, then this is perhaps the favorite element of the front -wheel drive S80. The car suspension is almost perfectly coping with irregularities, not missing the blows to the body, and confidently holds the car in gentle speedy turns. With the speed of speed, the force on the steering wheel also increases, which is now equipped with a new electrical power of ZF, so it is not difficult to manage a large sedan. If you go slowly or when parking, the steering wheel, on the contrary, becomes easier.
Meanwhile, thanks to the flat and balanced character, the S80 is able to please active drivers who prefer movement, as they say, on the verge of reasonable. The main thing here is not to pay too much deeper than you expect, the body rolls, especially if you go by fan, and very flat seats with low -development lateral support (although, at sizes, the S80 is not the car that is bought for racing, Accordingly, in flat pillows there is a reason - they, unlike the buckets tightly squeezing the body, definitely will not remember the jacket with a shirt). Meanwhile, the car completely obey the driver’s actions, begins to slip completely expectedly and smoothly, and is caught by simple manipulations of the steering wheel and the accelerator pedal. However, with regard to the victory over the rolls, it remains for us to wait for the S80 modifications to appear on the Four-C active all-wheel drive chassis, combining the functions of almost all active security systems. This technology was developed jointly with the famous Ohlins Racing. Each shock absorber several dozen times per second automatically changes stiffness settings depending on the conditions of movement - at a low speed, the chassis becomes softer, and with speed, on the contrary, it pours hard muscles, thereby ensuring the constant grip of the wheels and accurate reactions in response to driver actions. In addition, the driver can independently configure the suspension, including pre -installed modes buttons - sports, comfortable. According to Volvo representatives, this machine will have an even more reliable character. We, for our part, undertake to check it.
Volvo Driver sounded with dignity
Today, the meaning of the expression is not too pleasant for the Swedish company has completely changed. To manage modern Volvo means to ride quickly, confidently, with very decent comfort and, most importantly, safely. The latter is the long -standing horse of the company, one of the first in the automotive world, who was thinking about protecting the life and health of people sitting in the salon. In this sense, the S80 is no exception - the model is equipped with all conceivable electronic safety systems, a complete set of inflatable pillows, powerful anti -jacket bars in the doors. The Swedes even took care of small passengers - already in the basic version the armrest of the rear seat is laid out in a children's chair with its own belt and headrest. Finally, another advantage of S80 remains its price. The car, which visited the test, was distinguished by a very rich equipment, and therefore its cost is close to the mark of fifty -two thousand dollars. The basic sedan with a 2.5t engine and a mechanical gearbox can be bought for $ 41,900. For the machine, you will have to pay extrax one and a half thousand conditional units. Very moderate money, especially when comparing it with the main competitors - Mercedes E -class, Audi A6 and the five BMW, with the invariably high status of the machine and its quality.
Sergey Ilyinsky
Brief technical characteristics of Volvo S80
Engine volume, cubic meter. See: 2521
The number of valves for the cylinder: 4
Power, l. with. at about./min.: 210/5000
Max. Torque, Nm/at about. min.: 320/1800-4500
Acceleration to 100 km/h, p.: 8.5
Maximum speed, km/h: 225
Average fuel consumption l./100 km.: 10.2
Fuel tank volume, l.: 80
Dimensions, mm.: 4822x1832x1434
A source: Newspaper "Automobile Izvestia" [No. 17 (40), 2003]
