Test drive Volvo S80 2006 - 2008 sedan

Calm fighter

The speedometer exchanged the first hundred after 6.5 s, and checking the maximum speed limited by electronics, even in the Kad area seemed to be madness: at best, would be left without rights. 250 km/h: on the roads of Russia, speed and half this outside the law!
Do we have another Japanese or German shell on the test? By no means
Sweden, which I first visited almost 10 years ago, left a deep mark in my memory. This was my first trip abroad, and the difference seemed too big: we had. The contrast was all the more striking that I visited not some southern country, eleven months a year bathing in sunlight.
Sweden is like a native to us because of the harsh, despite the gulf Stream, a winter with abundant snowfalls and a chronic minus on the thermometer. So, we residents of the cold part of the Earth should be similar. But what?
There are not so many points of contact: except that we have a common love for blondes, hockey and large cars in solid, spacious inside and powerful. Very powerful.
This general is not so global, although how we unconditionally accepted the Volvo brand 15 years ago (and how IKEA is now accepted) proves the proximity of the Swedish ideas of the Russian soul. True, not everyone accepted the VOLVO refusal from brick forms, and it took several years so that the Scandinavians return their positions in Russia.
But now the sales of the Swedish manufacturer are growing the fastest in the business class. Largely thanks to the Volvo flagship, the new generation appeared here last year!
Business is Swedish
Is it a joke 315 forces?! This fact should add to the owner of the S80-strob of pride in his car, because if under its hood is the most powerful V-shaped eight in the line, supplemented by a mandatory motor for this motor, movement can significantly increase the level of adrenaline in the blood.
But only if you give a time off your personal driver and get behind the wheel yourself. It will be interesting to manage the S80 both the connoisseur of honed ergonomics and the fan of racing sensations. Although, no aluminum, carbonate, or (let me forgive me alone if anyone does not know) you will not meet the tides on the steering wheel.
Although, what am I talking about? Volvo S80 is, if not a business class standard, then a definite follower. And the most pleasant thing is that this very business does not press the severity of the interior forms.
Yes, there are many elements in the cabin confirming that Volvo is a classic, but, believe me, this is a solid classic! Smooth contours of the front panel, comfortable instruments, inserts made of polished wood, shapes repeating some bends of the car body
And what is the central console suspended in the air, which, despite the buttons traditional for Volvo, looks easily and organically fits into the overall architecture of the cabin.
But we were distracted to evaluate the dignity of the interior in the parking lot. It is time to give free rein to the 4.4-liter unit, which occupied the lion's share of the engineering space!
By the way, the attachment of this engine developed by Yamaha, even had to be redrawn so that it fit under the hood.
Volvo S80 is quite sharp in management; In addition, the accelerator pedal reacts to the driver’s commands immediately: having slightly sorted out with acceleration, a couple of times I had to sharply besiege the car, which passengers perceived without proper understanding.
Yes, and control the solid dimensions of the machine in tight motion with the help of not the largest mirrors is unusual.
The branded BLIS (Blind Spot Information System), widely used by Volvo would have come in handy. It monitors cars located in the dead zone, and in case of danger, LEDs located next to the mirrors signal the driver that it is better to wait with one or another maneuver.
But even for the S80 with a top engine, the BLIS system is not included in the list of standard equipment
Specifications:
Dimensions, mm (length x width1 x height) 4851x1861x1493
Road clearance, mm 150
Equipped mass, kg 1 742
Trunk volume, l 480
Engine volume and power, l (l. P. At rpm) 4.4 (315/5 950)
Acceleration to 100 km/h 6.5 s
Maximum speed 2502 km/h
Fuel consumption
(city/highway/on average) l/100 km 18.0/8.3/11.9
 
1 excluding lateral mirrors
2 is limited by electronics
Express ordered?
In order to increase the recoil of the motor, the engineers carefully worked on the transmission. GEARTRONIC box is a worthy tandem with V8! In automatic mode, the transmission completely eliminates, and when moving Kick-Down (pedal to the floor) does not slow down with the choice of gears.
In manual mode of switching the gearbox, the engine return is felt even better, if you allow the tachometer arrow to walk for the mark of 5000 rpm. This, again, is largely the merit of Yamaha motorist. The engine with a solid power reserve somewhat compensates for the thoughtfulness of the gearbox. In the Volvo S80 with a 2.5t engine that happened earlier, GEARTRONIC clicks the programs not so agile.
I liked the behavior of the S80 in corners, their Swedish expert passes, as in rails. Largely thanks to the Haldex AWD all -wheel drive system with Instant Traction technology, which allows you to drive an almost two -ton car in turn.
In ordinary life, the leading axis is front: it accounts for 95 % of the thrust, but in the case of slipping the rear wheels, the torque can throw back, distributed between the axes in a ratio of 50:50.
By the way, the AWD system is not equipped only by the weakest S80 modifications with 2.0 and 2.5T powers with a capacity of 145 and 200 liters. With. respectively. With a 3.2 engine, all -wheel drive can be ordered, and with engines 3.0 T6 and 4.4 V8, it is default.
Drive for four
The Volvo S80 AWD management on a winding road gave me pleasure and clearly less passengers.
The rear seat seems to be wide, but it is clearly designed for two. When three are sitting behind, its lateral support forces the extreme passengers to fall off to the center, and the seated in the middle suffers due to an extremely uncomfortable profile.
The suspension is quite comfortable, except that you can add a little stiffness to the rear shock absorbers so that the car sways less on the bumps.
This is possible only to connect the Four-C system, which regulates each shock absorber depending on the road conditions and driving style.
The control mechanism is simple: you need to choose one of the pre -installed Comfort, Sport or Advanced modes; The rest of the electronics will take on. But this system is optional, and it was not there either on a test car either.
In general, if desired, S80 offers its owner almost all modern options as it should be the flagship of the brand in the premium segment. But what kind of place in the segment itself is the Volvo question. S80 still gives the comfort and confidence of this business class, bakes about the security of the owner and is quite appropriate as a machine with a personal driver. Although, for example, in a large German three car with driver, these are a higher class machine.
On the other hand, let us recall: once the volvo-di-divers was jokingly called the elderly drivers who were weaved in the extreme right and were annoyed by more active participants in the movement.
These stereotypes of the Volvo S80 V8 are crushing. The right row is now not for him a fighter of calm loves and knows how to ride quickly. Although the last word, as always, is behind the driver ...

The car is provided by the Svid-Mobile company, the official Volvo dealer.

Text: Alexander Mikhailov
Photo: Roman Ostanin
 

Source: Wheel magazine [No. 124/2008]