Test drive Volvo S80 2006 - 2008 sedan
The formula of attractiveness
Volvo cars have long been (since 2003) and more and more confidently crowd the products of eminent competitors in the Russian market. Neither Mercedes-Benz, nor BMW, nor Audi can boast of sales such as Swedes. Each of the German companies sold about 15 thousand cars, Swedish more than 21st thousands in the past very successful for them. In the premium segment Volvo successfully competes with Japanese brands. The achievement, one might say, is phenomenal, although it is understandable: the Scandinavians flawlessly calculated the consumer. Having carefully studied demand, they were able to make such an offer in terms of price/quality ratio, which is difficult to abandon. Non -standard decision
I already somehow had to talk from the pages of auto-investigations that the Swedes did not even think to compete with the Germans and the Japanese, providing them with the opportunity to understand each other. And they themselves put on the peculiarity of their products, which was clearly manifested just in the S80 model. If until recently she was missing, it was a 3.2-liter atmosphere that rose between a 2.5-liter engine with a turbocharger and a powerful V8 volume of 4.4 liters. The car with such an engine and a full -wheel drive system AWD visited the editorial office on a long test, which made it possible to fully evaluate its originality.
First of all, the Volvo S80 is wider than the models that are considered to be direct competitors of both European and Japanese (in comparative tables not all are represented, but only all -wheel drive and similar in other parameters with the S80 AWD). It is the width that primarily provides the car with the very branded highlight: you are not leaving the feeling of space inside, almost homemade coziness, and at the same time the optimal set of amenities. There is no particular luxury in the decoration, but for some reason you are sure that you have not overpaid. The intra-axial rear-view mirror is not as irritatedly close as in E-class; The front panel plastic is not as rude as in the inexpensive trim levels of the five BMW; There is not a single detail in the cabin that would remind you of related to Ford, as in the case of Audi and Volkswagen. And no one has such an elegant thin console at all.
Yes, there is no system like IDRive, and there is no large color display (though it does not particularly need both Legend and Infiniti, since it does not carry a semantic and functional load in them, as in German cars). However, this does not interfere with setting many functions. And a small monochrome screen above the audio system is enough to, for example, choose the operating mode of the steering amplifier. Low and a steering wheel can rotate with a finger. The average in my opinion is optimal in the city. High for active drivers. The on -board computer, by the way, knows Russian, and one funny mistake is connected with this. When the inscription appears on the scoreboard in the tachometer. Do not believe your liquid to your eyes. Because it is necessary to add washing or non -freezing fluid, as eloquently evidenced by the pattern over the inscription. It should be noted that I tested the S80 not in the richest configuration. And, frankly, he was not at all upset about this. Well, there is no active Four-C chassis in it, which allows you to change the rigidity of shock absorbers. So, after all, the settings of the standard suspension, in general, are quite suitable for me and provide comfort, and they do not scare the body rolls in corners. There is no BLIS system that signals the appearance of another car in the dead zone, but I did not have time to get used to it. And, let's say, I personally do not need a hatch. But there are convenient, cramped seats with heated and ventilation lined with high -quality skin; There is xenon; There is an effective system of separate climate control. In general, there are all the necessary attributes of a premium car, no longer to mention the solid appearance.
True, if we are extremely objective, I didn’t like something, and the incredible dirt on Moscow and near Moscow roads is guilty. Firstly, the handles of the doors in the slush are very dirty. Secondly, the trunk lid has to be opened manually, and it is better to do this in household gloves. There would be an opportunity, I would definitely order an automatic opening/closing cover.
The quality of movement
February this year turned out to be ugly: either frost, then thaw, snowfall, then rain. On the roads, it was mostly not only dirty, but also slippery. More fully, I appreciated the comfort of the salon and confident movement to Volvo S80 AWD in any conditions. I would even say confident-reflected movement, unlike some competitors. Both in the decoration and in the equipment, and in the settings of the volvo running qualities, the principle of reasonable sufficiency professes. It is worth talking about this a little more.
As can be seen from the table of brief technical characteristics, the S80 with a 3.2 engine is inferior to all competitors in accelerated dynamics, and many in maximum speed (although I really doubt that someone will decide to rush along Russian roads at speeds of over 235 km/h). Does this mean that the car is slow or boring? In no case! 238 forces and 320 Nm of this potential is more than enough to go quickly. 8.2 seconds to hundreds, shifted from paper to asphalt, are able to satisfy the driver's ambitions of most car owners. In addition, the atmospheric engine is very alive, it actively responds to operation of the accelerator pedal, ensuring a power supply at almost any speed. Of course, this is a considerable merit of an adaptive 6-speed automatic transmission, which can be taught a fairly quick transition by a couple of steps down, if required. In addition, it is possible to change the program manually. And at high speeds into a quiet salon, exciting rumble of in -line six bursts.
The power plant’s potential helps to fully realize the AWD all -wheel drive system, which has already been mentioned at a time. Nevertheless, I will briefly remind you that it is based on the electronically controlled clutch developed by Volvo together with Haldex. It constantly redistributes the moment between the axes, and in the widest range, directing it to wheels, having the best coating clutch. And it acts at the same time with the DSTC stabilization system, which I will not pay attention to this attention. This means that you are guaranteed an effective start from a place and a rather confident movement on a slippery road. But nothing more. It is pointless to demand from this car of purely sports, rally behavior. With the DSTC disconnected, you can cause the demolition of the stern or even a skid, but it is hardly possible to make it managed: the electronic watchman will still try to slow down and (or) reduce the gas supply to put the car into the turn. Exactly, when you do not need this according to the racing procedure. Moreover, if you twist the steering wheel in the calculation that the demolition of the stern will help to fit into the turn, and you will straighten it right away, the stabilization system can play a bad joke with you: brake the front inner wheel, providing completely excessive rotation. In a word, I would not recommend too much different cars are intended for racing too much. But what the Volvo S80 cannot be taken away is a clear transmission of sensations: even on a slippery road, you feel very well at what point the wheels can lose the clutch. Thus, you have a moment in the reserve to make the right decision. In any case, it is impossible to rely on DSTC, since any, even the most cunning system is powerless against the laws of physics, is powerless.
In general, I came to the conclusion that, in running qualities, this large Swedish sedan should arrange many drivers. Those who have to prove something to themselves and surrounding an overly aggressive manner of driving, or who has already proved everything, and now can simply and with pleasure get to the destination. As quickly as he wants. And safe, as far as possible on our roads.
Simple arithmetic
As you can see, the same principle of reasonable sufficiency makes Volvo S80 3.2 AWD the most profitable acquisition against the background of competitors both in price and at the cost of ownership. It is clear that this is just one of the parameters according to which the car is selected, but, you see, the parameter is very important. When buying Mercedes, you definitely know what you are paying for image and comfort. By purchasing, for example, BMW for adrenaline. In the case of Volvo, you can say that overpayments do not require.
At the same time, I have to say that the estimated cost of a kilometer of run is still higher in practice than declared in the table for all the cars mentioned, without exception. In any case, in Moscow. The situation is in average fuel consumption, which depends on the conditions of movement and the quality of the fuel. The manufacturer always indicates optimistic data. In fact, the Volvo picture according to the indications of the on -board computer was as follows. On a weekday, when you do not go through the capital, but crawl, fuel consumption is from 15.1 to 15.6 liters per 100 km. Moreover, the first digit means that you fill gasoline that meets Euro-4 standards (there is such a well-known company in Moscow at gas stations), and the second digit, if you refuel, where it got. On weekends, consumption decreases in the city cycle to 14.8 liters. But I emphasize a similar picture on any other model.
The Volvo S80 assets also have an interval interval of 20 thousand km and relatively low prices for spare parts and consumables.
Oleg Osipov
