Test drive Volvo S80 2006 - 2008 sedan

Extra horses

The Swedes scored themselves by arranging a test drive of the new Volvo S80 on their native land. For a comprehensive assessment of the driving capabilities of the worst car than Sweden, there is probably no place. Do you know what Sweden is on the road? These are beautiful autobahns, which, by European standards, are almost empty (it seems that they have not heard about traffic jams in most areas of the country), which means that at least theoretically allow you to drown all over the piece of iron. These are quite decent roads of local significance, very poorly loaded, on which, if desired, you can also squeeze a lot. But there is a cornerstone - iron road discipline.
Restriction of speed in the Swedish autobahns - 110 km/h. On ordinary roads - where 90, and where 70. In settlements - 50. Of course, you can ignore these numbers, but do not hope that your antisocial tricks are ignored by the local traffic police. Astronomical fines. Deprivation of rights - easily and mercilessly. And The traffic police do not sleep. Radars and informers. The first, as luck would have it, in the most delicious, a la racing areas. The second potentially everywhere, in any neighboring car, in a roadside house, on the sidewalk. The Swedes of Symbolism are accustomed to inform where - and report. Civil duty, order first of all, discipline cannot be hooligan, you are not here.
 
Well, why should I, one wonders, here, in a masochist, a powerful high -speed car that has risen in its own law -abiding? I’m going on the new S80 for a beautiful empty autobahn 120-130 km/h (if that, maybe it will be able to write off the error of the devices) and feel like a conjured stallion (good at least not a grain). The 4.4-liter 315-horsepower eight drag me-it was borrowed from the XC90 SUV and transversely inserted under the hood of the S80-and drags it very well. It is felt that in all modes there is a more than a decent supply of traction (this is documented by the declared 440 nm of torque), and you just need to put pressure well ... no, not necessary, otherwise they will be tapped and shot. Calm, Hippolytus, calmly. Stay today by the notorious volvo-pyver.
 
But there is no thin one without good - with a relatively unhurried ride, you can slowly comprehend the car. (I won’t talk about the salon, I hope you can see everything in the photo. It is only worth noting the tactile sensations - everything is quite soundly and expensive to the touch.) Here is the steering wheel, for example. Its amplifier has three settings modes: completely cotton Low (damn comfortable for parking maneuvers), medium (so, fish, no meat) and very sharp High (oh! What is needed on the highway). However, it is quickly boring to play this toy-once or twice I set the mode and forgot. What can not be said about the modes of the suspension setup are also three of them, and playing them is very interesting. You press the Comfort key - the shock absorbers soften, and the riding acquires a kind of American sofa imposing. You turn on Sport - the suspension is tightened, and now we are going hard and tenacious. Well, if you want almost stool hardness (and almost racing tenaches in corners!) - this is the Advanced key. But this is perhaps harsh for a business class and even more so for a Volvo-Diver (joke).
 
The new Volvo S80 model debuted at the Geneva Motor Show under the motto Scandinavian luxury. Such statements are obligated a lot, especially when you consider that the eighties performs in that market segment, where it is customary to relate quite seriously to luxury. Whether the Swedish luxury of German or Japanese will be surpassed, another question, but in hygiene the Swedes will certainly give the head start to many. For the first time in the world, the Swedish Association for the prevention of asthma and allergies was applied for the first time in the world, the concept of a clean salon - when removing the car from the protection, the salon is automatically ventilated within one minute.
By the way, the suspension can not be set up-it is active adaptive here; The Four-C system monitors rolls and accelerations and decides how to squeeze/dissolve shock absorbers. As for the purely suspension iron, MacPherson here is in front, and a multi -link design is behind.
 
... Damn, what kind of red light did he suddenly blinked around the left mirror? Oh yes, this is the Blind Spot Information System), it looks back in the mirrors with television cameras and reports that someone is catching up on the left side and is now in my dead zone. This someone in fact turns out to be two cheerful girls in the open Saab, who, mercilessly beeled by subwoofer basses, bypasses me and Borzo takes forward. Wow, law -abiding Swedes - they probably have two hundred on a speedometer. But what about the road discipline? I feel wounded - they can, but I can’t?
No, I will not overtake them. Just catch up and check whether my car looks forward as well, as she looks back.
 
Gas to the floor. It's nice to press it into a chair. According to the passport, acceleration from scratch to hundreds - 6.5 s, and how many have passed from my 130 to the Dogon did not detect, but caught up quickly. (Yes, I forgot to say: I have a full-wheel drive with a haldex clutch and a 6-speed machine.) Ba, but they have a German number! So these are not even the Swedes of the greyhound, but the weaknesses.
And then they begin to discard speed - smoothly, but quite intensively. Looks like they thought that I caught up with them to write down the number and to tap where should be ... now the speed is lower than allowed. Carefully, on tiptoe, I am approaching the rear bumper of Saab, and then a concert with color music begins in my salon. A red lamp lights up in front of my eyes, and a squeak yells into the ears (similar to alarms that howl under the window at night). This works the CW (Collision Warning) system, which looks forward and warns me about the danger of excessively close contacts with unfamiliar women. But the decision should be made by the driver - the system selects the brake clearance to a minimum, which accelerates the inhibition process, and the pedal must be crushed by himself. I give it, of course. And then I turn on the active cruise control and tightly cling to the Germans at a short but safe distance. They now go sponsors, or, as they say, minesweepers - it works in Russia (the traffic cop, as a rule, removes the first car), but maybe in Sweden too? .. Poor Frauleins, they probably cannot understand Why some Herr (this is translated from a German man or master) pursues them. And he just tests the most delicious of the safe systems of the new S80.
 
Well, why do I need a powerful high -speed car here, in a masochistic of their own law -abiding Sweden? Here I am going on a beautiful empty autobahn and feel like a hollowed stallion (good at least not a gelding)
By the way, the mighty subwoofer bass from the open Saab at times continue to reach me (you see, German women are very tight in the ear, since they need such thunder volume). This reveals the features of the soundproofing of my S80-in the cabin I have a cozy silence (engine, tires, wind and blowing from the advanced climate control almost never heard), and, probably, this is why loud external sounds are heard, although weakly, but clearly. Will we drown out all the superfluous? I cut the radio, and all the noises are replaced by the caravan of Duke Ellington, and in excellent sound - the standard music of the S80 is more than decent. So decent that if I was offered an optional one for $ 1200-1800, which is hollowed by Sirraund through the latest digitalizer Alpine and a dozen Dynaudio speakers, I would still think? However, I have not listened to Ellington on such technology (I'm at my house, excuse me, on Vinil, still recorded by the Soviet turntable), so why not ...

Text Sergey Sorokin, photo Volvlo

Volvo S80
 
Gasoline engine, v8
Working volume (cubic cub) 4414
Power (L.S. at rpm) 315 at 5950
Moment (nm at rpm) 440 at 3950
The gearbox is automatic
6-speed
Length/width/height (mm) 4851/1860/1490
Equipped mass (kg) 1742
Maximum speed (km/h) 250
Acceleration to 100 km/h (c) 6.5
Fuel consumption average (l/100 km) 11.9
Price in Moscow $ 75,000

 

Source: "Autopilot"