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2008 Volvo S80 3.2 Road Test

I've always felt a certain kinship with the Scandinavian countries, as well as

There's just something about Volvo design that really helps it to stand out in a crowd. (Photo: Steven James Day, American Auto Press)

a strong desire to visit them, but I'm not quite sure why. It could be due to their high standard of living and that as societies they're modern and liberal. My wife thinks it's thoughts of friendly, blond Scandinavian women. Maybe.

I think that it has to do with their design skills. Over the last few decades, Sweden in particular has produced a minimalist style of its own that manages not to lose any functionality despite looking cool. The best part when it comes to Volvo's latest sedan, unlike the flat packed furniture from a certain Swedish furniture warehouse that invariably gets mentioned in the same sentence whenever I use the words Volvo and design, is that you don't have to assemble the S80 with an Allen key yourself.

Though both Swedish carmakers, Volvo and Saab, are now the property of American MNCs (and have been for some time), this has been more of a good thing than some will be willing to admit. If there's one thing that they haven't messed with, it's the Swedish design philosophy. Truly, it hasn't been watered down at all. Ford, of course, owns Volvo, part of the Premier

The S80 retains the coke bottle shape of the first S80, but its edges have been smoothed over slightly. (Photo: Steven James Day, American Auto Press)

Auto Group (or what's left of it). And while Aston Martin was sold off, and possibly by the time this article goes to print, Land Rover and Jaguar will be owned by India's Tata, Volvo will most likely stay in the house of the Blue Oval. Whatever your opinion on the impending sale of the storied UK nameplates, I feel that while it's a shame Ford couldn't make it work they are keeping the keeping right horse (luxury brand) in its stable.

So what of Volvo? The latest offering in their march upmarket is the second generation S80. Earlier last year we had the V8-powered version, a car we found to be an excellent contender in the European premium sedan war, even if it isn't as powerful or as involving to drive as its rivals. I drove it only briefly at that time and came away impressed, so impressed that I just had to get behind the wheel of another one. This time, though, I spent the week behind its smaller-engined sibling, the 3.2.

Between two very attractively styled fenders sits a transversely mounted, naturally aspirated inline-six that produces 235 horsepower at 6200 rpm and 236 lb-ft of torque at 3200 rpm. Although this is a brand new

This new straight six, first seen on the XC90, is smooth, but it isn't as powerful as some of its rivals. (Photo: Steven James Day, American Auto Press)

engine for Volvo, the inline-six configuration served duty in the previous generation S80, in its earlier years. Upon start up, the engine noise that it creates is different than the inline-six of a certain German brand, but when summoning maximum forward thrust it produces quite a nice sound. The 3.2 has plenty of acceleration and passing power, but if you want more I might suggest opting for the T6 model. Its smaller 3.0-liter I-6 is boosted by a turbo to make 281 horsepower. And there's always the fantastic-sounding and more energetic 311-hp 4.4-liter V8.

The standard 6-speed automatic that comes with all S80s is a smooth shifting gearbox. Volvo's manumatic transmission program, Geartronic, works well when extra acceleration is needed off the line, although it's only activated via the console-mounted shifter as there are no paddles on the steering wheel. I don't see this as being too much of an issue, however, as the average S80 driver is not going to be flying about around hairpin turns trying to furiously downshift ... at least they shouldn't be as that isn't what this car is designed for.

Only Volvo could make an interior as warm and as inviting, yet as contemporary as this. (Photo: Steven James Day, American Auto Press)

Of course it's not designed to haul trees around either, but that didn't stop us from doing so, and during a blizzard no less. My wife and I dropped the rear seat and slid a wrapped and bagged 6-foot Christmas tree in without any problems. Regarding the blizzard, I can't help but wonder why Volvo wouldn't at least offer the Haldex AWD system as an option in the 3.2, as it comes standard in the T6 and V8 models and is available with the 3.2 in other markets. Being that this yearly tradition is a family event, it was handy to be able to still bring my son along; he sat on the “40” part of the 60/40 rear seat. Something I found odd is that the S80 doesn't have the outboard booster seats of the XC70, V70 and V50. I realize that the S80 is aimed at empty nesters or those with older kids, but I'm sure some S80 owners might have grand children that they take with them from time to time.

At $46,180 my S80 was very well equipped, at least for an entry level model, lacking only the navigation system and the 650-watt Dynaudio premium sound system. The standard system sounds pretty good, but if

Adaptive Cruise Control is linked to the collision mitigation system. It's an option package well worth considering. (Photo: Steven James Day, American Auto Press)

you want more than a single disc player or MP3 capability, you have to shell out for the upgrade, which isn't too costly at $1,650. What my S80 did have was the Climate Package and Collision Avoidance Package. At $875 the Climate Package adds a lot of must-have features (at least for a car in this price point) such as heated front and rear leather seats, rain sensing wipers with heated windshield washer nozzles, and high-pressure headlamp washers. One downside to the $495 front and rear park assist is that, if is gets covered in snow, it tends to beep a lot. Fortunately Volvo has an override button to turn the system off, a good thing since the beeping can be quite jarring. Our tester also came with the $2,495 Sport Package, which includes perforated leather seats, speed sensitive steering, active bi-xenon headlights, and Volvo's Four-C active chassis. The standard 18-inch wheels that come with the Sport model were replaced by a smaller set of 17-inchers fitted with winter tires.

The Four-C Adaptive Chassis first seen on the now departed S60 R and V70 R, has three settings: Comfort, Sport and Advanced. Generally speaking, I left it in Comfort or Sport when driving in town and Advanced when driving on the highway, just to tighten things up for highway speeds. As the S80 feels like a smaller car than it is and handles as such, provided you don't ask too much of it, I probably could have used Comfort all of the time. Thanks to the standard 17-inch wheels with snow tires, the 3.2 rode smoother than the 18-inch wheel and tire shod V8 we had.

It looks cool, but the console is a bit cluttered, and the buttons are a touch small. (Photo: Steven James Day, American Auto Press)

The seats are the stuff of chiropractor fantasies. I spent two straight hours in them without any problem whatsoever, and don't remember the last time I enjoyed such comfortable and supportive seats. What people say about Volvo's seats are absolutely true. In general, the S80's interior is fantastic. It looks great and all the materials exude a quality that is immediately impressive and should hold up very well long term. Except for the myriad of buttons on the floating center console, everything is well laid out and easy to use without having to resort to pouring over the owner's manual.

Although wood trim might be most peoples' choice with the sandstone beige interior, my car had nice cross-hatched aluminum which provided a nice contrast to the deep brown of the wood. While I loved the spacious feel of the sandstone beige color and how it stands out in a sea of black interiors, I would probably still opt for black with the aluminum trim. Boring, I know. One thing I would've liked is a heated steering wheel. You'd think that the Swedes would be all over this, but not so. I believe it would make a good addition to the climate package.

Cross-hatch texture on the no-cost aluminum trim is different, but cool nonetheless. (Photo: Steven James Day, American Auto Press)

For $1,695, the Collision Avoidance Package is priced the same for either the 3.2 or the V8, which is excellent. I like that Volvo allows you to have some important safety features no matter which trim level you choose. Included are Adaptive Cruise Control, a Collision Warning System, Distance Alert, Lane Departure Warning, and Driver Alert Control. Available as a standalone option is the $695 Blind Spot Information System (BLIS), which both my wife and I really got used to during our week with the car. It makes driving more relaxing – if the orange light goes on, you don't even need to even bother looking to change lanes, or if the orange light is illuminated, this means that you don't have to take your eyes off the road to do a shoulder check, only to find out there's a car there.

Also available on its own is Volvo's Personal Car Communicator (PCC) for $495, which allows you to lock and unlock the car and start it while leaving the key in your pocket or purse. But it also can tell the driver the status of the car, as it is linked to a heartbeat monitor inside. Press the information button on the fob and it will tell you whether the car is locked, unlocked, if the alarm's gone off, and even if someone is still in your car. I don't know

It's nice and comfy back here too. But why, Steven asks, doesn't the sedan have the wagon's booster seats? (Photo: Steven James Day, American Auto Press)

how often that would happen, as it's probably very hard to break into the S80 short of smashing a window. I used it a couple of times to confirm that the S80 was indeed locked, just the same, and I could see how some who live in high crime areas would find the system comforting.

The last option on the list was $475 for metallic paint. I usually loathe gold colored cars, but the Shimmer Gold suited the S80. I still don't think it would be my first choice though, as I'm still struck by how much I liked the Oyster Grey of the V8 S80 we had.

As for the 3.2, the one question worth asking is it really worth the extra money for the V8? Well, probably not in this day and age of high fuel prices. If you have the extra to spend and feel as though you would need more oomph, then by all means it's worth it for the auditory sensations alone. It's one of the best sounding Volvos this side of a 740 with a small block V8 swapped under the hood. The lower cost and better fuel economy of the 3.2 is more than adequate for

The details make all the difference. (Photo: Steven James Day, American Auto Press)

90-percent of S80 customers, and is well worth a drive if you're shopping in this class.

Inside and out the S80 is pure Volvo. Its new, evolutionary styling looks the part, and I find it just as distinguished as an Audi A6, but not as boring as the E-Class or as bold as the BMW 5-series. Some have said that the S80 looks just like a big S40, but I don't really see this as being the case. Volvo has been smart to tweak the look of its cars, giving its family of products a cohesive but strong image. And although the general styling is similar between vehicles, I don't see it getting stale any time soon, as their designers are hard at work creating fresh new products. The C30 is a good example of this. As Volvo tries (and succeeds on many levels) to become a higher end premium brand, it will also need to rope in buyers from the upper and lower ends of the market place, and with cars like this it shouldn't have a problem doing so.

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