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Swede heart
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The Volvo S80 reflects the chilled-out nature of the Swedes and comes loaded with equipment and safety features Ouseph Chackogives it a try
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Class and comfort The firm cushion and an eight-way power-adjust makes driving S80 a real pleasure
The new Volvo S80 is a comfortable, spacious and extremely relaxing car that reflects the fun-loving chilled-out nature of the Swedes. During summer, most of Sweden takes a breather and enjoys the weather and the Swedes are definitely not the harsh V
ikings that most imagine them to be. The Volvo S80 breaks away from the boxy styling of earlier Volvos of the seventies and eighties and every part of this car feels like it has been manufactured to provide maximum comfort to the passenger. Without any flashy details or ‘Bangle’ lines, the style of the S80 is conservative but definitely a step up by Volvo standards at least. Volvo has chosen to give more importance to solid, safe engineering rather than style statement and performance, much like the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. The Volvo S80 looks elegant and simple.
Drive in comfort
The comfort provided in the driver’s seat is simply amazing with a perfectly firm cushion and an eight-way power-adjust that helps find an ideal driving position, while slim A-pillars improve visibility. Given the fact that this car has black interiors, it still feels airy and spacious and black leather, brushed aluminium and chrome make it look elegant on the inside as well. Though on one hand the simple dials with floating needles are easy to read and are clear, I would have preferred at least 15 buttons less on the ‘floating’ central console as this makes it hard to find the right one especially when the car isn’t stationary. However, the four large rotary knobs that control the air con and audio system are easy to operate even while the car is on the move. You can simply walk into the S80 with the key in your pocket, push the engine start button and take off as this car comes with Volvo’s Personal Car Communicator (PCC) system. Even at the rear, the passengers will find the seats extremely comfortable with ample legroom — the wheelbase of the S80 is only a little shorter than that of the Merc E-Class.
A choice of three engines will be given to the Indian buyer and all three — a 2.4-litre, 185bhp five-cylinder, common rail diesel, a 3.2-litre 238bhp straight six petrol and a 4.4-litre 315bhp V8 petrol — comes with Volvo’s six-speed Geartronic automatic transmission. All are transversely mounted (so as not to compromise the crash structure), the straight six and the diesel powering the front wheels, the V8 with an all-wheel-drive system. The 315bhp all-wheel-drive is silky and gives out amazing performance and the Geartronic system on this version works a lot better than the five-cylinder diesel, which isn’t as quiet as I hoped. On the diesel, the six-speed auto seems a little lethargic and is slow to kick-down, which is a disadvantage especially if you have to make a quick overtaking move.
Volvo’s Continuously Controlled Chassis Concept (four-C) suspension system is also featured on this car and it comes in three modes, namely Comfort, Sport and Advanced. The Sport mode stiffens the dampers, while Advanced stiffens them even further for those max-attack driving days. This system interacts with the stability control, engine, brakes and steering to interrupt any ruffian tendencies you might have; so it can be quite a killjoy, especially when you feel like having a little fun behind the wheel. The steering too is light, but is speed-sensitive, so weighs up as speeds increase, but not enough. It is very direct and accurate though. However, the Comfort mode helps to iron out any road irregularity and we feel this mode will be best for the roads in our country.
As mentioned earlier, safety is a top priority with this car and it comes with several safety features some of which include The Blind Spot Information System that monitors both sides of the car, Ready Alert Brakes (which work in tandem with ACC and move the brake pads closer to the discs if they sense an emergency braking), water-repellent glass, headlamps that turn with the steering wheel, brake and fog lights that flash when braking forces cross 0.7g and a patented crash structure.
Volvo might not have a huge brand image like Mercedes or BMW but it is a car that has loads of equipment and what makes it even more appealing is the fact that it will be available for an amount that is eight to twelve percent less than a Mercedes E-Class and that makes it really good value for money. Though Volvo will make the S80 available through dealerships in only three cities; Mumbai, Delhi and Chandigarh, the plan is to expand its network after providing complete back-up in these three cities.
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