Volvo S80 2.0 SE (2008) CAR review

The Volvo S80. There’s a name to conjure with, to roll around your tongue and to savour the depths like a complex Bordeaux. Who are we kidding? The S80 is one of that small clique of large cars that aspire to the premium level but always fall someway short of attaining the necessary desirability. But does that mean the Volvo S80 is a bad car, or even a not-very-good one?

Of course not, as hundreds of chauffeurs and taxi drivers will testify. Sitting in the back of an S80 after a night out is a very pleasant experience, even when sober. But bringing in the punters is still hard work so for 2008 Volvo has introduced new petrol and diesel engines, both four cylinder, both two-litres. The entry-level 2.0 petrol SE is a bargain £23,495.

Sounds a little compromised

Sticking a two-litre Mondeo engine into an S40 might sound like a reasonable proposition, but you’ve a right to be concerned about the same 143bhp unit in the bigger, heavier S80. Power isn’t really the issue. The S80 can cruise reasonably well on the motorway, one- or two-up, and at higher revs the engine feels lively and responsive. It may seem unseemly to drive a car like this on the gearbox but it’s a solution some of the time.

Where the S80 stumbles so miserably is in urban conditions. Torque is in short supply at the best of times but at low revs it seems paltry. That leads to some oh-my-God moments pulling out from road junctions where acceleration feels even slower than the 0-60mph time of 11 seconds implies. That’s with just the driver on-board. With a full compliment of passengers it could get scary.

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