A guide to the Volvo S80 saloon car.

A brief look at the history of the Volvo S80 in its relatively short history.

The Volvo S80 marked a change in policy from Volvo as the Swedish company dispensed with its conservative design approach when it was unveiled in the late 1990s. Rolled off the production line in 1998 the car surpassed even Volvo’s expectations for safety, with it named one of the safest cars in the world for five consecutive years.

Whilst the Volvo S80 was notable for the change in tact from Volvo, it was designed with features which would be later used on other Volvo vehicles. The belt lines on the car, light curvature and more aerodynamic styling of the body were all to be incorporated in future Volvo releases, such was the success of the original Volvo S80 run.

Based on the Ford D3 chassis, the first generation of the Volvo S80 was deemed successful due to its incredible safety record, helped by the myriad of safety programmes fitted into the car. As the car was the new flagship vehicle for the Volvo fleet, it was imperative that the firm’s reputation for safety was continued even if the designs were altered.

The car was one of the first to offer a built in GSM phone, a straight-six engine in a transverse engine mount and was a pioneer in the environmental world. These environmental aspects covered everything from fuel efficiency through to the life-cycle and construction of the Volvo S80. It is a step which other car suppliers are beginning to take now, almost a decade after Volvo’s revelation.

The Volvo S80 relied on 2.0 litre and 2.5 litre engines to support its power, with the help of a four speed manual, five speed manual and automatic, as well as six speed automatic gearbox. Whilst the car scored highly in Euro NCAP safety tests, it only gained half marks for pedestrian safety.

In order to rectify this, Volvo built a Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) into their next generation of Volvo S80s, meaning that the car would be able to detect a person or people which the driver was unable to see. The second generation Volvo S80 was available with a variety of engines from 2.0 litres upwards, whilst the transmission was limited to a simple choice of six speed automatic or six speed manual. Shown off at the Geneva Motor Show in 2006, the second generation model was similar to the first generation Volvo S80 but with safety at the heart of the vehicle’s design.