The Volvo S80 arrived at our editorial office four months ago. It's time to take stock and share what we've learned during this time.
A fresh car usually doesn't require expenses — in the first months it runs without breakdowns and doesn't create holes in the family budget. All costs are covered by the warranty service. But even a new car, regardless of the brand, has its own minor ailments. Somewhere engineers didn't think things through, somewhere they made mistakes in electronics settings. Our example was no exception. After a while, the climate control unit started malfunctioning for no reason. The car stopped maintaining the set temperature in automatic mode, ignored recirculation, and also turned on the driver's seat heating at full power — which in August, you'll agree, is completely unnecessary. We struggled with this problem for a couple of weeks and eventually went for warranty repair.
The diagnosis was this: the control unit was faulty. They replaced it quickly, in about two hours, and we could again use all climate control functions without issues. But there was, of course, little pleasant in this story.
Now there are no complaints about the car. Moreover, almost every week we find some pleasant little detail in it. For example, if you open the trunk in the dark, the tail lights automatically turn on from behind. It seems like a trifle, but from a safety standpoint, it's a very smart solution.
And we also accidentally discovered that the car has power window closers. You set the alarm, hold the button a bit longer — and the windows close by themselves. After this incident, we finally looked into the manual. Previously, it seemed that experience would be enough without this thick book, but it turned out that it hides a lot of useful information.
Now about money. So far, we only spend on fuel, and that's pleasantly surprising: the consumption isn't that high. In the city, if you drive calmly and by the rules, the 2.5-liter engine fits into twelve liters. On the highway — less. If you keep the speed up to 130 km/h and don't press the pedal to the floor, eight and a half liters are enough. For such a car, that's quite tolerable.
Driving
The car is well balanced in all key parameters.
Interior
Spacious, thoughtful, and comfortable. It has everything you need.
Comfort
You can feel that the manufacturer tried to make the car the best in its class.
Safety
Both active and passive safety are at a good level. The base trim is supplemented with options.
Price
Corresponds to the car's class.
Pros and cons
+ Excellent sound insulation, smooth acceleration without jerks or dips, modern and comfortable interior.
- Kickdown engages with a delay. The steering wheel isn't as sharp as we'd like. There are occasional electronics glitches.