By Tim Barnes-Clay

THE S80 V8 combines grandeur with grunt thanks to a brutal engine mated to 315 horses.

You’d think it’d look great with all that muscle under the hood – but you’d be wrong. On the outside it’s not very exciting – it’s quite dull actually. But inside, the seats are superbly comfortable, and the dash presents the controls in a way that makes the driver’s job easy. The materials all have a quality feel, but the whole interior effect isn’t quite as engaging as BMW’s or Audi’s high end offerings. 
However, there is a lot of technology going on inside the S80. At the base of the windscreen on either side there’s a red warning light that comes on when cars behind move into your blind spot — detected by small cameras mounted under each wing mirror. There’s adaptive cruise control, too, which maintains a selected distance from cars in front and brakes or accelerates without input from the driver.

Then there’s the Intelligent Driver Information System, which monitors how much stress the driver might be undergoing based on throttle input, steering angle and indicator action. If it thinks you’ve got too much on your plate, it delays any incoming information that isn’t safety-related, such as phone calls or texts.

The S80 is an undeniable brute in the V8 spec. As you would expect with a powerful all-wheel-drive, it has loads of grip and grunt. Unfortunately it just feels a little too safe, and there’s very little feedback through the steering. So, this is no ‘driver’s’ car, but the upside is definitely comfort. The S80 swallows up the awful road surfaces we get in the UK effortlessly.

I must admit I’d rather have a BMW 5 Series or an Audi A8 Quattro instead of this Swedish offering, but for people who just don’t ‘do’ German cars, and want more ‘whistles and bells’ as standard, then the Volvo S80 is a great alternative.

PROS ‘N’ CONS

Exceptional passenger comfort √
Strong engine √
Technology √

Dull looks X
Not a driver’s car X
It’s not German X

FACTS

Max speed: 155 mph
0-62 mph 6.5
Combined mpg: 23.7
Engine layout: V8, 4414 cc
Power: 315 bhp
Torque: 440 Nm
CO2: 284 g/km
Max trailer weight, Unbraked (Max) 750 kg
Price: £35,495 (On the road)