Volvo S80 – First Drive: Safety and security are no longer the sole provinces of Volvo. Several car companies with greater resources than Volvo’s cash-strapped parent, Ford, have co-opted these characteristics, and now the former Swedish automaker finds itself suffering an identity crisis. Furthermore, the rather small new S80 flagship isn’t much bigger or better than the less expensive S60, which itself isn’t much bigger or better than the entry-level S40. As a result, it’s difficult to see the value in, or purpose of, this new top-end Volvo. Aimed at the big guns in the luxury sedan class, the pricey 2007 Volvo S80 over-promises and under-delivers.
