To convince as a luxury sedan, the Volvo S80 needs to be quieter inside and better isolated from the road when the Four-C adaptive suspension is set in “Comfort” mode. Also, Volvo lets the driver select steering effort levels through the central control menu, but even at its stiffest the steering is too light for energetic driving. Grip is decent, and the V8 AWD model rockets out of turns with verve, but this is no sport sedan. Volvo is proud of several brake system innovations, and they do, indeed, work like a charm, but unlike several European competitors the new S80 doesn’t include a brake drying system for rain-slicked roads.
