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Pricing
The Volvo S80’s window sticker is $39,400 including the $695 destination charge. Add the V8 engine and AWD system and plan to shell out $48,045 to start. Check off every option, and the S80 V8 AWD can run into the low $60,000 range. Ugh. The most expensive extras include the Sport Package ($2,495), navigation system ($2,120), rear entertainment system ($1,995), Audio Package ($1,550), chrome 18-inch wheels ($1,495), and adaptive cruise control ($1,495).
Outside
Sized about the same as last year, the new Volvo S80 gets a longer wheelbase and wider track for a more athletic, planted look. Front overhang is excessive, but otherwise the S80 is a stylish and balanced automobile, taking the bold design themes established with the original and refining them. I disagree with critics who say the S80 is too derivative of the original, but I do think this new flagship should have been made larger to create more interior room and a more compelling value equation.
Inside
Scandinavian luxury is the Volvo S80’s interior theme, where spare strips of wood bring warmth to an austere cabin. Adopted from the S40, the S80’s waterfall-style central panel aims to make common controls easy to find with secondary programmable features accessible through a menu display that, depending on the desired function, can be operated only when the car is stopped.
Under the Hood
Powered by Volvo’s new 3.2-liter inline six-cylinder engine, the standard S80 makes 235 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and 236 lb.-ft. of torque at a relatively low 3,200 rpm. The more expensive V8 model’s Yamaha-built 4.4-liter engine generates 311 horsepower at 5,950 rpm and 325 lb.-ft. of torque at 3,950 rpm. Both engines are connected to a six-speed automatic transmission with manual shift mode, and both require premium fuel. EPA fuel economy figures were not available when this was written. Six-cylinder models come with front-wheel drive, while V8 models are exclusively all-wheel drive.
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