Faults:

Driver lumber support broke.

General Comments:

The good:

Brilliant level of specification and you can enjoy owning a big euro V8 sedan without looking like a poser simply buying a badge (BMW, Audi , Mercedes).

4c suspension on mine at least, works great, switching from rolling around like a ship to riding as if you're in a sports sedan.

Although this system works great, I still would not say the handling is impressive but rather more predictable/capable in the firmer settings.

The Dynaudio stereo is truly the best I’ve experienced in any vehicle; I have heard upgraded systems which customers have spent many thousands upgrading and these still cannot match the crisp and full bodied sound of the S80.

Performance off the line is exceptional! I live in a hilly highway area and my commute has a number of steep uphill passing lanes where the S80 blitzes past queues of slower traffic.

However at particular speeds the gearing is too long and it can take a moment for revs to build.

Love the air conditioned seats also.

Turning headlights are great.

The AWD system never lets the front wheels chirp under hard load, always fast to engage the rear.

Fuel economy I see is 11.8/100km consistently on my hilly commute with some motorway driving also.

The Bad:

Driving position!

I am 6,4” and find it lacks leg room for the driver, seat does not go back far enough.

Throttle pedal feels like it is in an uncomfortable place for me and I need to bend my ankle too far back to rest on the accelerator.

The seats although supremely comfortable are too short in the base for a taller driver and lack lateral support when cornering.

I felt more comfortable behind the wheel in the V70, S80 (2002) and 960 I’ve owned which is a shame.

Reliability:

Over 30,000km so far and aside from the lumber support failing, not a single hiccup or reason for concern.

I work in vehicle sales for Mitsubishi which has given me the opportunity to experience a wide range of models and makes through trade ins and through friends and family.

I’ve also owned many Volvo models such as 960’s, 740, 245, 850R, 940, V70 T5, S80 T6 (2002).

In summary the best car I’ve owned and IMHO still a much better car than what many new vehicles on the market today.

Shhh don’t tell BMW, Audi, Mercedes buyers, I like that the Volvo badge has zero poser appeal.

Faults:

Tail light went out (only aware of this due to warning system). Searched the problem online, and as recommended, fixed it by hitting the light housing!

General Comments:

Decided I wanted a car that had plenty of room for 4 or 5 people and good for long distance. Also wanted a car with good fuel economy. Unfortunately purchased this car before I read other horror stories.

This car is very comfortable! Seats are great as is the stereo.

Performance is adequate; it's not going to light your world on fire, but if you force it, it will get off the line fairly quickly. I was happy to trade performance for fuel economy, however I have been disappointed by how much fuel it uses (about 18L/100km), which seems very high to me! Not sure if this is maybe due to a fault, but I will ask about it at the next service.

Quality wise it seems pretty good; some interior materials seem slightly flimsy, but overall very good.

I haven't owned it long enough to comment on reliability.