Faults:

Gearbox gear changes are erratic.

General Comments:

A great car with plenty of power.

It is the 2.4 non turbo straight 5 engine with 170 BHP.

This car is currently 14 years old and is in great condition, and put a private plate on it and you would swear it was only a few years old.

When I bought it, the gearbox was a bit confused in choosing what gear to be in, and it sometimes was in a too high or too low a gear for the road conditions. This was rectified by changing the transmission fluid. I gave it a full service within a week of ownership and it now drives like new.

The seating is excellent with multi position black heated leather. The 9 speaker 4 CD stereo system is excellent, and sounds fantastic with a great bass sound.

Fuel costs can be a bit steep, but driven sensibility it returns around 28-30 MPG, but when you floor the accelerator it kicks down 1 or 2 gears and takes off. It's not sports car quick, but at traffic lights puts many cars to shame. The look on some driver's faces is a picture as the 5 speed auto box seamlessly changes up to the maximum speed limit very quickly.

It has climate control, cruise control, electric windows all round and electric sunroof, all adding to the quality of the driving experience.

With it being a Volvo, the only gripe is the headlights are on all the time when driving, and if you switch off the headlights, the sidelights don't switch off when you stop the engine and it doesn't have a warning buzzer. I had a few knocks on my door with neighbours telling me I had left my sidelights on, but I got used to it eventually. Because of that, it does use headlight and sidelight bulbs more frequently than most cars, but having a bulb kit in the boot is recommended.

All in all, this car is very well equipped, fast and comfortable. I will definitely buy the new shape eventually, but for now I will enjoy this car and hope my next one lives up to this one.

Faults:

Faulty FNS shock - both replaced along with sway bar links.

Broken plastic retaining clips in drivers door window - broke twice.

Clicking from steering column on acceleration and deceleration - fixed by dealer using a thicker grease under warranty - no recurrence.

Metallic knock from rear of vehicle audible at slow speed - fixed by dealer under warranty - no recurrence.

Electronic Throttle Module.

Electronic Control Unit.

Numerous bulbs required regular replacement.

General Comments:

If space and comfort are your primary requirements in a car you really should have the Volvo S80 on your shortlist.

My 2.4 non turbo has had two mountain bikes, two suitcases and other paraphernalia loaded inside it and still managed to return over 40mpg when driven sensibly on long motorway journeys.

The comfort is second to none and results in favourable comments from everybody who travels in it.

Fuel economy for such a big heavy car is really remarkable. Around town it has never dipped below 20mpg and it has often exceeded 40 mpg on long journeys.

I've graded reliability as 6 purely because of the two major problems which stopped it in it's tracks; ETM and ECU issues

Dealer service is good, but comes at a price.

This is a wonderfully discreet, supremely comfortable, reasonably economical, executive car with an excellent music system and every creature comfort you could wish for.

When the ECU packed up on it and I decided to replace it the only real replacement option for me was another one.