2001 Volvo S80 SE 2.4
Summary:
A very comfortable and safe ride
Faults:
Car was delivered with alarm and immobilizer faults. In the first month of ownership, Volvo had the car for 3 weeks. It took 3 attempts, in total, to resolve the problem - a faulty component and a loose connection.
The door seal (driver's door) was incorrectly fitted and fell out.
Rear position lights are regularly reported as failures, but merely need to be removed and re-inserted; bad contacts here.
In all other respects the car has been completely reliable.
General Comments:
The S80 is the most comfortable car I have driven.
It is the 170 BHP option and is very responsive both on acceleration and braking.
Traction control is first class and it really feels safe; like driving a sofa on rails.
My only criticism is the turning circle. It is really quite atrocious. This is the first front wheel drive I've owned. They can't be all as bad as this can they? A pity since, in all other respects, this is a fine car.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 5th April, 2004
28th Aug 2006, 04:09
Transversely mounted engine is not the problem. My 580 T5 has the same engine, and the turning circle is fine, if not very good.
2nd Jan 2008, 09:35
I assume you mean "850" T5?
The turning circle on these was better than the S60/V70/S80 Phase II models because of the requirement to fit the in-line 6 cylinder engine on this chassis. That wide engine was never fitted to the 850 or V70 Classic (Phase I cars). See the comments above! :)
3rd Jan 2006, 10:24
The turning circle is a big problem on these cars (also S60 and V70), this is due to leaving enough room under the bonnet to mount in-line 5 and in-line 6 cylinder engines transversely (sideways). That's due to the FWD, but FWD cars designed to use 4 cylinder or V6 engines are not as bad, thanks to the narrower engine.