Faults:

Nothing at all.

General Comments:

I'm 42 and have driven many cars (own, rental, company) and this piece of jewelry is the best I have ever driven, or even seen. It's so smooth and quiet that sometimes you doubt anything is running under hood.

After several troubles from our Camry, I decided to get rid of it, so we tested many cars in different classes, and my wife was always against Volvo cars as "they are old fashioned". When we saw this demo first at shop, she mentioned its pretty regular style and pricey. When she got in, she mentioned it's much better than anything she'd seen before, and when we drove it for 30 minutes, she mentioned she would not get out!

During the last 12 months we have enjoyed every minute of using this car, no matter in city or long trips. I have been dumb to go for Japanese cars for l1 years just to save a few bucks on gas or monthly payments.

Faults:

It's still early days, but so far so only problem is that the entertainment system (radio, bluetooth and sat-nav) all failed to come on once. A quick reset of the ignition and all was well again.

General Comments:

I've been lucky enough to get a seriously fully loaded car. As well as all the usual luxuries like electric heated memory seats, power fold mirrors, high performance audio system, cornering bi-xenon lights, etc, I also have ventilated seats, Colour DVD sat-nav and bluetooth (as mentioned above), rear seat audio controls, four-C chassis and a few other nice bits.

It's a real gadget fest, which in my book is always a good thing. Of all these features, the chilled seats are the best addition. On a hot day they are as important (if not more) than being able to heat the seats in winter. Absolute bliss.

Moving on to the more important stuff, what is really remarkable is how much better this car is from the last generation S80. It looks better inside and out, you now have more control about how the car does its job (configurable power steering assistance and timing on find me home lights for example), the electronics do the things they should have always done (fold mirrors on locking, global window opening from the remote, etc) and best of all the car is finally a joy to drive. Whereas the old S80 was stodgy and uncertain, the new one is sharp and alive. It's still no sports car, but it has shook off the feeling of being old fashioned and slow witted. With suspension settings of Comfort, Sport and Advanced you even get to decide just how firm and responsive you want the car to be.

The 185bhp D5 engine with the 6 speed geartronic box has also been markedly improved. All the vibration and jerkiness of before is now gone, whilst the characteristic 5 pot growl remains. However, at lower road speeds some coarseness remains and this can become annoying. Thankfully, at motorway speeds the engine is silent but responsive - a great combination for long journeys.

Best of all, despite the shared underpinnings with the latest Ford Mondeo - the S80 remains a Volvo. The controls and layout are clearly an evolution from the old car, bettering it where possible, otherwise keeping things the same as before. An owner of the old S80 will have no trouble settling in and finding how everything works. The seats are still Volvo seats, only better somehow. Still comfortable and designed to prevent whiplash injuries and backache, but also more supportive and less squidgy feeling.

If anybody still harbours doubts that Ford's takeover of Volvo was a bad thing, then this car should dispel such fears very quickly. We still have Volvo, but it's all so much better somehow.

I have just two complaints, the boot shuts with a plasticky clack instead of a good thunk and the fancy new floating centre console has a rough edge that can rub against your leg, but that's it really. With so little to moan about for someone as fussy as me, Volvo should be very proud indeed.

Average MPG has been 37.1 (imperial), with one very long journey and lots of shorter journeys throw in. That includes lots of giving to temptation to hear that 5 cylinder roar!