2014 Volvo S80 D5: Review

New Volvos are all very stylish now. Cars like the S60, the XC60 and the V40, all look stunning and have a very desirable aura around them. Far from these new generation Volvo cars stands the S80. A replacement to the S80 is still some time away so the car which is in its ninth year of production in current form gets its second update. But does the update shrug off the old-school vibe around it and can it appeal to the luxury car buyer who is already spoilt for choice?

The facelift tries to make the noticeably previous decade styling of the Volvo S80  as contemporary as possible. The new front grille is more angular and all that acres of chrome helps it shine through. The front bumper is completely redesigned with large horizontal chrome lines running from end to end. In fact, in an attempt to make the S80 look more upmarket, chrome is used generously all around the exterior of the car.

On the inside, the understated theme carries forward. The floating centre console is classic Volvo, the wood finish is old-school and the fit and finish, well, it's good, but not outstanding. What the Volvo S80 truly lacks on the inside is the flair of the Audi A6, and the contemporary air of the E-Class and the 5 Series. The dashboard is minimalist but it is user friendly. Just a couple of hours into the drive, I was using the entire console without having to look at what I was clicking. 

We also found the seats, both front and back, to be very comfortable. The cushioning is just perfect and the seats are large. The only grouse I had was with the lumbar support adjustment – the knob is in a cramped spot that can only be adjusted with slender fingers. The S80 has a roomy cabin as well and with low window sills and large greenhouse, this feeling of airiness gets heightened. The large window area helps give a commanding view of the surroundings from the driver’s seat too.

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The facelifted S80 gets the Adaptive Digital Display console from the V40. The display has three themes – elegance, eco and performance. While the displays change, they have nothing to do with driving modes as there is no change is the S80’s characteristics. The car separately has a steering wheel force setting that can change the effort you put into steering from low to medium to high. While most of the time in city driving, the low and medium setting is ideal, high gives more confidence as you drive faster. The problem is that you have to come to a halt to change these settings. The steering in itself gives very little feedback, true to what the S80 stands for, a car that is meant to chauffer you around, not to enthusiastically carve up corners.

That said, the S80 is no slouch. The car we drove was the top-of-the-line D5 Summum S80. It gets the same 2.4-litre five cylinder engine as before producing 215PS of power and 440Nm of torque. It can accelerate to 100kmph from standstill in 7.8 seconds which is faster than the 4-cylinder units in the A6, 5 Series and E-Class. Top speed is limited to 225kmph. 

The D5 also gets paddle shifters, that I must say have been beautifully finished with the + and – sign cut into the aluminium shifters. It uses the same 6-speed torque converter as before that is refined but feels a bit slow compared to the seamless shifts provided by the cutting edge 8-speed ZF box in the BMW 5 Series. The engine is silent at low revs but is quite audible at midrange and turns relatively loud as you hit the rev-limiter. It’s not an irritable sound but the cabin could have been quieter. 

The S80 isn’t an exciting car to drive around a series of corners. While the Michelins offer good grip and the brakes are strong and progressive, the car doesn’t like quick direction changes and starts to throw its 1.7 tonne weight around in protest. That’s because the Indian spec S80 comes with comfort suspension that focuses more on ride than handling. The setup is tuned just right to iron out almost all undulations at cruising speeds. At crawling speeds, the ride is a bit harsher but not bad by any means.

On the safety front, you’d expect the works from Volvo and that’s what you get. Airbags all-round, side impact protection system, stability control and Intellisafe. Intellisafe is Volvo’s city safety system that applies the car's brakes in an emergency even if the driver fails to do so.

There are a few reasons why the S80 isn’t a hot selling car in the luxury segment – first is it’s styling; second is Volvo’s brand value that’s not high up there with Audi, BMW, Mercedes or Jaguar; and third is the poor network. The styling with the update is dealt with to an extent but it still doesn’t look as contemporary as its competition. The new crop of Volvos are definitely improving the Swedish carmaker’s brand image and that’s bound to bear a positive impact on the rest of its line-up including the S80. As for the network, Volvo currently has 13 dealerships around the country, which clearly isn't large enough.

So, will the S80 appeal to the luxury car buyer who is already spoilt for choice? Priced at Rs 44.80 lakh ex-showroom Delhi for the D5 Summum trim, the S80 despite being a CBU, is close to the locally assembled A6, 5 Series and E-Class. So, pricing isn't a dampener. It is also comfortable, well equipped and quick. But, the S80 isn't much fun to drive, and it looks and feels dated in the company of its competition. And for these reasons, though the S80 might find takers for its strong attributes, we don't expect this number to be large enough for anyone to take notice, especially Volvo's competitors.