Just on the back makes it worse. Maybe if they were on all the panels in a more stylish way it may work better. Like when they used to have checkers on cars
I used to work for the highway agency on a clean up crew back in the early 2000s, an almost new s80 in the same colour pulled out into oncoming traffic and was struck by a loaded hgv. The front was as you would expect was totally destroyed but amazingly both front doors opened easily and the cabin was completely intact. Both occupants survived unharmed. Very strong car!.
Wonderful to see our implemented rear trunk space test gaining broader usage. The S80 is truly a reliable and durable car, designed for northern conditions but with an American style. Excellent analysis of the outstanding car.
4:40 Those steering column stalks in these were really flimsy in an otherwise solidly built car. We had two V70s in the family and the indicator stalk broke in both of them, never seen anything like that in any other car. Strange because a lot of effort seemed to have been put in making the cars feel solid. Lovely sounding engines those 5-cylinders. The 10 valve in the 850 had the purest sound in my opinion, which is entirely not biased by having owned one. Great car apart from the electrical problems.
The Swedes invented daytime running lights for safety but I read some years later, in Auto Express, that the Swedes found they made absolutely no difference to their accident rates.
Everybody should have at least one Volvo in their life. Just such a relaxing and safe place to be, but not lacking get up and go when required. Capable of prodigious mileage too!
Who doesn't love an old Swedish barge.So much better than the rubbish they sell now .I noticed how much you loved it Ian,with your right boot stuck to the floor for a good period of the road test😊
I have a new V60T8 and an S40 drivE. The V60 is supremely comfortable, well made and 100% reliable. Sadly my S40 has a habit of continual faults, mostly niggling but not major mechanical. I would say the V60 is a vastly better built car.
Great to see you reviewing one of these. I have a 2004 in black with the D5 diesel 5 pot. Despite being a diesel when you plant your right foot you still get awesome 5 pot sounds. Mine is probably somewhat rare as it has a manual gearbox and a beige fabric interior (I'm not keen on leather seats). I love my s80 and don't think I will ever sell it. Gives me over 50mpg too!
I drive its smaller sibling, a 2008 S60 D5 with the 6 speed auto. Every time I get in I'm greeted by this lovely smell of the two tone leather. While the interior has nice looking and feeling materials, after 15 years it has become very squeaky, despite extensive efforts by me to remedy that. It annoys the hell out of me how every single somewhat sharper road irregularity results in these loud creaks from the dash. Together with the fact that the diesel engine is not the most refined in term of vibrations, it makes for the quite the love-hate relationship I have with this car :) The 5 pot noise is very nice, and is actually one of the reasons I decided to replace my 2004 V70 D5 with this car. With all the engine downsizing there's nothing modern that can replace it I'm afraid (not liking BMW or Mercedes), so I'll hold onto it a little longer :)
@@sharonec5419 If you fancy more than 4 cylinders, diesel and auto, the choice is limited to Volvo, BMW, Mercedes and Audi. Audi only has a V6 coupled to a CVT and both have a horrible reputation. My next car almost certainly won't be a diesel so that gives a much wider range of cars to look at. I usually buy cars in the €5-7K range and that rules out almost every Lexus. The only Lexus I kind of fancy, looks-wise, is the CT200. So far, the only car that evokes any feelings of desirability and isn't too big or overly expensive is the Audi A3 saloon (third gen, 2013 onwards). Like the S60, it's stylish, elegant but a bit understated, not garish.
I was always tempted by an S60. I sat in one and it was so comfortable and I loved the way the dash wrapped around and the position of the handbrake. Is it as comfortable in the long term as it is when you first sit in it?
@clivet3252 I did 60 thousand miles over 3 years in huge comfort, supple leather with great heated seats, seating position was really nice too. A lot of car for not a lot of money currently, I will probably end up with another at some point
I've got a 2005 2.5T Auto - sounds, runs and drives like a dream. 115k on the clock, full service history - £1300.00 it cost me this year! This is one that they'll have to prise from my cold, dead hands.
If you want a mile muncher there is nothing better out there. Last month I drove my 2.5T (210hp / 236lbft) on a European trip doing 2321 miles in 7 days. The last day was 823 miles from Meersburg on the shore of Lake Constance (Germany) to just north of Derby (Uk) and the wife and I got out feeling as relaxed as when we'd got in it.
I ran a 53 plate V70 when I was still in the UK up to 2017. Had same 5 pot engine and it was absolute epic vehicle. Super reliable, amazing comfort level and being an estate (wagon) it would hold an amazing amount of material (as the local builders merchants realized on my frequent trips while renovating my house).
I used to borrow an old S80 when my car was getting a service. It had an indicated 300k on the clock. It ran perfectly. It felt a little loose as if everything had relaxed. The leather, the A/C and heated seats welcomed me into the beast. It was a pleasure to drive even when the weather was horrible outside. You just knew it would get you home. My heart beat relaxed down to a near slumber level. I really liked that car. I offered to buy it, but the garage said then they would have to go out and buy another one....why would they bother.
Don’t be too upset my 2.9 I6 ate two ecu’s and was still never right. I swapped it for a mk3(2) Mondeo and could not have been happier. The Mondeo was a much better handler, far more efficient and had far more power (on tap)
I think I remember the Audi advert for their 5 cyl engines which they insisted had the economy of a 4 with the performance of a 6 but turned out to be in truth the performance of a 4 with the economy of a 6, and I think some of the more laid back motoring journalists of the time made no bones about pointing this out. It was great seeing the bought down a peg or two.
I drove a V8 AWD S80 back in 2005 for 2 months here in Sydney Australia. It was a company car at Keune & Nagel where I worked at the time. It was a lovely car to drive absolutely loved it, and that V8 was sooo silky smooth and noise it made wow. From memory it was developed by Yamaha. The S80 made for a commuter car traveling from the southern Highlands to Sydney every day, I just ate up the road.
Around 15 years ago I picked up a high specced S80 D5 with the Volvo engine for a comparative song because while it was less than 3 years old, it had around 90,000 miles on the clock. I had it for about 7 years and when I finally replaced it, it had over 250,000 miles. The engine and gearbox were fine, the electrics had started plaing games. In all likelihood, if that didn't happen I'd still own the car. Amazingly comfortable seats for wafting long distances.
Don't think many cars 1998 onwards will survive without the electronics playing up and ultimately ending things. The body work maybe great and the engine will be mechanically sounds. But it will have electric faults that will make the car unusable.
This are awesome cars and I'm on my 2nd S80. I picked up an S80 T6, the 2.8L twin-turbo one, about a decade ago and ran it into the ground. During Covid my Jag XJ6 3.0L decided to die, so I picked up an '03 2.4L petrol S80 like the one in the video. It had under 40K on the clock and a single owner from new and only cost me a couple of grand. It's being super reliable and comfy, including a 2K road trip around Scotland starting off from Hampshire.
Thanks for this, I am a massive Volvo fan, I have owned 4 in my driving life, still have a 54 plate V50, this S80 reminds me in looks both outside and internally of an X reg S40 I had back in the day
I've had a weird arc with these cars. Grew up with Volvos, so of course these had my attention too. At first i applauded the design, then some years later i felt they looked really dated..horribly so. ..and now i quite like them again. Anyways: I've stayed clear of them because they're far too expensive to own in my country, but listening to you praise this car doesn't make it easier. ..and then there is the choice between the technically interesting 6 cylinder sewing machine, and this lovely sounding 5 cylinder. But you're right. Looking at how cheap they are, many will be dropped simply for being to expensive to fix. Now is a good time to buy them. Great work as always Ian.
I do agree that the S60 was the more appealing aesthetically but having watched this review I find that the S80 isn't the barge I thought it would be. I can imagine that it will be a delight to throw 300 miles of motorway miles at without giving you any aches or tiredness.
It makes me sad every time I see faded black plastic. Give that girl some trim restorer, there's some really good ones that presist semi-permanently these days.
I had an S80 T6.... 2.8 twin-turbo straight-six putting 272bhp through the front wheels. Utterly bonkers. Dipsomaniac thirst. Always needing something, usually expensive and only available from the main dealer. Supremely comfortable and the most incredible mile-eater. P2 platform, same as the first S60/XC90 and Mk2 V70/XC70. Derived from the 850 platform.
Had to do a bit of a double take watching this, as that's the same colour as my old 2.4 S80 and only a couple of digits off on the registration! Lovely barges, excellent stereos and that lovely 5 pot sound. Bought mine in 2016 for £375, don't think you can find them for that price now, haha.
An interesting fact for Mr HubNut is that the platform for this car went on to underpin a variety of very HubNut American cars. Ford turned the Volvo P2 platform into the D3 and from it would underpin the Ford Five Hundred (later Taurus), Lincoln MKS and many other cars you would not believe could come from something that originated under a conservative Swedish saloon. By the way, the auto gearboxes for the first generation S80 were either Aisin Warner (5 speed) for the 5 cylinder and GM (4 speed) for the 6 cylinder engines.
I had an '05 XC-70 Ocean Race, definitely one of the best cars I've ever owned. The trunk swallowed everything known to man, it was comfortable and incredibly solid and reliable
I had the pleasure of using a nearly new one of these for a week. Wrexham to Swindon to London to Essex and back to Wrexham, it ate miles like few other cars I’ve ever driven. The only downsides were the terrifying fuel consumption and the worry about scratching it (it was the MD’s) due to its size; it didn’t get on with packed city streets, supermarket car parks or multi-storeys. My brother’s just bought a V90, and I don’t think the seats are *quite* as comfortable as they were in the S80, although it definitely has the same wafty vibe which, as I get older, is becoming more and more appealing.
I had a 2006 (very late 1st generation) D5 Auto. Loved it and thoroughly regret trading it in for a Toyota Yaris. One of those blanking switches was for auto fold mirrors.
Great video, love those old S80s. I've had a S60 and two V70s from that generation, all D5s. Brilliant cars ... But I could quite fancy an S80 one day.
This is really making me want another S80, even though the one I had was an absolute nightmare! I've had 740s, 850s, a 460 and still have a 240, 850 and S70, the S80 was the only troublesome Volvo I've had but always felt special and great to drive on the occasions it worked properly!
Of all the Volvo's i've owned the V70-T5 (same platform as the S80) was the most troublesome. 340, 940GL, 940T, 940lpt, 780T easy to tinker with, 850T5-R pretty faultless with the exception of a leaky rear main seal. The V70-T5 (2001) had all sorts of electronic gremlins that are impossible to diagnose without Volvo VIDA sofware. Buyer beware😮
My dad had one, the same year and colour, but the 2.4 5 cylinder diesel. It became my car when dad was too old to drive. was a lovely car...very economical for a big car, and just ssssoooo comfortable.
Great video, Ian and Carly. 9:12 Oooh, a wave of nostalgia for my 1994 850 2.4 10v 5-speed manual Estate as you gave this test S80 the full beans. There was nothing, except if you could afford an Audi and the even bigger bills that went with one, quite like that soundtrack as "he" a.k.a my Big Red Box used to accelerate hard in an overtaking manoeuvre... or to hum along the A1 autobahn at pretty ridiculous speeds in Lower Saxony and Hamburg. I did 151,000 miles in 8 years in him and he only went because of his rather expensive drink problem (well I thought just under 28mpg was 'expensive' - at the time) and IIRC some big bills for curing leaks. BTW I remember passing you in the greeting area at the Brooklands Social in Surrey a few years ago; I saw Betty parked up there, and I said to you "definitely see a resemblance in Betty to a Volvo S80" and you smiled and agreed 😀😀.
The Volvo that got me into Volvo's! Parents had a pre-facelift S80 just like the one in the video in exactly the same spec albeit on a Y Plate and upon taking delivery of it and driving it from London back to Scotland, I fell in love with it pretty much straight away. Decided to look at some for sale for myself as a second or third car once we got home (I was first car shopping) when I stumbled across another underrated and forgotten Swedish Gem that is the MK1 C70 Coupe! Did quotes to see how much it'd cost to run and it wound up being cheaper than everything else I was looking at so decided to do the unthinkable. Long story short, I've had my 'Saffron Orange Pearl' C70 Coupe for coming up to 8 years now and I love it to pieces. If it wasn't for the original S80, I wouldn't of even took notice of the C70 or even realised it even existed!
My previous daily driver was a 2001 V70 with that same engine but manual (after having owned a 940 diesel and a 740 2.3 auto). Indeed the comfort and quality of the interior in Volvos were perfect at that time. You don't need to wring the engine indeed, but without the advantage of a torque convertor it is very tempting to do it anyways. I must say the number of speeding tickets I got in a year went up when I had that V70, and back down again when I sold it again. That 5-pot combined with the handling and comfortable interior made it really really tempting to drive drastically faster than the speed limit with just a thumb and a finger on the wheel. Perfect car for people who do a lot of German Autobahn, but not exactly in Belgium where the average speed limit is 70km/h (a little over 40mph) on roads that were built for 90 or even 120km/h speed limits back in the day. It wasn't the greatest to maintain though, repairs were always quite expensive. I honestly preferred my 740 2.3 automatic: still plenty of power, assisted through the torque convertor, rear wheel drive, very short turning radius (can't be said from the 5-pot Volvos), and although not the greatest in handling, the comfort was probably as good as it can get with coil spring suspension.
When Ford purchased the car division of Volvo we owned a three year old S70, so my brother called to congratulate us on our new Ford... The inside trunk release wasn't so much a feature as a legal requirement on all cars, at least in Canada and the US. We owned several Volvos over the years, including a couple of five cylinders (a normally aspirated S70 and a turbo XC70 Cross-Country) as well as the larger 3.2L inline six (another Cross Country). I enjoyed the sound of the fives, they also felt light and nimble (yes, even the Cross-country) where the inline six felt ponderous. In fact, the six always felt slower than the five while using shameful quantities of fuel. In Canada the S80 does not have a great reputation and is considered best avoided due to expensive issues with the rear suspension on the first couple of production years and electronic issues that plagued the car throughout its life, something that also reared its ugly head on our five-cylinder XC and eventually led to its demise. For me, the best five-cylinder Volvo is undoubtedly the S70. Now that we both drive German SUVs, my wife does complain that she misses her Volvo seats.
When Ford bought Jaguar I did the same to my boss who had what I called a "Ford XJ6".... he was not best pleased. Perhaps not a great career movement.....
Great car, my Y reg S80 S5 was one of the best cars I have owned. The 5 cylinder 170hp petrol engine and styling gave it character and the interior and ride great comfort. I then had the second generation D5 and the styling and engine change meant it lost all of its character.
"The driver is on the train!" so much fun going in when you two review a car. And as a Swede I was never into this one then. Then! When I lie down at the bed at the psycologists to analyse why not, it cooks down to lack Volvo box-shape. Too wild for me with the hips, but indeed now I see them as a real spice to the design! You know of course the designer was british and talks a lot about it over on BigCar YT channel. And what not? I had a Citroen GS once! All is possible! Lovey your channel, thanks!
Always preferred the look of the first S60 at the time but warming to these, especially after hearing that 5 pot 20v.... Niceeee! Be cool if you could find a 360 GLT a surprisingly good warmish hatch, used to have a nice rorty sound from the 2.0. good review👍
I had a lux D5 with barely any blanking plugs along with the phone controls, upgraded stereo which was pretty decent at the time! Was a great car and is still on the road to the person I sold it to 10 years ago, now with 250,000 miles. Great car
Great review. Have had several S40's, three V40's, a V70, C70 and for the last two years my favourite of them all... My S80. I absolutely love it. I went for a pretty rare 2007 3.2 V6, which is the ultimate in quality wafting. Terrible mpg (around 23) but made up for by the plethora of gadgets, including heated and cooling front seats. You'd be more than welcome to take it for a spin... I'd love to see you review it and compare it to the previous model. All the best, keep up the good work and maybe see you again at Ponterwyd garage 😊
The enginge sounds great. Reminds me really my fathers Audi 100 2.3 E. Typical sound of a 5-cylinder. Sometimes I reduced the sound of the radio just to listen to the engine noise.
Nice one Ian. These were like chalk and chees compared to the older models, in fact when the came out I did wonder initially if they were just badged up cars from some other manufacturer. So different. A very decent example this one although it would be a nightmare should you wish to take the stickers off. Thanks for sharing.
I used to have an S60 which was a good car. Loved the dash and centre console. Just had a quick look on autotraderthingy and there's an S80 for £1600 with the reg S80 NUT. New HubNut fleet member perhaps.
I had a 3.0l Straight six N/A : nothing more than the IL 5 except silence and more consumption. Have this 2,5 (144 HP) on my S70 now and I LOVE it. I think the exhaust may have a little leak because it's noisier than should be on this S80. The P2 chassis came also as V70, technically it's the S80 SW and 60 was the baby S80.
The 5 cylinder Volvos are lovely! Have owned 850, s60 and V70 with different 5 cylinder engines. The non turbos sounds the best imo. Driving electric today but I miss the sound of those! Wish I hade somewhere to store a bunch of them!
I had an almost identical car - lovely to drive. A flat out drive from Germany to the coast to catch a ferry did for a wheel bearing and finally a £600 repair bill at MoT meant it had to go.
I have a 2004 V70 with the same Euro 3 D5 but with a manual and it really is close to being the perfect car (if it was AWD then it would be perfect). A beautiful soundtrack, loads of room, excellent glass headlights, superb stereo especially with the premium speakers with easy Bluetooth mod, easy 55mpg, comfy...literally all boxes ticked. Not sure why one hasn't been on the HubNut fleet. The pre 05 are better than the facelift due to glass headlights, slightly less complicated electronics too and the earlier D5s don't have the swirl flap problem too.
I've had a number of Volvos, including A 02 reg S80 - lovely old barge. I did have two cars write themselves off on the rear bumper of a 240 (obviously no damage to the Volvio).
23 years ago, I bought similar S80 ( same color), however I've ordered a light leather interior, as the replacement of my old 740GL ( 1987). The S80 was a real joy to drive, sure not sporty but a real distance eater. The sound of the 5 banger, when flooring the throttle 😂😂😂😂. Fuel economy wasn't to bad even. Quality was not totally up to the expectations. The soft lack did let go after a few years and the front tires diddend last very long( probably more a drivers foot problem 😂)
I sold a dark blue one for a family friend neighbour maybe 8-10 years ago. Had a gearbox fault, would drop into limp home very soon after starting and he just wanted rid. Was absolutely mint otherwise, it sold on the Bay for something like 400-500 quid. Absolute steal, even if it needed a new auto box.
The curvy bits at the back are known as the Horbury kink, named after Peter Horburg who took over head of design at Volvo and very influential in moving away from the straight lines that they were renowned for. Freelander took the later and unrelated 3.2 Si6 ( 3.0 turbo?) engine when they were all part of the Ford Premier Automotive Group and Mondeo, Smax, Volvo and Freelander shared platforms.
I was mightily tempted by a V60 3 litre turbo import in a lovely metallic blue with cream leather not too long ago. Just over 300bhp going through the front wheels via an auto box. Common sense ruled and I bought a new bathroom instead..
Yes Volvo were known for angular lines. My affair goes back to the 340 series, and I thought even those lines were artistic and the car very comfortable. Some of the earlier Volvos had exquisite rounded lines so, in many ways not something that the designers were entirely unaware of. Your example here echoes some of the earlier design features whilst incorporating the build and ride quality that earlier models probably lacked. A car of it's time, with an engine to match. The exhaust note is delightful.
I owned a very early V70 57Reg 2.4 D5 185 bhp. Had it for about 7 years and sold it to n acquantance at 120,000 miles, its still going strong. Replaced ot with a very late XC70 D5AWD, twin turbo 220bhp which I have now had for about 6 years. Oddly enough the XC70 is more economical and the tyres last far longer. Both lovely cars
Lovely car, pity about the stickers
Just on the back makes it worse. Maybe if they were on all the panels in a more stylish way it may work better. Like when they used to have checkers on cars
@@chrishart8548I have since added more btcc stickers which are are distributed along quarter panels and the black plastic next to the rear windows.
Well it's not your car is it
How about an S60R manual?
Agree, looks tacky! That Volvo has a certain dignity about it. The stickers make it look like a clown's car!
I used to work for the highway agency on a clean up crew back in the early 2000s, an almost new s80 in the same colour pulled out into oncoming traffic and was struck by a loaded hgv. The front was as you would expect was totally destroyed but amazingly both front doors opened easily and the cabin was completely intact. Both occupants survived unharmed. Very strong car!.
Even in 2023 I still see some of these on the road at 20+ years old...they must be reliable and tough!
Volvo interiors were lovely back then
Wonderful to see our implemented rear trunk space test gaining broader usage. The S80 is truly a reliable and durable car, designed for northern conditions but with an American style. Excellent analysis of the outstanding car.
4:40 Those steering column stalks in these were really flimsy in an otherwise solidly built car. We had two V70s in the family and the indicator stalk broke in both of them, never seen anything like that in any other car. Strange because a lot of effort seemed to have been put in making the cars feel solid.
Lovely sounding engines those 5-cylinders. The 10 valve in the 850 had the purest sound in my opinion, which is entirely not biased by having owned one. Great car apart from the electrical problems.
Just me or does the interior look much more appealing than many modern cars ?
Lovely motor Ian sounded beautiful. Not sure about all the stickers though. Volvo were so well built you could bounce a tank off them.
Back in the day, you could sit on the car doo ledge and the thing wouldn't drop a millimetre.
The Swedes invented daytime running lights for safety but I read some years later, in Auto Express, that the Swedes found they made absolutely no difference to their accident rates.
Yet DRLs are now mandated across Europe...
@@HubNut Yes and facemasks were imposed on us, too.
Everybody should have at least one Volvo in their life. Just such a relaxing and safe place to be, but not lacking get up and go when required. Capable of prodigious mileage too!
Who doesn't love an old Swedish barge.So much better than the rubbish they sell now .I noticed how much you loved it Ian,with your right boot stuck to the floor for a good period of the road test😊
You'll be saying the same things about today's cars in 20 years time no doubt.
@@user-sf7kl9uh7k doubt it especially hybrid and full electric.Not that they will be around in 20 years anyway.
@@staffiedave4033 What will replace them, flying carpets?
@@user-sf7kl9uh7k something safer and more environmentally freindly like petrol or hydrogen
I have a new V60T8 and an S40 drivE. The V60 is supremely comfortable, well made and 100% reliable. Sadly my S40 has a habit of continual faults, mostly niggling but not major mechanical. I would say the V60 is a vastly better built car.
Always liked these cars, and the contemporary s60. Thanks for showing us, Ian.
Great to see you reviewing one of these. I have a 2004 in black with the D5 diesel 5 pot. Despite being a diesel when you plant your right foot you still get awesome 5 pot sounds. Mine is probably somewhat rare as it has a manual gearbox and a beige fabric interior (I'm not keen on leather seats). I love my s80 and don't think I will ever sell it. Gives me over 50mpg too!
I drive its smaller sibling, a 2008 S60 D5 with the 6 speed auto. Every time I get in I'm greeted by this lovely smell of the two tone leather. While the interior has nice looking and feeling materials, after 15 years it has become very squeaky, despite extensive efforts by me to remedy that. It annoys the hell out of me how every single somewhat sharper road irregularity results in these loud creaks from the dash. Together with the fact that the diesel engine is not the most refined in term of vibrations, it makes for the quite the love-hate relationship I have with this car :) The 5 pot noise is very nice, and is actually one of the reasons I decided to replace my 2004 V70 D5 with this car. With all the engine downsizing there's nothing modern that can replace it I'm afraid (not liking BMW or Mercedes), so I'll hold onto it a little longer :)
Have you looked at Lexus cars and DS cars for a replacement?
@@sharonec5419 If you fancy more than 4 cylinders, diesel and auto, the choice is limited to Volvo, BMW, Mercedes and Audi. Audi only has a V6 coupled to a CVT and both have a horrible reputation. My next car almost certainly won't be a diesel so that gives a much wider range of cars to look at. I usually buy cars in the €5-7K range and that rules out almost every Lexus. The only Lexus I kind of fancy, looks-wise, is the CT200. So far, the only car that evokes any feelings of desirability and isn't too big or overly expensive is the Audi A3 saloon (third gen, 2013 onwards). Like the S60, it's stylish, elegant but a bit understated, not garish.
Had one of these too, mine was a 2006 D5 185bhp auto, got rear ended last year by a bus unfortunately
Great car, made a great sound
I was always tempted by an S60. I sat in one and it was so comfortable and I loved the way the dash wrapped around and the position of the handbrake. Is it as comfortable in the long term as it is when you first sit in it?
@clivet3252 I did 60 thousand miles over 3 years in huge comfort, supple leather with great heated seats, seating position was really nice too. A lot of car for not a lot of money currently, I will probably end up with another at some point
I've got a 2005 2.5T Auto - sounds, runs and drives like a dream. 115k on the clock, full service history - £1300.00 it cost me this year! This is one that they'll have to prise from my cold, dead hands.
I have a 2000 S80 T6. 280,000 miles still going strong. Drive it daily.
If you want a mile muncher there is nothing better out there. Last month I drove my 2.5T (210hp / 236lbft) on a European trip doing 2321 miles in 7 days. The last day was 823 miles from Meersburg on the shore of Lake Constance (Germany) to just north of Derby (Uk) and the wife and I got out feeling as relaxed as when we'd got in it.
I ran a 53 plate V70 when I was still in the UK up to 2017. Had same 5 pot engine and it was absolute epic vehicle. Super reliable, amazing comfort level and being an estate (wagon) it would hold an amazing amount of material (as the local builders merchants realized on my frequent trips while renovating my house).
As a die-hard 740 owner, great to see a bit of Volvo action on the channel! 👍
I used to borrow an old S80 when my car was getting a service. It had an indicated 300k on the clock. It ran perfectly. It felt a little loose as if everything had relaxed. The leather, the A/C and heated seats welcomed me into the beast. It was a pleasure to drive even when the weather was horrible outside. You just knew it would get you home. My heart beat relaxed down to a near slumber level. I really liked that car. I offered to buy it, but the garage said then they would have to go out and buy another one....why would they bother.
Don’t be too upset my 2.9 I6 ate two ecu’s and was still never right. I swapped it for a mk3(2) Mondeo and could not have been happier. The Mondeo was a much better handler, far more efficient and had far more power (on tap)
I think I remember the Audi advert for their 5 cyl engines which they insisted had the economy of a 4 with the performance
of a 6 but turned out to be in truth the performance of a 4 with the economy of a 6, and I think some of the more laid back
motoring journalists of the time made no bones about pointing this out. It was great seeing the bought down a peg or two.
Quite a nice car that, as mentioned by another viewer ruined by the stickers lol
I was tempted by the 4.4L V8 2006/07 version......but the £695 tax and fuel figures brought me swiftly back to earth!
I drove a V8 AWD S80 back in 2005 for 2 months here in Sydney Australia. It was a company car at Keune & Nagel where I worked at the time. It was a lovely car to drive absolutely loved it, and that V8 was sooo silky smooth and noise it made wow. From memory it was developed by Yamaha. The S80 made for a commuter car traveling from the southern Highlands to Sydney every day, I just ate up the road.
Nice car! Shame about the stickers... 👀😬
Lovely motor. I had an S60 T5 for 10 years and it was brilliant. I only got rid of it because I had 2 young children and needed more practicality
Around 15 years ago I picked up a high specced S80 D5 with the Volvo engine for a comparative song because while it was less than 3 years old, it had around 90,000 miles on the clock. I had it for about 7 years and when I finally replaced it, it had over 250,000 miles. The engine and gearbox were fine, the electrics had started plaing games. In all likelihood, if that didn't happen I'd still own the car. Amazingly comfortable seats for wafting long distances.
Don't think many cars 1998 onwards will survive without the electronics playing up and ultimately ending things. The body work maybe great and the engine will be mechanically sounds. But it will have electric faults that will make the car unusable.
This are awesome cars and I'm on my 2nd S80. I picked up an S80 T6, the 2.8L twin-turbo one, about a decade ago and ran it into the ground. During Covid my Jag XJ6 3.0L decided to die, so I picked up an '03 2.4L petrol S80 like the one in the video. It had under 40K on the clock and a single owner from new and only cost me a couple of grand. It's being super reliable and comfy, including a 2K road trip around Scotland starting off from Hampshire.
Thanks for this, I am a massive Volvo fan, I have owned 4 in my driving life, still have a 54 plate V50, this S80 reminds me in looks both outside and internally of an X reg S40 I had back in the day
The SATs are luxury cruise there, and I, especially like the styling of the first generation. It looks so much one night stand S 60.
I've had a weird arc with these cars. Grew up with Volvos, so of course these had my attention too. At first i applauded the design, then some years later i felt they looked really dated..horribly so. ..and now i quite like them again. Anyways: I've stayed clear of them because they're far too expensive to own in my country, but listening to you praise this car doesn't make it easier. ..and then there is the choice between the technically interesting 6 cylinder sewing machine, and this lovely sounding 5 cylinder. But you're right. Looking at how cheap they are, many will be dropped simply for being to expensive to fix. Now is a good time to buy them. Great work as always Ian.
I do agree that the S60 was the more appealing aesthetically but having watched this review I find that the S80 isn't the barge I thought it would be. I can imagine that it will be a delight to throw 300 miles of motorway miles at without giving you any aches or tiredness.
I have v70 d5 2.4 auto only brought it in July very smooth and quick police used to use these as traffic cars
The HubNut fleet needs an S80...
Absaloutly brilliant video ian miss hubnut ❤👍what a lovely old car I used to have an 850 mine had a 2.5 in it I bought when I lived in Spain brilliant
It makes me sad every time I see faded black plastic. Give that girl some trim restorer, there's some really good ones that presist semi-permanently these days.
I had an S80 T6.... 2.8 twin-turbo straight-six putting 272bhp through the front wheels. Utterly bonkers. Dipsomaniac thirst. Always needing something, usually expensive and only available from the main dealer. Supremely comfortable and the most incredible mile-eater.
P2 platform, same as the first S60/XC90 and Mk2 V70/XC70. Derived from the 850 platform.
Had to do a bit of a double take watching this, as that's the same colour as my old 2.4 S80 and only a couple of digits off on the registration! Lovely barges, excellent stereos and that lovely 5 pot sound. Bought mine in 2016 for £375, don't think you can find them for that price now, haha.
Bargain. I have lots of happy motoring memories from keeping bargain bangers going. Not something anyone has with a lease car.
Ian you are correct, the 6 pot did indeed find it's way into the Freelander 2, but was not a very popular option and is quite rare.
must been a pain to work on those bonnet spaces
An interesting fact for Mr HubNut is that the platform for this car went on to underpin a variety of very HubNut American cars. Ford turned the Volvo P2 platform into the D3 and from it would underpin the Ford Five Hundred (later Taurus), Lincoln MKS and many other cars you would not believe could come from something that originated under a conservative Swedish saloon. By the way, the auto gearboxes for the first generation S80 were either Aisin Warner (5 speed) for the 5 cylinder and GM (4 speed) for the 6 cylinder engines.
A excellent review as always Ian and Carly, makes me miss my D5 S60 i had a few years ago.
I had an '05 XC-70 Ocean Race, definitely one of the best cars I've ever owned. The trunk swallowed everything known to man, it was comfortable and incredibly solid and reliable
I had the pleasure of using a nearly new one of these for a week. Wrexham to Swindon to London to Essex and back to Wrexham, it ate miles like few other cars I’ve ever driven. The only downsides were the terrifying fuel consumption and the worry about scratching it (it was the MD’s) due to its size; it didn’t get on with packed city streets, supermarket car parks or multi-storeys. My brother’s just bought a V90, and I don’t think the seats are *quite* as comfortable as they were in the S80, although it definitely has the same wafty vibe which, as I get older, is becoming more and more appealing.
Volvo actually used to sell a taxi spec S80 with an even wider opening rear doors, a bigger battery and Nivomat dampers. Those were lovely.
I had a 2006 (very late 1st generation) D5 Auto. Loved it and thoroughly regret trading it in for a Toyota Yaris. One of those blanking switches was for auto fold mirrors.
Pretty sure a V8 was offered in these too? A rare option designed and built by Yamaha?
No, only in the next version. This one peaked at 2.9 T6, only 272 bhp.
Great video, love those old S80s. I've had a S60 and two V70s from that generation, all D5s. Brilliant cars ... But I could quite fancy an S80 one day.
Really good video, well done with the camera Ms HubNut 😉
This is really making me want another S80, even though the one I had was an absolute nightmare! I've had 740s, 850s, a 460 and still have a 240, 850 and S70, the S80 was the only troublesome Volvo I've had but always felt special and great to drive on the occasions it worked properly!
Of all the Volvo's i've owned the V70-T5 (same platform as the S80) was the most troublesome.
340, 940GL, 940T, 940lpt, 780T easy to tinker with, 850T5-R pretty faultless with the exception of a leaky rear main seal.
The V70-T5 (2001) had all sorts of electronic gremlins that are impossible to diagnose without Volvo VIDA sofware. Buyer beware😮
My dad had one, the same year and colour, but the 2.4 5 cylinder diesel. It became my car when dad was too old to drive. was a lovely car...very economical for a big car, and just ssssoooo comfortable.
Great video, Ian and Carly. 9:12 Oooh, a wave of nostalgia for my 1994 850 2.4 10v 5-speed manual Estate as you gave this test S80 the full beans. There was nothing, except if you could afford an Audi and the even bigger bills that went with one, quite like that soundtrack as "he" a.k.a my Big Red Box used to accelerate hard in an overtaking manoeuvre... or to hum along the A1 autobahn at pretty ridiculous speeds in Lower Saxony and Hamburg. I did 151,000 miles in 8 years in him and he only went because of his rather expensive drink problem (well I thought just under 28mpg was 'expensive' - at the time) and IIRC some big bills for curing leaks. BTW I remember passing you in the greeting area at the Brooklands Social in Surrey a few years ago; I saw Betty parked up there, and I said to you "definitely see a resemblance in Betty to a Volvo S80" and you smiled and agreed 😀😀.
The Volvo that got me into Volvo's! Parents had a pre-facelift S80 just like the one in the video in exactly the same spec albeit on a Y Plate and upon taking delivery of it and driving it from London back to Scotland, I fell in love with it pretty much straight away. Decided to look at some for sale for myself as a second or third car once we got home (I was first car shopping) when I stumbled across another underrated and forgotten Swedish Gem that is the MK1 C70 Coupe! Did quotes to see how much it'd cost to run and it wound up being cheaper than everything else I was looking at so decided to do the unthinkable. Long story short, I've had my 'Saffron Orange Pearl' C70 Coupe for coming up to 8 years now and I love it to pieces. If it wasn't for the original S80, I wouldn't of even took notice of the C70 or even realised it even existed!
Nice noises. Nice wood bits too. Seems a pleasant place to be.
My previous daily driver was a 2001 V70 with that same engine but manual (after having owned a 940 diesel and a 740 2.3 auto). Indeed the comfort and quality of the interior in Volvos were perfect at that time. You don't need to wring the engine indeed, but without the advantage of a torque convertor it is very tempting to do it anyways. I must say the number of speeding tickets I got in a year went up when I had that V70, and back down again when I sold it again. That 5-pot combined with the handling and comfortable interior made it really really tempting to drive drastically faster than the speed limit with just a thumb and a finger on the wheel. Perfect car for people who do a lot of German Autobahn, but not exactly in Belgium where the average speed limit is 70km/h (a little over 40mph) on roads that were built for 90 or even 120km/h speed limits back in the day.
It wasn't the greatest to maintain though, repairs were always quite expensive. I honestly preferred my 740 2.3 automatic: still plenty of power, assisted through the torque convertor, rear wheel drive, very short turning radius (can't be said from the 5-pot Volvos), and although not the greatest in handling, the comfort was probably as good as it can get with coil spring suspension.
When Ford purchased the car division of Volvo we owned a three year old S70, so my brother called to congratulate us on our new Ford... The inside trunk release wasn't so much a feature as a legal requirement on all cars, at least in Canada and the US. We owned several Volvos over the years, including a couple of five cylinders (a normally aspirated S70 and a turbo XC70 Cross-Country) as well as the larger 3.2L inline six (another Cross Country). I enjoyed the sound of the fives, they also felt light and nimble (yes, even the Cross-country) where the inline six felt ponderous. In fact, the six always felt slower than the five while using shameful quantities of fuel. In Canada the S80 does not have a great reputation and is considered best avoided due to expensive issues with the rear suspension on the first couple of production years and electronic issues that plagued the car throughout its life, something that also reared its ugly head on our five-cylinder XC and eventually led to its demise. For me, the best five-cylinder Volvo is undoubtedly the S70. Now that we both drive German SUVs, my wife does complain that she misses her Volvo seats.
When Ford bought Jaguar I did the same to my boss who had what I called a "Ford XJ6".... he was not best pleased. Perhaps not a great career movement.....
Brilliant review as always. If only new cars sold today were this well made comfortable.
You'll be saying the same thing in 20 years time.
@@user-sf7kl9uh7k I definitely hope I'll still be saying " great review as always" 🙂
Great video. I have a V50 T5 AWD 6 speed manual and it's a great practical car that's also capable of mischief.
My Favourite Volvo
Love our tiny welsh roads. Like volvos also 😊
I'm wanting a Volvo now! Great review Ian...
Great car, my Y reg S80 S5 was one of the best cars I have owned. The 5 cylinder 170hp petrol engine and styling gave it character and the interior and ride great comfort. I then had the second generation D5 and the styling and engine change meant it lost all of its character.
I thought the wind was going to catch that boot lid 😂
I have an S80 with the 2.5 and a turbo. Driving it for 4 months now. Loving it.
"The driver is on the train!" so much fun going in when you two review a car. And as a Swede I was never into this one then. Then! When I lie down at the bed at the psycologists to analyse why not, it cooks down to lack Volvo box-shape. Too wild for me with the hips, but indeed now I see them as a real spice to the design! You know of course the designer was british and talks a lot about it over on BigCar YT channel. And what not? I had a Citroen GS once! All is possible! Lovey your channel, thanks!
Always preferred the look of the first S60 at the time but warming to these, especially after hearing that 5 pot 20v.... Niceeee! Be cool if you could find a 360 GLT a surprisingly good warmish hatch, used to have a nice rorty sound from the 2.0. good review👍
I had a lux D5 with barely any blanking plugs along with the phone controls, upgraded stereo which was pretty decent at the time! Was a great car and is still on the road to the person I sold it to 10 years ago, now with 250,000 miles. Great car
Great review. Have had several S40's, three V40's, a V70, C70 and for the last two years my favourite of them all... My S80. I absolutely love it. I went for a pretty rare 2007 3.2 V6, which is the ultimate in quality wafting. Terrible mpg (around 23) but made up for by the plethora of gadgets, including heated and cooling front seats. You'd be more than welcome to take it for a spin... I'd love to see you review it and compare it to the previous model. All the best, keep up the good work and maybe see you again at Ponterwyd garage 😊
The enginge sounds great. Reminds me really my fathers Audi 100 2.3 E. Typical sound of a 5-cylinder. Sometimes I reduced the sound of the radio just to listen to the engine noise.
Nice one Ian. These were like chalk and chees compared to the older models, in fact when the came out I did wonder initially if they were just badged up cars from some other manufacturer. So different. A very decent example this one although it would be a nightmare should you wish to take the stickers off. Thanks for sharing.
I used to have an S60 which was a good car. Loved the dash and centre console. Just had a quick look on autotraderthingy and there's an S80 for £1600 with the reg S80 NUT. New HubNut fleet member perhaps.
Great video, love all the Volvos! I had a 440 Turbo which was a joy to own and drive. Still regret selling that one.
Drove the road at 12:20 in my nearly 3t camper conversion this summer, still surprised I got up as smoothly as I did!
another great video has always Ian and miss hubnut and hublets and hubmutts 👍
I had a 3.0l Straight six N/A : nothing more than the IL 5 except silence and more consumption.
Have this 2,5 (144 HP) on my S70 now and I LOVE it. I think the exhaust may have a little leak because it's noisier than should be on this S80.
The P2 chassis came also as V70, technically it's the S80 SW and 60 was the baby S80.
The 5 cylinder Volvos are lovely! Have owned 850, s60 and V70 with different 5 cylinder engines. The non turbos sounds the best imo. Driving electric today but I miss the sound of those! Wish I hade somewhere to store a bunch of them!
I had an almost identical car - lovely to drive. A flat out drive from Germany to the coast to catch a ferry did for a wheel bearing and finally a £600 repair bill at MoT meant it had to go.
I have a 2004 V70 with the same Euro 3 D5 but with a manual and it really is close to being the perfect car (if it was AWD then it would be perfect). A beautiful soundtrack, loads of room, excellent glass headlights, superb stereo especially with the premium speakers with easy Bluetooth mod, easy 55mpg, comfy...literally all boxes ticked. Not sure why one hasn't been on the HubNut fleet. The pre 05 are better than the facelift due to glass headlights, slightly less complicated electronics too and the earlier D5s don't have the swirl flap problem too.
The diesel 5 pot volvos had locomotive torque levels 😊😊😊
Sounds great, too
My V70 D5 pulls like a train. 2002 only 125,000 miles
I think I drove a C70, white with cream leather, 5 pot diesel auto. Engine pulled like nothing else, it felt like it was just idling, effortless.
True. Not much out there that's gonna pull you up a hill any better than a d5.
I've had a number of Volvos, including A 02 reg S80 - lovely old barge. I did have two cars write themselves off on the rear bumper of a 240 (obviously no damage to the Volvio).
I had an S60 2.4l 5 pot and as much as i loved it the bills for repair soon got old so i switched it for an Alfa Gt 3.2.
Lol!!!!
A BTCC fan running a Volvo, surely what it needs is a Clelands Volvo dealer sticker! (he never had a Vauxhall dealership)
The headlight wiper action at the end!
The only Volvo I think where you didn't need to be over 60 and have a collection flat caps to own one.
I had a Cop Pursuit Spec 2001 S60 T5 back in 2007 Gorgeous car. With full spec including phone package. It was basically a 250bhp Mobile phone!!!
23 years ago, I bought similar S80 ( same color), however I've ordered a light leather interior, as the replacement of my old 740GL ( 1987). The S80 was a real joy to drive, sure not sporty but a real distance eater. The sound of the 5 banger, when flooring the throttle 😂😂😂😂. Fuel economy wasn't to bad even.
Quality was not totally up to the expectations. The soft lack did let go after a few years and the front tires diddend last very long( probably more a drivers foot problem 😂)
I sold a dark blue one for a family friend neighbour maybe 8-10 years ago. Had a gearbox fault, would drop into limp home very soon after starting and he just wanted rid. Was absolutely mint otherwise, it sold on the Bay for something like 400-500 quid. Absolute steal, even if it needed a new auto box.
You can see the forward thinking I mean Ford thinking in this model Volvo 😂😊
Nice 5 cylinder Pitchoo! 😂 The petrol sounds nice I found the D5 very characterful to drive, woofley I think may be the best description 🤔
Drunkenness aside, the camerawork is really good in this, great Hubteam
It’s like a mullet car, all business in front and party in the back
The curvy bits at the back are known as the Horbury kink, named after Peter Horburg who took over head of design at Volvo and very influential in moving away from the straight lines that they were renowned for. Freelander took the later and unrelated 3.2 Si6 ( 3.0 turbo?) engine when they were all part of the Ford Premier Automotive Group and Mondeo, Smax, Volvo and Freelander shared platforms.
I was mightily tempted by a V60 3 litre turbo import in a lovely metallic blue with cream leather not too long ago. Just over 300bhp going through the front wheels via an auto box. Common sense ruled and I bought a new bathroom instead..
The best era for Volvo comfort and interior’s
On my third S80 first was a 52 plate 2.4 petrol 170 bhp.
The other two are the later generation d5 auto now have a d3 auto
Yes Volvo were known for angular lines. My affair goes back to the 340 series, and I thought even those lines were artistic and the car very comfortable. Some of the earlier Volvos had exquisite rounded lines so, in many ways not something that the designers were entirely unaware of. Your example here echoes some of the earlier design features whilst incorporating the build and ride quality that earlier models probably lacked. A car of it's time, with an engine to match. The exhaust note is delightful.
I've got a 1995 850 2.5 10v, it's not particularly quick but the 5 cylinder noise is brilliant. It hits the pocket bad though
Had a late 96 Estate , got it chipped for torque and a KN filter , for the noise 😇
Owned one for 6 years. Bought at 362dkm, scrapped at 653dkm. It ran on LPG, which made it even slower 😁 glorious noise though 👍
Yayyyyyyyyy ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ i own an S60...thank you for the review 😊😊😊
You didnt mention there 2 a/c ducts for the back passengers to cool off loool 😅
Saw a s80 T6 AWD today in Burnley, thought it was a false badge on the back, this has changed my mind.
I owned a very early V70 57Reg 2.4 D5 185 bhp. Had it for about 7 years and sold it to n acquantance at 120,000 miles, its still going strong. Replaced ot with a very late XC70 D5AWD, twin turbo 220bhp which I have now had for about 6 years. Oddly enough the XC70 is more economical and the tyres last far longer. Both lovely cars