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1999 Volvo S80 Sedan
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| Great Combination of Luxury and Safety |
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| Updated |
Jun 10, 2004 23:04:41 |
| Rating |
 197 ( -26 -13.19% ) |
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Description:
1999 Volvo S80 SedanGreat Combination of Luxury and Safety By Bruce Caldwell
1999 Volvo S80 Sedan
Great Combination of Luxury and Safety
By Bruce Caldwell
Volvo has been doing an excellent job lately of improving the luxury and performance aspects of its image without diminishing its world- renowned reputation for safety and reliability. Instead of safe and staid, new Volvos are both safe and stylish. And as safe as all Volvos are, the S80 adds a couple new innovations. There is an inflatable curtain feature called "IC" that drops down from the headliner to provide head protection along the side windows. The inflated device looks similar to a camping air mattress. The IC remains inflated longer than normal airbags so it protects occupants in the event of a rollover or multiple side impacts. Four seat-mounted side airbags deploy like standard airbags. The combination provides excellent initial impact protection and good secondary impact protection.
Rear impact injuries are reduced with the S80's whiplash protection system "WHIPS," which causes the seatbacks to recline and move rearward. This movement helps absorb energy which diminishes the chances or severity of whiplash injuries. Other safety features include driver and front passenger air bags and knee bolsters, 3-point inertia reel seat belts for all five seating locations, and a very rugged high--strength steel safety cage. Proactive safety features include excellent 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS, stability traction control, and good handling characteristics.
All the interior safety features are pretty well tucked away, so what you actually experience is a sumptuous, spacious, comfortable interior. Our test S80 had the optional leather seats. The front seats have 8-way power adjustments with manual lumbar. Seat travel is outstanding with great front legroom. There is a little wheel well intrusion, but not too much. The rear seat is very spacious, too, even with the front seats in their rearmost position. A big fold-down armrest has a convenient storage compartment and pop-out cupholders. The rear seat comfort reminded us of a limousine. There are lots of luxury appointments like dual-zone heating/air conditioning with climate control, tilt/telescopic steering column, an excellent CD/cassette/AM/FM sound system, steering wheel audio and cruise controls, and heated seats. The glass power sunroof was enjoyable, but it had a little more wind noise than we would expect from such a generally well-built car. The trunk was quite large with a big opening, aided by a trunk lid which opens more than ninety degrees.
Performance for the transverse-mounted inline six-cylinder engine and automatic transmission were excellent, but not thrilling. The high performance version of the S80, the T-6, features a turbocharged 2.8-liter six which produces 268 hp compared to the 201 hp of our test car. The automatic transmission is smooth and precise. We averaged 22 mpg, which is excellent for a big luxury sedan like the S80. We would categorize the S80's performance and handling as highly capable, but not grin-getting like the Volvo C70 coupe or the all-wheel-drive turbocharged V70 wagon. The S80 styling is more rounded than most previous Volvos. It's pleasant, but we didn't personally prefer it quite as much as the C70 and V70 designs.
The all-new 1999 Volvo S80 replaced last year's S90 (which was rear-wheel-drive) as the flagship of the Volvo line. The S80 is an excellent car to fulfill that lofty role. It offers lots of room and comfort, smooth, virtually seamless handling and performance, and leading-edge safety technology. We thoroughly enjoyed the S80, even though it may lack the driving excitement of some other Volvos.
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