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Car & Driver 1999 S80 test/review article from Jan 1999

Everything on the Volvo S80. Sometimes called an "executive car", the S80 was Volvo's top-of-the-line passenger car. P2 platform.
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matthew1
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Car & Driver 1999 S80 test/review article from Jan 1999

Post by matthew1 »

The one thing the future according to Volvo doesn't hold for us, apparently, is grins. Perhaps in keeping with the com­pany's safety image, the S80 comes across as a solemn, sober car. With the exception of what happens when you tip into the twin-turbo "T6" engine, as on this top-of-­the-line test car, there's not a lighthearted gesture to be found anywhere. Shades of charcoal cover the interior, interrupted only by a band of nicely finished wood­grain that circles most of the way around the passenger compartment. Except for the headliner, everything else is charcoal. Even the instruments are charcoal dials on a charcoal background, for heaven's sake. So relentless is the seriousness that a Mercedes E-class seems like 3500 pounds of giggles by comparison.
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 6.5 sec
100 mph: 16.7 sec
1/4-Mile: 14.9 sec @ 95 mph
130 mph: 31.2 sec
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 7.1 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 3.3 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 4.1 sec
Top Speed (gov ltd): 133 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 181 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.81 g

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a6 ... hive-test/

Screenshot 2025-07-29 at 9.36.44 AM.jpg


I don't recall ever seeing a charcoal interior S80 T6, FWIW.
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Post by BlackBart »

"giggles"
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Post by matthew1 »

I need to own a MB one day. They had excellent design, always liked the looks. And some owners swear by them every bit as much as some Volvo owners swear by Volvos.
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Post by volvolugnut »

The Mercedes I have owned can induce giggles and ah-craps.
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Post by BlackBart »

Do the parts prices induce the aw-crap?

Matt - you could find yourself a 3rd world dictator 600 to cruise the streets of Denver.
But I’m partial to the early 70’s 4-headlight elegant sedans, from 6 cyl to diesels to smooth V8’s. Or the coupes, which seem very posh…
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Post by abscate »

Caption…I can’t play now kids, I have to talk to my broker…..
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Post by volvolugnut »

Aw-crap: the feeling you get when your 25 years old Mercedes will not start because a security feature on the ignition key fails and the dealer part is $600.
volvolugnut
The Fleet:
Volvo: 2001 V70 T5, 1986 244DL, 1983 245DL, 1975 245DL, 1959 PV544, multiple Volvo parts cars.
Mercedes: 2001 E320, 1973 280, 1974 280C, 1989 300E, 1988 300TE, 1979 300TD, parts cars.
2009 Smart Passion
Ford: 1977 F350, 1964 F150 (2), 1938 Tudor Sedan
Farmall tractors: 1956 400 Diesel, 1946 A
And others.

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Post by BlackBart »

aw.....crap!
ex-1984 245T wagon
1994 850T5 wagon
2004 XC70 wagon BlackBetty

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Post by abscate »

Mercedes has made you a Deutsche Mark....of course, they have taken many more than they made..
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