Details of Cars

Volvo S80: the front-wheel-drive flagship

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Volvo S80 first generation
Volvo S80, first generation. Photo by Dinkun Chen, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Volvo S80 was an executive car built from 1998 to 2016 in two generations. It replaced the rear-wheel-drive S90 as Volvo’s flagship and introduced the company’s first transverse straight-six engine.

Volvo S80 at a glance

Volvo S80 key facts
Production 1998–2016
First generation 1998–2006, P2 platform
Second generation 2006–2016, with the Volvo V70 estate
First-generation cars over 368,000
Engines at launch 2.4 five, 2.9 six, T6 272 PS, 2.5 VW TDI
Gearbox detail Volvo designed the M65 manual because nothing else fitted the six
Added later 2.5T in 2000, D5 diesel in 2001
Safety IIHS Top Safety Pick in 2007
Replaced by second-generation S90 in 2016

History of the Volvo S80

The first-generation S80, based on the P2 platform, was launched for the 1999 model year and built at the Torslanda works in Gothenburg, with a few North American cars assembled at Halifax. Its styling took cues from the ECC concept car, and unlike most Volvos it had no estate version during its first generation.

Volvo S80L
Volvo S80L, the long-wheelbase version. Photo by Dinkun Chen, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The technical highlight was a straight-six engine mounted transversely. No existing manual gearbox would fit beside it in the engine bay, so Volvo developed its own M65, and the car also came with an environmental specification covering textile allergens, fuel economy and the whole life cycle from production to dismantling. The S80 used CAN bus multiplexing to link its electronic control units and reduce wiring weight.

Engines and safety

Four engines were offered at first: a detuned 2.4-litre five of 141 PS, available also as CNG and LPG versions and in a 170 PS form; a 2.9-litre six of 196 PS; a 272 PS T6 using a de-bored twin-turbo version of the six; and a Volkswagen-sourced 2.5 TDI of 140 PS. A 203 PS 2.5T with all-wheel drive joined in 2000, and the five-cylinder common-rail D5 of 163 PS followed in late 2001. Safety equipment mirrored the S60: crumple zones, dual-threshold airbags with a collapsible steering column, SIPS and side airbags, curtain airbags, anti-submarine seats and WHIPS head restraints.

Second generation

The second S80 was released in 2006 for the 2007 model year and had an estate counterpart in the third-generation V70. In June 2007 it earned the highest good rating in the American Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests for frontal, side and rear impacts, taking the Top Safety Pick award. The model was replaced by the second-generation S90 in the second half of 2016.

Design and features

  • Transverse straight six: a packaging first that required Volvo’s own M65 gearbox.
  • Flagship role: the front-wheel-drive replacement for the rear-drive S90.
  • Environmental specification: covering materials, fuel economy and recycling.
  • CAN bus electrics: fewer wires and simpler diagnostics.
  • Top Safety Pick: IIHS recognition in 2007 for the second generation.

Volvo S80 versions

  • S80 2.4: 141 or 170 PS five-cylinder, also CNG and LPG.
  • S80 2.9: 196 PS straight six.
  • S80 T6: 272 PS twin-turbo six.
  • S80 2.5T (2000): 203 PS with all-wheel drive.
  • S80 D5 (2001): 163 PS common-rail diesel.

The S80 replaced the rear-wheel-drive Volvo S90 and shares its platform and safety technology with the Volvo S60 and V70. More cars are in the Volvo collection.

Sources

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