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April 3, 2008 http://www.thecarconnection.com/fullreview/volvo_s80_2002

  Paul Wiley Cockerham
EditorPaul Wiley Cockerham

2001 Volvo S60 T5 by Eric Peters (7/2/2001)
PremAir: Kills Ozone Dead? by Frank Bohanan (5/14/2001)

It’s been a few years since Volvo wowed the automotive community with its introduction of the S80, a surprisingly sexy luxury sedan that didn’t look like a box. Packed full of Volvo’s safety innovations, it opened up a new market segment for the company, providing existing Volvo owners something to move up to (indeed, a third of S80 purchasers did just that), while providing the market at large a peek at what this stodgy old Swede could do.

But when your stated competitive group included the Acura 3.5 RL, Audi A6, BMW 5-Series, Cadillac Seville, Jaguar S-Type, Lexus GS300, Lincoln Continental and LS, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Oldsmobile Aurora, and Saab 9-5—strong personalities all—it’s hard to make a distinctive impression. Volvo’s traditional values of safety and engineering have, with varying degrees of success, been appropriated by competitors. When entry price hovers at the $40,000 threshold, strong performance and/or luxury statements are mandatory, and the base S80 2.9 has had trouble finding a voice, losing recognition even to its testosterone-tweaked, twin-turbo twin, the S80 T-6.

Serious progress

But the 2.9 has made some serious progress for 2002. Three horsepower (the DOHC in-line six is now rated at 194 hp) have been sacrificed in the name of low-end torque. The improvement was achieved by increasing the control area of the variable camshaft for the intake valves and by fitting a new inlet manifold for more effective gas exchange. A new exhaust pipe, which is designed for high low-end torque, also makes a contribution. Torque at 3000 rpm has, for example, been increased by about seven percent, according to Volvo, resulting in a marked improvement in throttle response and acceleration. The traction control has also been improved by increasing the speed range of the system, up to 75 mph from 44 mph.

2001 Volvo S60 T5 by Eric Peters (7/2/2001)PremAir: Kills Ozone Dead? by Frank Bohanan (5/14/2001)forumIt’s been a few years since Volvo wowed the automotive community with its introduction of the S80, a surprisingly sexy luxury sedan that didn’t look like a box. Packed full of Volvo’s safety innovations, it opened up a new market segment for the company, providing existing Volvo owners something to move up to (indeed, a third of S80 purchasers did just that), while providing the market at large a peek at what this stodgy old Swede could do. But when your stated competitive group included the Acura 3.5 RL, Audi A6, BMW 5-Series, Cadillac Seville, Jaguar S-Type, Lexus GS300, Lincoln Continental and LS, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Oldsmobile Aurora, and Saab 9-5—strong personalities all—it’s hard to make a distinctive impression. Volvo’s traditional values of safety and engineering have, with varying degrees of success, been appropriated by competitors. When entry price hovers at the $40,000 threshold, strong performance and/or luxury statements are mandatory, and the base S80 2.9 has had trouble finding a voice, losing recognition even to its testosterone-tweaked, twin-turbo twin, the S80 T-6. Serious progress But the 2.9 has made some serious progress for 2002. Three horsepower (the DOHC in-line six is now rated at 194 hp) have been sacrificed in the name of low-end torque. The improvement was achieved by increasing the control area of the variable camshaft for the intake valves and by fitting a new inlet manifold for more effective gas exchange. A new exhaust pipe, which is designed for high low-end torque, also makes a contribution. Torque at 3000 rpm has, for example, been increased by about seven percent, according to Volvo, resulting in a marked improvement in throttle response and acceleration. The traction control has also been improved by increasing the speed range of the system, up to 75 mph from 44 mph. 2001 Volvo S60 T5 by Eric Peters (7/2/2001) PremAir: Kills Ozone Dead? by Frank Bohanan (5/14/2001) It’s been a few years since Volvo wowed the automotive community with its introduction of the S80, a surprisingly sexy luxury sedan that didn’t look like a box. Packed ...