German Car Forum

Erm, yes, that's what I was alluding to... ACTUALLY.

Wouldn't that cause a little consumer confusion. Like the S80 is neither as plain jane as a 3 Series but it isn't exactly a 5 Series either. Would they take something in between?

Martin, thanks for the welcome back! The transverse V8 could certainly make the most of the packaging, moving the weight of the engine a little further back than it might have been otherwise. I guess their main application is 4WD as an extension of front drive anyhow, so no problems there about the drive shaft direction. That the S80 is more or less front drive probably has at least a little to do with it having a large back seat, since there isn't necessarily the requirement for mechanical components to be nearby.

James, the S80 is larger than a 5er/E but not as large as a 7er/S; I suppose you meant the S60.. but as to your point (is it that an S60 is something in between the 3er and 5er?), yeah, in some ways it can cause confusion - yourself a case in point? But seriously, perhaps those who are accustomed to thinking of the German Three sizes as 'standard' might get confused, but upon looking at the cars themselves, or the specifications and dimensions, you can figure it out and rearrange your sizing system to be non-German-centric.

Over here, the Volvo of a certain size (half-size-up disregarded) is probably slightly cheaper than even the Audi of that size, and with a little larger engine as well. However, I find that you lose out a little in terms of interior options and other options. That, and resale value, are probably reasons why I'd stump up extra to buy an A4 or 3er or whatever.

I'm really liking how most of everyone undermines the potential and actual Volvo experience, makes more room for folks like Giannis and I, among many others. Volvo is betting huge on this car to win over owners from BMW, MB, and Audi, and in truth, they'll probably suceed in doing so(look at the XC90). This car easily improves upon the weaknesses of the other cars in its class(Very simplistic, modern design, durable and reliable engines(V8), awesome reliablity and durability, the latter being a solid part of Volvos reputation). Though a lingering image works against Volvo, the tide I predict, will soon turn. Volvo's are very worthy cars of investment, if not the most worthy among all of its' Euro. brothern.

Great find. It looks really slick in the video. Although this car will not attract customers more than an Audi A6, this will be a good and cheaper alternative. It will be interesting to see how much this car is going to cost.

Dang, SV thanks for correcting my severe mistake. Yeah I know what you mean, I'd agree with you.

Very true, but remember that's not on brand for Volvo's customers. You buy a Volvo because you want safety, comfort, and long term value(peace of mind), not resale value. They say a Volvo hasn't reached its peak until 200,000 mls(or whatever measurement you use in your woods), on average a Volvo will last for 18.5 years or more. My aunt bought a 240 two years after I was born, and still has it! These are cars bult for life, and they're not designed to be fads, but an intergral part of the owners lifestyle that works on their time(hence the low maintenence costs and longevity these cars posess).

Volvo finally offers a V8 for their passenger car, the S80. Back in the day I was hoping the 940 (1991 model) would recieve a V8 when my mother bought one.
I actually found out that this V8 is from the Ford SHO model from 2001.
I wish Volvo could have develped their own V8.
Besides that I`m a little up in the air with the styling of this car. It looks like an overgrown S60. The previous model had a more grown up prestigius appearence about it without looking like an old persons car. The dash is ok, nothing special the seats look comfortable though. I`m familiar with Volvo seats. I had 5 of them in my family.

Look for RL pics on swedespeed.com when the Geneva show starts. I'm thinking RL photos will show that this car is more than an overgrown S60. To add, the S60 is a beautiful car, so why not? It's a winning formula, and you can't say it looks like anything else.

i second that

I'd say that it's not necessarily the case, any more. These days, IMO very few brands stand for so much that they aren't subject to other forces, such as considerations of resale value (though admittedly not many people actually bother to figure that out for -any- brand), plus thinking about the value proposition as well as the question of appearance.

I'd also say that, without implying any particular lack of quality, that Volvos are produced for the same things as any other mass produced car - built in obsolescence, not as a conspiracy theory, but just because extra engineering means extra cost. I'd be happy if they proved me wrong, but we'll have to wait about 18.5 years before we find out for sure, eh?

I'm not sure where you were going w/ the above statement. Simply put though, Volvo is sticking to what it knows, not going out of its' way to try and be something more or less what it isn't.

I think I was trying to say that Volvo, though still known enough for safety, isn't exempt from all the usual evaluations that is due any other car. IMO people don't buy purely on brand as much any more. Also, that Volvos probably aren't built like they used to be built - just like any other brand's cars.

But I agree - despite all that, Volvo's not suddenly going to try to take on some other personality.

I think you are right. There are some of us left still for whom brand makes a difference and I guess I'm one of those. It's that something that is so hard to explain what it is. Despite the Ford - connection and everything that goes with it, I will always remember as a young boy going to Ice Races where the dominant cars were the Saabs and the Volvos. Those were the PV 444 and PV 544 models. And most of the time the Volvos won. And then there was Simon Templar (Roger Moore), the Saint, who drove a P1800 coupe which I am sure has given cues to the latter day Maserati designers. I learnt to drive with a 144. Maybe because of all this, I still like the latest Volvo designs as well. I guess it's some sort of loyalty to something that was almost like a member of the family that is affecting the likes and the dislikes.

I think Volvo's are very much still built to last way late into 20 yrs or so from their first run on asphalt. How do I know this? Well look at the technology in Volvo cars today, it's user freindly, not overly advanced - in your face computerized functions. On top of that maitence costs are WAY low, at least compared to their other Euro brethern. It must be remembered that any sucess that Ford has had in recent years, and whatever is to come in the future, should be credited to Volvo. They have lent engineers to various Ford brands for the engineering of safety systems, to the sharing of engines, and even platforms. Volvo is Fords' saving grace. In some ways it seems more like Volvo is running things at Ford than Ford running things at Volvo.

Guess what a saw today?
A Volvo S80 test mule. Frankly I was suprised to see that the car was wearing full camo eventhough the car has allready been presented, eh!! Anyhow it began when I 50 meters saw I car paked awkardly along side a 70km/h road and I though "whats sup. Is the driver taking a phone car, fiddling with his iPod or what?

As I approached the car I saw that it looked wierd and after a few seconds reckonized the rear-camo light(yes I'm a car freak). Firt I was planning on stopping behind the car but I hesitated and ended up stopping along side the car. The driver noticed that I noticed him, I gave him a thumb up and he gave me one to. Exactly when I was going to wind down the passanger window I looked in the rear view mirror and saw a bus approaching me and I had to start rolling.

I may also add that the place where I saw the car is only 10-15 minutes from Volvo's passanger cars factory.

could have been the new S60.. dont see the point with a camoed S80 anymore

Too bad my cellphone camera is too crappy to take decent pictures but the car looked like the one below. I can possibly be the New S60 since S80 and S60 are fairly identical in terms of size and design. Man... I need to buy a new camera phone.

http://www.autorevue.cz/Images/4858/55.jpg

http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/1....volvo.340.jpg

I have already sat in the new S80 but I must say i like dthe new C70 much better.

I have seen the C70 several times and I not like it at all. The front isn't ugly not not exciting either and wort of all are the proportions. It looks really weird from some angles. I can't stand it.

lol once again proof that people think different the one I saw was red with red hardtop and almost white leather inside. Very nice IMO.

how was it how was it!?!?!?! How does it look in the flesh, especially against the German competition? Please please do give me details!!!!

I'd gladly trade my S60 in for another if the new one is to be more sporting and runs close to the 3 in the handling dept. W/ a few mods from IPD(Oregon based 40 yr old Volvo tuner) the car will be eating 3er's left and right, if it even runs close to begin w/.

I'm very curious about the interior. On the handling side the car is probably much better than the current S80 since it's based on the up coming Modeo platform.