Jeremy Clarkson; Volvo S80 SE Sport review

[dodgyken]

Can anyone actually remember a Volvo being given a good review??

If we are honest they have never handled with particular aplomb. The ride quality over the years has been everything from wallowing blamange to hard as nails (yes you Mr V70R P2) completely bypassing the happy medium somewhere in the middle.

The cars may last and last and last, but Volvo still haven't figured out how to make their plastics look good. Yes, the new V50-S40-S80-V70 have very swish interiors - but they still don't look like they are carved from stone - something Audi has managed since the mid 80s.

Then there is economy, my 760GLE does, give or take, an average of 21-23mpg. The current top of the range Volvo does, you guessed it, 21-23mpg.

Ok, now try performance, well yes the T5R, and Rs are quick - but the "wham bam, big turbo, front wheel spinning" performance does just smack of it being a bit dirty, a bit crude, a bit lacking in finesse.

So there you have had, Volvos are relatively expensive, don't ride well, don't handle well and waste whatever performance they have. So utter crap then.

Well actually "No". If you review a car as a means of enjoying driving a Volvo is very unlikely to feature - and I know what T5 owners say - I had one - but sod the lot of you - 200+ horsepower should not go to the front wheels alone. But then driving for the sheer pleasure of driving makes up a tiny percentage of the driving your average person does.

I reckon I do are about 15000miles per year (in 3 cars), about 4000 in the Alpina (road legal track day car), 4000 in the Volvo 760 (daily run about), 7000 in the Z4 (Weekend and fun car) - if I split out the motorway journeys maybe 2000 miles is fun driving - at the most - and I love driving!!!

So as an enthusiast 10-15% of my driving is for fun but how many people drive for fun? More importantly how many people really need all the chacteristics of a fun car? The handling, the performance etc etc

Maybe people are more keen to have a car whose seats are superbly comfortable - that you can get out after a 500 mile journey (with only 1 stop) without feeling tired. What about an intelligently designed load space with minimal intrusion from the wheels or rear door? What about front wheel drive to lower the rear floor? Or increase internal space without any external increase in size? (The new V70 is no bigger than the old one) What about an engine that although being a little gruff offers great performance and will return 45mpg+ for a large estate?

Maybe, just maybe, people don't buy cars the way journalists tell us to. Pretty much all Volvos have been 3 star cars. In fact, sum up the contents of the parts and that is what you would get if you were looking at in the same way that the journalists do.

Volvo might not win the hearts of the masses with a superb chassis, or great handling or a perception of quality, but it is an honest, solid, dependable car.

After all, despite have a stable of 2 BMWs - I still have a Volvo for the basics of getting from A to B

****The 760 is also great in town because it just glides over speed humps