Volvo S80 saloon (2008-2016)

The Volvo S80 is a large saloon car that’s priced to compete with mainstream family cars like the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Insignia, as well as premium saloons like the BMW 5 Series an the Mercedes E-Class. Despite offering a beautifully designed cabin and some of the most comfortable seats available in any car, the S80 seems expensive next to the Mondeo, while rivals from BMW and Mercedes have more badge appeal and offer a more enjoyable driving experience.

Despite these reservations, the luxurious interior ambiance and comfort-focused suspension of the S80 makes it an appealing car in which to while away motorway miles. Note that it’s due for replacement soon, however: the new S90 arrives in September of this year and Volvo is already taking orders.

Because it’s due for imminent replacement, the S80 is only available with a 2.0-litre diesel engine, and this returns an impressive 68.9mpg thanks in part to stop-start technology. CO2 emissions of just 108g/km of CO2 leave S80 owners liable for an annual road tax bill of just £20.

Volvo designed the S80 with comfort, rather than handling or driver involvement in mind. As a result of this the S80 is very easy to drive, with light steering and soft suspension that soaks up motorway miles with ease as you relax into the comfortable seats. The trade off for this comfort, however, is that the S80 has too much body lean in corners, while the light steering is actually too light, leading to a slightly disconnected feeling for the driver.

Performance from the 2.0-litre D4 diesel engine is reasonable rather than exciting, and its 0-62mph time of 8.4 seconds means that while it easily keeps pace with traffic, those after swifter progress should look elsewhere; the BMW 5 Series is renowned for its enjoyable driving experience, for example, while a Ford Mondeo is also more involving despite being significantly cheaper.

Drivers of the Volvo S80 are treated to a luxurious and well-equipped interior, complete with Volvo’s trademark ‘floating’ centre console – so-called because it’s very thin and has a storage cubby behind it – although this is slightly awkward to access. The S80’s seats are as comfortable as car seats get, and the interior remains extremely hushed when cruising on the motorway.

Soft suspension means the S80 bounces slightly over more pronounced bumps, but potholes and poor road surfaces are nicely smoothed out. The D4 diesel engine, meanwhile, provides adequate power and doesn’t have to be worked too hard, adding to the relaxing driving experience.

Volvo has made good use of the S80’s large size, meaning wherever your passengers sit they’ll have plenty of space to stretch out in. The boot’s 480-litre capacity lags slightly behind the BMW 5 Series’ but it’s a good shape and has a wide opening. Volvo has also put some thought into interior storage: there are plenty of cubbyholes dotted around the cabin, including a large glovebox and centre console storage bin.

While the S80 feels solidly built, Volvo has taken a dip in terms of reliability lately: its 19th-place finish (out of 32 manufacturers) in our 2015 Driver power customer satisfaction survey is worse than its 2014 result, while the S80 sells in too few numbers to have featured individually. Still, one of the benefits of the S80 being somewhat elderly is that any kinks in production should have been ironed out by now.

In terms of safety, the S80 hasn’t gone through Euro NCAP safety tests since 2000, but Volvo’s excellent reputation for safety should provide peace of mind. The S80 features plenty of safety technology, such as automatic braking, electronic stability control and a pedestrian-detection system, which will alert you if someone walks into the car’s path.

In the course of winding down the S80’s production, Volvo only offers two trim levels: SE Nav and Lux. Both of these come with sat nav, leather seats, alloy wheels, climate control and electric windows as standard, while Lux model features a power-adjustable driver’s seat, as well as an upgraded dashboard trip computer.

Some may see the S80 as a luxuriously equipped prestige saloon that’s significantly cheaper than a similarly equipped BMW 5 Series or Mercedes E-Class; others may feel that Volvo’s brand appeal doesn’t quite justify the price tag and consider a Ford Mondeo to offer better value for money.

Whichever of those camps you fall into, one thing is for certain: the S80 will depreciate faster than a similar BMW or Mercedes, and that‘s more true than ever with the new S90 looming large on the horizon.