There are many capable cars on the market that have been lovingly caressed into life by skilled designers and talented engineers but ultimately leave you wondering why. Very often these feelings revolve around executive saloons which most manufacturers feel they should be making but only very few of them can actually sell.
The Citroen C6, Hyundai Sonata and Volkswagen Phaeton are all quite talented and interesting cars in their own way, but you wonder why anyone would actually buy them ahead of cars like the BMW 5 Series, Jaguar XF or a nicely-equipped Skoda Superb. The catastrophic resale values of the former bear the principle out, sensible second-hand buyers preferring to rely on establish luxury badges.
The Volvo S80 is essentially part of that former group, but definitely aspires to be in the latter. Many changes were made in the transition from the first-generation car to the current one, and the S80 certainly has the statuesque stance of a good executive saloon down pat. Volvo as a whole, though, has the general problem that it wants to be a premium manufacturer but seems to be unable to make the final leap to luxury status.
The S80 has plenty of grip in the chassis that it can exploit, and the taut suspension does ensure that it corners with a surprising lack of roll. There isn't much feeling to be had through the steering wheel though. Despite the lack of roll the ride isn't too hard either - it soaks up bumps and makes a remarkable companion over long distances as well as being quite entertaining on twistier roads despite its size.
Legroom in the rear seats is particularly impressive, offering limousine amounts of space for passengers. Boot space is good too, so despite this Volvo not being an estate you won't suffer from any lack of room.
There is a decent range of engines available for the S80 - the 3.0 litre petrol at the top of the range has lots of pace and is quite entertaining, but you can expect massive running costs to match. The two diesels on offer are both smooth and frugal and probably offer the best balance of performance.
Overall the S80 is a highly-impressive effort from Volvo - its main issue is simply that the top of the class is so good and it is likely to suffer from wearing a not-quite-premium badge.