RE: Volvo S80 V8: Spotted

[Greggyboy]

Nice car, but you could have an E39 M5 for that kind of money!

[405dogvan]

Nice to know it exists - will be interested when that price is down by at least half - or about 12 months time tops...

[craigsg]

I didnt realise these V8s existed until a few weeks ago when I spotted one in a car park in Bournemouth when I was attending the Pianoforte Tuners Association Centenery Gala Dinner ( as you do )

I do like a big V8 meself and the 4wd I guess is a bonus in winter, but at 11k ? No !

[German]

Id be tempted by the Forester STI the suggestion thingy popped up with. Or a E34 M5, and sod the running costs

[skyrover]

A lex said:

Where exactly does the V8 fit..... it doesnt. I love the idea, id have one, but dont try going off on a crusade about how its perfect for the daily A to B, because clearly its not.

Torque, power delivery and smoothness

[kbee540]

Had that v8 in my wifes old XC90 - she picked the car, I picked the motor. It made a brilliant sound; proper muscle car roar. As the revs built (not that quickly) and the sound got better and better, the big '90 didn't actually move any faster, but the noise was brilliant. Downside - 17mpg. Fill-ups were regular and painful. You'd be a fool to buy that v8...but you should do it anyway. You only live once.

[skyrover]

A lex said:

skyrover said:

A lex said:

Where exactly does the V8 fit..... it doesnt. I love the idea, id have one, but dont try going off on a crusade about how its perfect for the daily A to B, because clearly its not.

Torque, power delivery and smoothness

But there are other engines in the range that provide that, without the crippling (new) purchase price, the horrendous car tax and the sub-20s mpg.

I love these V8s, but to argue that they have a sensible place within the S80 range is a bit daft when considering the UK market.

The V8 offers a combination of these qualities that no other engine can match, simply by it's fundamental nature.

Mislead legislation and public ignorance are the only reasons why this engine would not be acceptable in the UK, despite the fact from an engineering perspective it's probably the best engine for this type of vehicle.

[MJK 24]

A lex said:

300bhp/ton said:

A lex said:

The V8 makes no sense at all in the UK, im surprised they even bothered with it in the UK market.

Oh I don't know, I'm sure there are a few of us that think a V8 makes perfect sense in the UK and that the mass populace are just mistaken

No, a V8 Volvo S80 makes no sense in the UK. If you want the power/speed get the T6 (which I think is actually even more powerful) and I suspect will handle better too.

If you want economy get the D5.

If you want the cheapest running costs get the 2.4 NA.

Where exactly does the V8 fit..... it doesnt. I love the idea, id have one, but dont try going off on a crusade about how its perfect for the daily A to B, because clearly its not.

If it suited the average UK punter in any way shape or form, Volvo would have sold 10,000s of them and not the pittance that they actually have.

The V8 was more powerful compared to the T6. Having driven both, I'd chose the V8 each and every time. The noise alone is sublime - makes a Jaguar or Audi V8 seem very harsh and unrefined. The V8 engine is lighter than the twin turbo T6 too though I think this is negated by higher spec.

Also, the S80 with the cheapest running costs will surely be the 1.6d?

Edited by MJK 24 on Thursday 8th August 09:55

[Krikkit]

They do indeed - most of these in the market will have been fully-optioned dealer demo cars. Lovely things though.

[Bladedancer]

A lex said:

300bhp/ton said:

A lex said:

The V8 makes no sense at all in the UK, im surprised they even bothered with it in the UK market.

Oh I don't know, I'm sure there are a few of us that think a V8 makes perfect sense in the UK and that the mass populace are just mistaken

No, a V8 Volvo S80 makes no sense in the UK. If you want the power/speed get the T6 (which I think is actually even more powerful) and I suspect will handle better too.

If you want economy get the D5.

If you want the cheapest running costs get the 2.4 NA.

Where exactly does the V8 fit..... it doesnt. I love the idea, id have one, but dont try going off on a crusade about how its perfect for the daily A to B, because clearly its not.

If it suited the average UK punter in any way shape or form, Volvo would have sold 10,000s of them and not the pittance that they actually have.

To me V8 S80 sounds like a great car I would never really want to own, but like the idea of, if you take my meaning.
If I saw one on the road (but never did...) I would think to myself "now that is something different, good for him/her".
For 11k this is a curiosity at best.

[MJK 24]

A lex said:

Dont forget the £8k premium Volvo wanted for the V8 over the equivalent 3.2 V6 (not sure what the T6 > V8 price difference was though).

I think some of you are confusing me with someone who doesnt like the V8 - ill say it again I LOVE it! Great car, great engine, great combo. However, that doesnt mean that it makes sense, and tbh looking at the sales figures id say the majority of the UK car buying public agree with me!

The 3.2 isn't a V6, it's a straight 6.

[S10GTA]

Never knew it existed, but I'd have it if you knocked 8k off the price.

[AC43]

I love it. Real sleeper.

Trouble is you can get a facelist E500 for loads less.

Or for a similar price this http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...

[T5R+]

It is a "heart over head" type of purchase.

If you hear the V8 on a chatter with aftermarket exhaust modifications -

The S80 V8 is a rare beast, as is the V70 T6.

Volvo cannot sell big engined petrol cars in the UK, as the brand image does not exist.

All S80's take a hit on residuals. S80 V8s are in the £6.5-8,000 bracket. They are a great buy if you want to avoid the usual German suspects.

[9mm]

Similar to the Passat W8 except they aren't generally overpriced. Of course it doesn't make sense - that's what makes cars like this interesting and attractive to some people. You get the top of the food chain model with all the bells and whistles, plenty of performance and a nice soundtrack. You just pay for it at the pumps - plenty of people who don't do a big mileage can live happily with that. Having said all that, this Volvo will be very hard to shift at anywhere near the asking price.

[confused_buyer]

I remember these when they came out - virtually all were Volvo UK management cars. When they got sold off in 2008 after a year in the middle of the financial crisis they were struggling to attract bids of £12k for fully optioned year old examples with 10k miles.

[MJK 24]

A lex said:

MJK 24 said:

A lex said:

Dont forget the £8k premium Volvo wanted for the V8 over the equivalent 3.2 V6 (not sure what the T6 > V8 price difference was though).

I think some of you are confusing me with someone who doesnt like the V8 - ill say it again I LOVE it! Great car, great engine, great combo. However, that doesnt mean that it makes sense, and tbh looking at the sales figures id say the majority of the UK car buying public agree with me!

The 3.2 isn't a V6, it's a straight 6.

Same difference for the point of this debate

Not really, you're making out they made a V6 and a T6. They didn't at anypoint offer a V6

[Waveboy14]

Would still want to convert a V70 to a supercharged V8 engined one... And would not have to be in white and blue livery.

[MadDog1962]

A lex said:

I have seen one of these on eBay for about 6k, at which point its very tempting!

The V8 makes no sense at all in the UK, im surprised they even bothered with it in the UK market.

The US of A is where these things sell, along the V8 XC90.

Still, a great Q car - although id suggest a T6 variant might be an all round better shout.

Yeah here in Texas this would be great, even for $16,000 but in UK the fuel costs alone mean that it will have very limited appeal unless it was close to shed money. S80 interiors are super comfy too!

[DukeDickson]

confused_buyer said:

I remember these when they came out - virtually all were Volvo UK management cars. When they got sold off in 2008 after a year in the middle of the financial crisis they were struggling to attract bids of £12k for fully optioned year old examples with 10k miles.

Not a million miles away than a Phaeton then.