Luxury Cars: Over the years Volvo has produced some of the safest cars ever put on the road. And although the Volvo S80 is a luxury sedan with innovative safety features as well, it also shows drivers that Volvo has a fun side too. However, the S80 does have a few "smart-car" safety features, such as BLIS and CWBS. The former is a blind-spot information system that makes a driver aware of something that may not be immediately viewable. The latter, CWBS, is an acronym that stands for collision warning with brake support, whereas the car detects danger, beeps to alert the driver, and sets up the brakes to activate quickly to circumvent potential peril. The S80 also is the first Volvo to offer adaptive cruise control.
What makes the S80 livelier is that it is the first Volvo sedan that offers a V-8 engine. Actually, there are two engine options. The sedan comes with a 3.2-liter six-cylinder version that puts out 235 horsepower or a V8, 4.4-liter engine with 311 horsepower. Both versions have six-speed manual/automatic transmissions and DSTC (dynamic stability traction control). The V8 has all-wheel drive, while the inline six-cylinder model has front-wheel drive.
Volvo's new Four-C system allows the driver to set the chassis to three settings, comfort, sport, and advanced, depending upon the driver's preference or road conditions. The system adapts the dampers while driving. The Four-C system used in conjunction with the S80's speed-dependent power steering gives a driver full autonomy on selecting the desired feel of the car.
The cabin of the car has been altered to provide more headroom and legroom, and the interior is luxurious with supple leather seats and exotic wood trim. The dashboard instrumentation is positioned to enable easy accessibility for the driver. Regardless of the livelier performing S80, its safety cage made of four grades of steel that surround the cabin coupled with a side-impact protection system and upgraded safety belts make Volvo a trailblazer in establishing unparalleled safety standards for carmakers worldwide.
Enhanced performance combined with the automaker's patented safety features make the S80 a winner in power, comfort and safety. The dual visible exhaust tips poignantly express Volvo's effort to be viewed as edgier and sportier like its contemporaries. The price of the base model of the V-8 is around $50,000, and the six-cylinder S80's base model is approximately $38,000.
For LxM James Rothaar
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