Volvo S80 road test reports and car reviews

Volvo S80 D5 SE Sport. 2007

This might sound like a grumble but it’s not - it’s just my experience of an S80. I purchased this car from a Volvo dealer in Leeds. It was an ex Volvo company car, low mileage, one year old and test drove well. It is very high spec and well laid out. However, I’ve had lots of problems with it which has resulted in a complaint being made to Volvo UK customer services in Marlow. I’ve had: Chassis creaking when driving around corners (still there and ongoing for Volvo to determine the problem!) Ingress of water through the windscreen due to the top seal failing (twice). Nice when you drive around a corner to get a soaking when water pours through the centre console lights. Manufacturers fault with the in-car mobile phone unit which drains the battery within 96 hours (Volvo replaced under warranty) Poor fuel consumption - guess we have to live with it as Volvo reckon it’s OK. Wireless key fob loses contact with the car when inside it so you can’t do anything with the car (lock it, start it). (The way to fix this is to walk far away from the car for a few minutes), complete failure of the dashboard - just went into meltdown. (Volvo warranty repair). Satnav - failure of the media unit making it unusable (Volvo warranty repair). Failure of the horn/siren unit (warranty repair). Recall - heater problem that can cause fires (yikes) (recall repair). It’s a shame because otherwise it’s a real nice car. Would I buy another one ? Not unless I have a really good Volvo dealer on hand, Volvo RAC cover and the car is still well within warranty.