New Volvo S80 at Amsterdam Motor Show
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The renewed Volvo S80 was unveiled at the Amsterdam Motor Show on February 6.
The Volvo S80 was unveiled to a very enthusiastic reception five years ago and quickly rose to become the best seller in its segment. Sales figures in the past couple of years, however, have not been equally bright.
Polished diamond
"We have not succeeded in giving the S80 a sufficiently strong profile on the market in recent years," confirms Hans-Olov Olsson, and adds:
"The new Volvo S80 is a polished diamond. It’s not just a matter of design, but equally of technological refinement and aesthetic feel. The new Volvo S80 should be so comfortable and easy to drive that every journey is a relaxing and refreshing experience. The key word here is regeneration."
The design of the new S80 focuses on a number of new details. The exterior has a more elegant stance with an entirely new front and rear section. Inside the car, the emphasis is on heightening the aura of exclusiveness, with features such as new door panels and instruments inspired by the recently unveiled R concept.
Refined driving properties
The driving properties gain a major boost with the FOUR-C (Continuously Controlled Chassis Concept) active chassis system, which was introduced in the Volvo S60 R and V70 R in 2002. In the Volvo S80, FOUR-C has been tailored to provide maximum comfort. The driver has the option of selecting a sportier setting at the touch of a button on the instrument panel. The FOUR-C system is available as an option. Another new feature is the power steering from German specialist ZF. This gives the Volvo S80 more direct steering response and increased steering precision. Sales of the new Volvo S80 start during spring 2003, and Volvo Cars initially has its sights set on selling more than 40,000 cars per year.
"The new Volvo S80 shows that we have what it takes to compete with the very best sedans in the prestige segment," says Hans-Olov Olsson.
The Volvo S80, the flagship of Volvo’s sedan range, now gets the same type of actively controlled chassis as fitted to the high-performance Volvo S60 R. The difference is that in the Volvo S80, this technology has been adapted for front-wheel drive and is exploited primarily to enhance comfort. As in the S60 R, the driver has the option of selecting chassis behaviour, with a choice between a comfort and a sport setting.
The active chassis technology makes for an extremely comfortable ride, particularly on poor road surfaces. Damping is adjusted continuously in response to road surface quality so it almost feels as though the car is floating across the road. When the time comes to press on, for instance on an inviting stretch of twisting country road, all that is required is a light touch on the FOUR-C button and the chassis settings are immediately transformed to suit a more enthusiastic driving style. The dampers now become firmer and sportier. The sport setting gives the car quicker steering response and a firmer grip on the road. No matter which setting the driver chooses, the car is always ready for the worst. For instance, in a sudden avoidance manoeuvre, the automatic system takes over and adjusts the dampers to provide the safest possible driving characteristics – minimum roll, effective road grip and the shortest possible stopping distance.
Optimum distribution
When taking a curve, damping is controlled so that pressure on the road surface is distributed optimally between the four wheels. Well-balanced road surface contact promotes fast and distinct steering response.In order to provide controlled roadholding and stability even at higher speeds, damping increases automatically with road speed. If lateral acceleration increases at the same time, for instance in a curve, this too increases the damping rate. When the car is heavily laden, the damping rate is increased to reduce the risk of the suspension bottoming out and to maintain the car’s good ride and roadholding characteristics. During braking and acceleration, the system automatically strives to keep the body level with the road surface, without the dipping at the nose or squatting at the rear.
FOUR-C
The active chassis is based on a highly advanced technology known as FOUR-C (Continuously Controlled Chassis Concept). This system was developed together with Öhlins Racing AB. In FOUR-C, each shock absorber is regulated electronically and entirely individually. Damping is varied continuously with immense speed, from soft to hard in less than one twenty-fifth of a second. The driver does not even notice the change. Body and wheel movements are monitored continuously with the help of a number of sensors in the car. The sensors provide about 500 reading impulses a second, measuring parameters such as:
The car’s speed and acceleration Lateral acceleration (when taking a curve) The wheels’ suspension movements The steering wheel’s position and how fast it is turned The engine’s current (calculated) torque The degree of braking Owing to the speed of the FOUR-C system, the car can even handle really difficult "washboard" surfaces without causing the wheels to lose their composure.
FOUR-C is optional on the Volvo S80. The system requires that the car is equipped with DSTC – Dynamic Stability and Traction Control – since the DSTC sensors provide some of the necessary information about the car’s behaviour.
The combination of FOUR-C and DSTC makes the Volvo S80 a highly competent and extremely comfortable long-distance tourer – offering exceptional ride comfort allied to dependable, safe roadholding properties.
New engine
FOUR-C is paralleled by the introduction of a new five-cylinder engine in the S80 range. The new engine has a displacement of 2.521 litres. It has a light-pressure turbo and it is designated the 2.5 T. The new engine replaces the 2.4 T.
The engine’s larger displacement provides both higher power and increased torque, with a power output of 154 kW (210 hp) at 5000 rpm. Torque is 320 Nm from 1500 to 4500 rpm. Continuously variable valve timing (CVVT) on both the inlet and exhaust manifolds promotes quick response to the accelerator and excellent low-rev pulling power. The new engine meets the tough American ULEV emissions requirements and the European Euro 4 requirements.
Improved steering characteristics
Just like the Volvo S60 R, Volvo V70 R and Volvo XC90, the new Volvo S80 is now equipped with a steering gear from ZF of Germany. The result is more direct steering response and enhanced steering precision. ZF is also supplying the new speed-dependent power steering, which requires lower steering force when parking, yet without affecting steering precision at higher speeds.
2003-02-07 Please quote Autoindex.org if You use this news article!
