(Wed 18 Mar 09)

Volvo has released more information about the revised S80 which, as mentioned in a news story last month, is due to go on sale in the UK this summer.

From launch, the new car will have what Volvo describes as a choice of "chassis", though despite what that name might imply we're really talking about suspension settings here. On the one hand there's the Comfort Chassis; this is optimised for a smooth and luxurious ride, which is already a notable feature of the current S80 (see road test for further comments on that subject).

But however comfortable it may be, the S80 has never been very exciting to drive. Volvo has addressed that by developing the Lowered Dynamic Chassis, in which the suspension has been stiffened, the anti-roll bars strengthened, the subframe mountings beefed up, the steering ratio revised for quicker response and the ride height lowered by 20mm at the front and 15mm at the rear. In this case the suspension is also self-levelling, so the car's attitude remains the same no matter how many people and how much luggage are on board.

The Comfort Chassis is the only one available on Executive versions of the S80, but the SE and SE Lux get the Lowered Dynamic Chassis as standard, and Comfort as a no-cost option.

Volvo Gallery
Volvo Road Tests