Volvo S80 News

The company now has MP3 CD compatibility standard across its range, plus auxiliary inputs for MP3 players and even USB connection in some models.The first company in Australia to offer MP3-compatible CD players throughout their range was Hyundai in 2004. That means users have to burn MP3s on to CDs.However, most people now use portable MP3 players, rather than CDs.Some models in some brands offer full compatibility for iPod with track and volume selection through the car's sound system, but this means that users with other brands of MP3 players are not included.Rather than isolating some users, the easiest option is an auxiliary input jack or USB port for MP3 player connection.Users still have to select tracks on the player, but the volume is adjustable through the car's sound system and you don't have to burn CDs.Volvo Car Australia public affairs manager Todd Hallenbeck said Volvo had MP3 CD compatibility right across its range as a standard feature, but now had auxiliary ports with their high performance and premium sound systems.These are standard on all models, except S40 S, S40 D5, V50 S, V50 D5 and the coming C30 S.All XC90 models now have an auxiliary input in the centre console. Plus the XC90 has the rear audio jacks for second and third-row passengers which allows them to listen to radio, CD or MP3 independent of the front seats.All S80 models have a centre console input standard and a USB port available as an accessory.V50, C30, S40 and C70 models have the input discreetly located behind the elegant floating console with a rubber-bottomed tray so the iPod or MP3 player won't get scratched or slide around as the car is driven.However, it makes it a bit difficult for the driver to change tracks on the player.The next XC70 model will have an aux port for MP3 with a USB port as an accessory.

Sales of the S80 had been declining sharply over the past couple of years from a peak of 364 in 1999 - the first full year of sales - to a paltry 44 last year before the decision was made to hold the car back until the new model was available. Volvo Australia spokesman Todd Hallenbeck says the ability to launch the revised S80 with a proven V8 engine - the Yamaha-sourced 4.4-litre unit from the top-selling XC90 - and a well-sorted six-speed automatic gives the car a new relevance to buyers here. "We are not expecting to sell huge numbers but around 500 a year is a nice target. At $95,950 for the V8 it sits well against other luxury V8 sedans," Hallenbeck says. The transverse alloy 4.4-litre V8 in the new S80 is the same 232kW and 440Nm unit used successfully in the XC90. For the V8 model, AWD will come standard. Also available will be Volvo's well-tested 2.4-litre five-cylinder TDi with 136kW and 400Nm priced at a sharp $71,960 and expected to account for a majority of sales after an initial rush for the V8. A 3.2-litre in-line six is also available but Volvo Australia will wait and add it to the mix next year. Designed by Peter Horbury, the S80 retains most of the major design cues of the original car - prominent rear hips, upright Volvo grille and boat shape outline from above. However, there are more differences than similarities. The new S80 looks much tauter than its predecessor, with a more integrated roof profile, larger wheel arches filled by 19-inch wheels and the general impression of being a more compact car, despite actually growing slightly. Inside, the S80 borders on Swedish minimalism. There is the floating centre console from the S40 and V50, a tasteful brushed aluminium trim, clear instrumentation with Volvo's patented easy-to-use knobs and ergonomic seats. While it all works fairly well, there is little that will set the emotions bubbling. The main instruments are analog, with needles pointing to the perimeter and digital messages at the centre. Most functions are controlled via buttons, a four-way switch pad, and a small screen on the centre console. The screen for the optional navigation system pops up at eye level from the top of the dash. The end result is impressive, polished by the inclusion of some fairly sophisticated electronic wizardry in the Four-C chassis active damping technology -- standard fare on the V8 for Australia. The comfort setting is likely to be a little soft for most Australian applications, with sport the favourite for day-to-day running. A further tightening of the parameters is available with the advanced option which will tie-down body-roll and sharpen damper response to a degree that outstrips the S80's slightly disappointing steering. Although it is not actually vague, the steering feedback is sluggish and under pressure can feel a little dissociated from the action. But the chassis performance is crisp and the road-holding impressive.

Sales of the S80 had been declining sharply over the past couple of years from a peak of 364 in 1999 - the first full year of sales - to a paltry 44 last year before the decision was made to hold the car back until the new model was available. Volvo Australia’s Todd Hallenbeck says the ability to launch the revised S80 with a proven V8 and a well-sorted six-speed automatic gives the car a new relevance to Australian buyers. "We are not expecting to sell huge numbers but around 500 a year is a nice target. At $95,950 for the V8 it sits well against other luxury V8 sedans and we believe it will attract a good degree of interest." The transverse alloy 4.4-litre V8 in the new S80 is the same 232kW and 440Nm Yamaha unit used successfully in the XC90. For the V8 model, AWD will come standard. Also available will be Volvo's well-tested 2.4-litre five-cylinder TDi with 136kW and 400Nm priced at a sharp $71,960 and expected to account for a majority of sales after an initial rush for the V8. The new S80 looks much tauter than its predecessor with a more integrated roof profile, larger wheel arches filled by larger 19-inch wheels and the general impression of being a more compact car despite actually growing slightly. And while the new car looks similar to the original, Volvo can genuinely claim that it is an all-new model sitting on a brand-new platform cobbled together from the best of the C1 componentry (that's S40, V50, S60 and C70 - along with a little bit of Ford Focus and Mazda3) and Ford's new global mid-sized architecture. The luxury status of the S80 has been polished by the inclusion of some fairly sophisticated electronic wizardry in the Four-C chassis active damping technology - standard fare on the V8 for Australia. The comfort setting is likely to be a little soft for most Australian applications with sport the favourite for day-to-day running. A further tightening of the parameters is available with the advanced option which will tie-down body-roll and sharpen damper response to a degree that outstrips the S80's slightly disappointing steering. In keeping with its logical competition - Audi's A6, the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class - Volvo has worked in a variety of electronic extras, most of which will be options. There is a radar-based active cruise control that produces audible and visual warnings of a possible collision and works with brake assist when the driver takes evasive action; BLIS, a blind-spot warning system using tiny cameras built into the side mirrors; and PCC, an electronic key fob that can monitor the cars locking and alarm status and even detect the heartbeat of an intruder inside the car.

It is, in its way, the best show for ages, with a quotient of concept vehicles and exotica balanced by real world stuff you'd actually consider buying.Highlights?It's hard to walk past Audi's R8, a fully-fledged supercar likely to come in with a "bargain" tag of substantially less than $300,000. Next to it is the second generation Audi TT, mightily improved and not screamingly unaffordable from $68,500 the entry model and about $20K more for its 3.2 V6 quattro sibling. We drove both of these through the Austrian Alps in June 2006, and will hazard the guess that Audi will struggle to meet demand for this superbly executed coupe.And, just for show, is a model of the R10 – the amazing V12 diesel that took first and third at this year's Le Mans.The great thing about concept cars is that they needn't conform to such tiresome criteria as Australian Design Rules - hence the lack of an A pillar on Saab's Aero Concept X. The lack of any pillars for that matter. Slightly more tangible is the 9-5 bio ethanol-powered wagon - a car to gladden the hearts of sugar cane growers.Lotus has revived an iconic brand name with the Europa S, a car that should affirm two-seater motoring can still be an unadulterated and largely unconstrained experience. When the product of mainstream manufacturers seems to keep getting fatter, like a choc-addicted neurotic, the mere existence of Lotus serves to remind us of (hard) core driving verities.Mazda's Kabura sports compact - with its cute 3+1 seating arrangement - is a concept from which the theme and shape of Mazdas to come can be divined. Ditto Honda's Sports 4 Concept for that marque. Or so we hope. While Honda's SH-AWD system is damn clever, it'd be neat to see it attached to something a little more athletic than the globulous Legend.A few metres away from the Kabura is the CX-7 - the crossover SUV with much of the Mazda 6 MPS's drivetrain - which you'll be seeing on our streets soon. It's one of two vehicles that perfectly defines what marketing types like to call the "zeitgeist" of the Australian buyer at the moment.The other, you may or may not choose to believe, is a Volvo. The S80 all-wheel-drive V8 luxury sedan might be the Swedish marque's new hero model, but their decidedly groovy 2+2, the C30, could be the car that finally puts paid to those ancient "bloody Volvo driver" cliches.It also points firmly in the direction that Australian private buyers are going ie: those of us not enamoured of soft road SUVs are downsizing but up-speccing.And speaking of good things in small packages, those who have queued long for the Volkswagen Golf GTI will be delighted to see that not only is demand being addressed, but the new to Australia three door-model starts $1500 under the five door at $38,490. VeeWee's highly desirable Eos CC, the big drawer at last year's Frankfurt motor show, finally made its Australian debut ahead of its release early in 2007.And yes, that's a turbo diesel variant you see parked near the turbo petrol. If diesel seems anomalous in a (part-time) open top car, it works.Given the mudslide of Holden hype this year, it comes almost as relief not to see some lurid concept jobbie from them for once, although unveiling the Hummer H3 did at least provide comic relief.With the pomp and circumstance we've come to expect from Holden on the opening day of the show, the covers were hauled off to anything but the reception they've come to expect.Far from the rapturous and somewhat sycophantic applause that greeted their Torana and Efijy creations, there was … well, the sound of no hands clapping. In fact, the silence that greeted this spectacularly pointless and ugly apparition could best be described as stoney.Nissan's Foria is a concept car we’d very much like to see come into fruition. Apart form the corporate grille, this is an elegant Lancia-like coupe intended as an MX-5-like alternative.