With the launch of the Volvo S80, the Swedish company made a big step forward.
The Volvos were known for their great safety features and well as good reliability, however, people didn’t think of them as exciting vehicles.

The S80 pretty much replaced the S90 and became the Volvo’s flagship design.

The exterior design featured flowing lines from the front to the rear. It looked elegant and simple altogether.

At the rear, the shape of the taillights reminded a little of older Bentley design, however, the low cost version of it. Unlike the previous models, the Volvo badge was positioned in the center of the trunk lid.

Initially, the S80 was available with four engine options: a 2.4-liter 5-cylinder that produced 141 hp, available with both LPG and CNG, a more powerful version of it with 170 hp, a 2.9-liter 6-cylinder powerplant that developed 196 hp, respectively 272 hp for the tuned version and the VW’s 2.5-liter that produced 140 hp.

Later in 2000, one new 203 hp 2.5-liter engine was offered together with an all-wheel-drive system.

While Volvo was synonym with safety, it’s no surprise to say that the S80 scored high in crash test. However, the great safety for the occupants made the S80 a dangerous car for the pedestrians in case of a collision, due to the aggressive front end.