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Feature: The 4Car top 10: bargain luxury saloons

03 Jan 08

Volvo S80

Prices
From £1,500; £10,000 buys good four-year olds
Engines
2.0, 2.4, 2.5, 2.8, 2.9 petrol; 2.4 and 2.5 diesels
Watch out for
Overworked high-mileage cars; general build quality defects; injector problems with diesels; misfiring and ECU faults in five-cylinder petrols
For
A lot of car for the money; unostentatious; particularly comfy seats
Against
Unexciting to drive; lacks prestige of German rivals; slow non-turbo models

10. Volvo S80 (1998-2006)

The Swedish answer to the E-Class and 5-Series, the S80 has served many companies well as high-end executive transport: it's popular among chauffeur-drive firms. That said, some versions - T6 models with lowered, stiffened suspension, sportier diesels - are somewhat hard-riding, but by and large, the S80's a great car to be driven in (it's not the most inspiring from behind the wheel).

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Volvo S80

Volvo S80

It's arguably the most socially-acceptable luxobarge around, too, what with its egalitarian Swedish sensibilities and unassuming identity. Claiming 'green' credentials may be stretching it, even with the natural gas- and LPG-compatible versions, but it won't attract as much negative attention as its German counterparts.

Road Test: Volvo S80

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