1996 Volvo 850 T5 CD review from UK and Ireland
"A lot of car for the money!"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Clutch Slave Cyclinder.
Front Shock Absorbers.
New Tyres.
New Discs and Pads.
General comments?
I bought this car after having an 2.0 litre 20V 850. The difference in performance was very impressive! It's a solid car, well built and comfortable.
This car has a lot of power, 225bhp, but it can often be hard to put this power down, it should have better traction control, its cuts out at 22mph and is ineffective until then anyway. However once past this the performance from 2nd gear onwards is very impressive. In 5th gear on the motorway it will happily do anything between 50mph and 130mph.
The cars handling takes a while to get used to, however once accustomed to it, it generally handles like most big FWD saloon cars. Although it does under-steer on occasion. The handling in the wet can be a lot less confidence inspiring!
It is a very comfortable car for long journeys and in CD form is well equipped with Leather and Air-con.
The fuel economy is a joke! 21 mpg whether driven fast or slow. Parts as for any Volvo are expensive.
Overall this is a lot of car for the money. Reliability, comfort and performance for less than £4000.
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| Smart, safe and speedy |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.3 turbo Manual |
| Performance marks | 8/10 |
| Reliability marks | 7/10 |
| Comfort marks | 8/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 5/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 97000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 108000 miles |
| Previous car | Volvo 850 |
| Date of Entry | 23rd January, 2004 |