Faults:

Anti-Roll Bar replaced £42.00.

Unhappy with Tracking, had 4-Wheel Electronic Wheel Alignment done- occasioning a new noise when doing tight 180 turns. Seems to have disappeared though. Occasional strange thumps from offside rear suspension.

Front tyres v badly worn on inner edge- Alignment showed the combined toe-in was 3degrees and should have been maximum 1degree.

On rough urban surfaces, v lumpy. Speed bumps handled better in a Renault.

General Comments:

Bifuel is amazing. 210miles of motorway, Cruise set at 70mph turned in UK6.4p per mile of LPG (cost on 19th/Sept2006 39.9p per litre LPG). This beats the 1.9dci Diesel Megane by 2p a mile. Major savings.

Bifuel struggles occasionally at traffic lights. Gentle prodding of pedal required.

V big and heavy car, but still holds the line. Bothered by the suspension though, on poor surfaces. Should be a lot better. Bifuel has self-levelling suspension as standard- could be a reason.

Comfort-wise, v successful. 400miles still leaves you in the mood for dancing. The Sat-Nav is good. The TV is pretty cool. Take a break from driving, watch some tv, hit the road again. V good. TV not sold on the new S80- This may be a rare accessory in future.

Stability Traction Control v convincing. Well worth making standard in every car, as the EU is proposing to do.

BTW- In a Bifuel model, the gas tanks are placed under the rear seats and in the spare wheel pit. There is no spare.

Faults:

The main complaint has been the on board computer which, from 60,000 miles onwards, has consistently produced a range of faults none of which have had any bearing on the actual mechanical condition of the vehicle. The false readings on the computer have, however, affected the performance. A fault on the computer noted that there was a brake failure. This was incorrect, but the computer then automatically cut the engine which created dangerous driving conditions. The cost to repair the computer fault was almost £400. Then the computer showed that there was an emission service problem. This again was incorrect and there was nothing wrong mechanically. Currently there is a computer fault noting that an urgent transmission service is necessary. Again there is nothing wrong mechanically, but the computer is now influencing the acceleration so that the engine is running at a thousand revs higher than it should. The costs to repair the computer are expected to be another £500! I have lost all interest in the car and cannot wait to get rid of it particularly as all service costs are high and regular repairs are necessary and expensive.

General Comments:

The main plus of the car is comfort although the suspension has become more bumpy and noisy despite replacement of track rods.

Faults:

Recall Warning from Volvo for the Cooling System Fan, (it could catch fire) - Volvo fixed free of charge.

Ball joints replaced. Volvo fixed free of charge.

Front Passenger Speaker wiring came loose.

General Comments:

No Front screen window heater (which is a problem in the UK's climate).

No alarm if the lights are left on by accident.

Beautiful to drive.

Diesel gives 44 mpg on motorways and nearly 50 mpg otherwise. Outstanding fuel consumption.

Automatic transmission is superb.

Faults:

Shortly after I bought it, the power-steering pump squealed for a while and then the bearing had failed. A new pump is £500 fitted - no hope of just a new bearing for £5...

Tyre wear, particularly on the front is heavy and can be uneven; the edges go faster than the centre of the tread.

There are occasional signs of a pull to the left and uneven brake-pad wear, also on the left, which have baffled the Volvo specialist (not the dealership, who are hugely expensive, but helpful.)

General Comments:

Spare parts are expensive and that includes air/oil/pollen filters – I invested in a K&N filter to avoid replacements (they last 100,000 miles) as the air filter is a complete swine to get in and out.

I am 6 foot, if I sit so that my left foot rests on the footrest, the dashboard indicator repeaters are obscured by the steering wheel. If I sit back so my left foot does not rests on the footrest, I can see the dashboard indicator repeaters, but my leg just sticks out unsupported.

The climate control requires a 3 week residential course to master, but it’s worth it – quiet and efficient.

The radio/CD/Cassette player has excellent sound through 8 speakers.

The seats are the standard that other cars should try and attain. On occasion, I have driven 400 miles in a day and get out of the car entirely refreshed and relaxed.

Road holding is superb; there is no indication of the weight of the car affecting cornering, which, even at speed, it accomplishes without fuss.

The steering is light, accurate, responsive and with the right amount of feedback.

The brakes are top-notch – light and responsive with the ABS kicking in predictably. I have noticed no fade at all.

Performance – this is a 140 BPH diesel, it weighs somewhere near 1½ tons, yet the torque is amazing. Setting aside a 11 sec 0-60, the pull from 50 – 80 is really there when you want it. It will cruise all day without effort at a very fair speed.

Economy? Excellent! How can you beat a 200 mile run on less than 4 gallons, all at a steady 80mph? With a 60 litre tank, you could reasonably expect a range of 600 miles mixed driving.

Depreciation is likely to be high, but buying second hand avoids the worst of this and diesels hold their price far better and are cheaper to insure and service.

Safety? It’s a Volvo with more airbags than you can wave a stick at. It also has traction control, but I’ve never had it kick in.

Overall, driving is a pleasure, no matter what the distance.