The grille on the S80 is classic Volvo, although the dropped front fenders and tapered hood show a modern performance character.

The S80's prominent beltline crease gives it a European look. The roofline shows a more conventional curve, however.

The rear window is larger than on other luxury sedans we've seen, improving visibility. The twin exhaust pipes hint at the S80's powerful engine.

The trunk is very deep, as befits a luxury sedan, and is easily able to hold suitcases for four passengers.

Volvo does a great job on the interior, making for a clean, refined look.

The floating center panel is one concept car cue that made it into a production car. And the space behind it is useful.

With Volvo's keyless system, you push the fob into a dashboard slot, then push the button to start the engine.

If there is a car in your blind spot, the BLIS light in the pillar turns on. We found this feature extremely useful.

A big Dynaudio speaker sits in the middle of the dashboard to provide surround sound. Unfortunately, it doesn't do much for the back seat.

Volvo's stereo interface looks good and works well. Too bad Volvo doesn't offer Bluetooth cell phone integration, which would make the keypad in the car more useful.

You can choose Dolby ProLogic II or 3 Channel surround sound.

The stereo plays MP3 CDs, and the display shows track information. Navigating CDs with lots of tracks can be tedious.

There is an auxiliary audio input in the center console.

The steering wheel of the S80 has audio controls on the right and buttons for the adaptive cruise control on the left. You can set your follow distance with these buttons.

The Sport package includes suspension settings. While we found the Sport setting more rigid, we didn't feel it added much to cornering ability.

Volvo puts a big engine in the S80. This 4.4-liter V8 puts out 311 horsepower and 325 ft-lbs of torque.