Volvo Cars is moving ahead fast with its plans to launch two of its vehicles in India. Soon after we drove the cars in Sweden, Volvo has announced the appointment of three dealers in Delhi, Mumbai and Chandigarh. And like in the worldwide scheme of things, in India too the company is maintaining an independent identity up front even thought it is sharing its back-end and even office space with Ford India.
While we already brought you the details on the first of their models in the last issue of Overdrive, we bring you details on the second.
The S80 was one of the earlier vehicles to be based on Ford’s global Shared Platform when launched over a year back and shares its platform with the new Mondeo and the Landover Freelander 2. Not bad a group to be sharing your genes with.
To give you an idea of its size, its body shell is just about the same size as that of the BMW 5-series, while in the process of its development, Volvo has relied on the best parts of its entire model range, including the much smaller C70 as well as the V50 and S40.
Looks wise the car has an understated elegance and while the grille is all Volvo, I somehow have not been able to like the slightly bulbous bonnet. The shoulder line with its characteristic bulge is the Volvo family look and along with the grille gives a Volvo identity.
In India the car will be launched with three engines like in the XC90 with the range topping V8 which produces max power of 315PS coupled with the max torque of 440Nm. This is the same Yamaha developed engine that was first seen on the XC90 and features just a 60-degree angle between the banks of cylinders to help in its transverse installation. The other two engines will be the 3.2-litre all-aluminium straight six, again remarkable because of its short length and the 2.4-litre, 5-cylinder diesel with common-rail direct fuel injection on the D5.
India will get the AWD versions with an adaptive 6-speed automatic gearbox. I had the opportunity to drive both the diesel as well as the V8 S80s in Sweden. The V8 is a scorcher on the XC90 so you can well imagine what it will be on a vehicle that is about 300kg lighter. For the racer boy mentalities, the V8 is the complete package – with larger 18 in wheels and lower profile tyres, and an engine raring to go. Select the advanced damper control setting (one of three available) and you could very well head off to the track. The diesel on the other hand is a relaxed mile cruncher and would do well for normal everyday use. Ride quality even when the comfort mode is switched on is rather stiff, aping the German saloons. However on Indian roads a slightly more pliant ride is advisable unless all the commute the car is going to see is around the corridors of power in New Delhi. Straight line stability and traction around corners is brilliant aided no doubt by all-wheel-drive but what lacks conviction is the steering feel or else one could be forgiven for thinking that this is a BMW in disguise – in terms of dynamic ability. This despite the fact that Volvo also uses the same variable assist system that is used by many manufacturers around the world – the ZF servotronic.
But we have not even come to the car’s strong points which I would say are safety comfort and equipment.
The interiors are plush and well equipped. Whether it be the keyless entry or the custom built music system from the Danish company Dynaudio, everything is simple and elegant. The placement of the screen for the sat nav or other functions, on the dashboard is another innovation that works. As are things like the blind sport information system or the emergency brake assist system along with ready alert brakes. Bixenon headlamps move along with the direction of travel and steering angle while the body is made and designed putting in years of Volvo research into safety. Things like the transverse mounting of all engines or the whiplash protection system are a result. The cars have several such features which illustrate that safety is just not about the number of airbags.
While many of the premium car manufacturers have moved to complex control systems to operate the increasing number and complexity of equipment and features and given them fancy names, Volvo has stuck to a four-way switch pad which first made its appearance on the S40. For some auto hacks who can’t fathom how to work those systems, Volvos are the cars.
Seats have blowers which can draw air from the air conditioning system to keep the seats at body temperature which just goers to show that apart from its core strengths this Volvo has whatever it takes to match the best of the rest.
The crucial test however will be how the customer perceives Volvo as a brand. Will its namesake’s success in India on the commercial vehicle and specially on the public transport front be seen as a dis-qualification? Or will people see that as a value and think if Volvo’s buses are so much better than the rest, so must their cars?
Volvo did not meet with much success when it attempted to go through the CBU route through an importer many years back but the ground realities have changed since. It has a good platform in Ford to launch Volvo Cars India and under its supervision, world class dealership are now being set up to convey the right message to the customers. The only question being, how many of them are there for the S80!