Volvo really went through some strange days between 1993 and 2003. So many things changed; so many new things were tried. First, you had the loss of tried-and-true, if long in the tooth, models like the 240 Series, the loss of the classic “redblock” inline four after 1995 with the demise of the 940, the arrival of the new, sporty FWD 850GLT, the Ford acquisition in early 1999, and the introduction of an SUV. And SUV?! What?! Volvo?! Indeed, yes, it happened, and there was a V8 to boot.
But before we jump into the present, a bit of history, if you please. My mother always gravitated to Volvo wagons. Her first one was arguably the best, a 1973 1800ES in red with black leather. What a car! She kept it even after getting a dark blue ’77 245DL, and it was not traded in until 1986…
…when she got this cream yellow 1986 240DL wagon. Yes, this is a recent pic, but Mom’s old wagon, traded in for a wine red 740GL wagon in 1989, is still seen about town, albeit in a rather shabby, ill-maintained state. That color was always rare, and it was not available on the 240GL, so Mom ordered a DL and had Lundahl Volvo install the GL “Corona” alloys on it shortly after purchase.
After the temperamental 1989 GL, Dad got rid of it and surprised her with a navy blue 1990 740GL over the Easter weekend that same year. It was a great car, and we took it to Hannibal, MO in 1990 and to Cassville, WI in 1991–towing Dad’s 1974 Aquasport 19′ center console (Boston Whaler lookalike). But us kids were getting a little big for a station wagon, so we bid adieu to “Ovlov’s” longroofs in late 1991. After two Grand Caravans and two Durango R/Ts, though, Dad decided Mom should have another Volvo.
And a V8, no less. My mother is big on decorating the house for both Halloween and Christmas, inside and out, and thus she needed a tall-roof vehicle to transport all sorts of Santa Clauses, ghosts, reindeer and jack o’ lanterns from their storage unit to the house. So any station wagon wouldn’t do. And so it was that one day Dad showed up with a sage green XC90 with beige leather. “You don’t have to get it, but if you like it, we’ll get you one,” Dad told my Mom. She was rather attached to her black cherry metallic ’03 Durango R/T, but she did like the Volvo. And so a bit later, McLaughlin got in a really special one: a V8 in Black Sapphire Metallic, with Premier leather in burnt orange. That was the one!
The 4.4L V8 was built by Yamaha, and was designated B8444S by Volvo. It was first introduced in 2005 and initially provided 288 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque. The engine was only available in combination with AWD, on both the XC90 and the S80 sedan. As you might expect, it motivates the 4400-lb. wagon quite well, and of course provides that great V8 sound at speed, despite plenty of sound insulation.
As for the XC90 itself, it was unveiled in 2003 and touted as the first “safe” SUV with extensive anti-rollover safety features, designated “ROPS” by Volvo (for Roll Over Protection Structure). Of course, traction control and Volvo’s SIPS (Side Impact Protection System) were standard equipment as well.
Styling was right in line with the 1998 S80 and 2001 S60/V70 models, styled by Peter Horbury and featuring prominent shoulders, recalling the evergreen 140 and 240 Series.
Naturally, as an SUV, it was shorter and taller than the traditional Volvo wagon, but still was clearly a Volvo, with its boxy profile, eggcrate grille and tall taillights.
The interior environment was suitably plush, with leather seats, wood trim, and all the expected electric assists. Dual-zone climate control, upgraded Premier leather seating and a Dynaudio sound system were also available, along, of course, with the V8. The XC90 T6 with twin turbochargers were far more common on the street than the V8, however.
The instrument panel was similar to the S80 sedan from which the XC90 was derived. Indeed, most of the switchgear, radio and other controls came from the S80, right down to the “chronometer” styled gauges. And as a unibody and AWD, the XC90 was really more of a large wagon than a true-blue SUV with body-on-frame construction and a transfer case.
But it has suited my mother just fine, and the V8 has no trouble pulling their Four Winns speedboat around. My folks got this car in late 2008 as a one-year-old CPO. It had about 38,000 miles at the time. Other than some fogging on the chrome window trim, replaced under warranty, the XC90 has needed little other than the expected factory service, and recently turned 100K. As it has in the past, Volvo still offers a grille badge to owners turning 100,000 miles. I got one when my 940SE hit six figures back in 2003, and expect to get one for my own V50 in a year or so–it currently turned over 89K miles.
As you might expect, I have driven the XC90 many times since Mom got it, and it is certainly a comfortable car. I especially love the wood trim and the burnt-orange leather. Most XC90s have either black or beige leather, and the color of Mom’s XC90 is so much nicer. It must not have been common, however, as I have never seen another one with this interior.
Mom’s car is absolutely loaded, and according to the sticker, it sold new for north of $50K. In addition to the V8 and Premier leather seats, it also has the Dynaudio sound system, moonroof, heated seats, multi-disc CD, roof rack, and a set of factory chrome wheels which my dad found on eBay last year.
It is a very nice car, and riding in it is pleasant indeed, but I doubt I will purchase it if and when Mom decides to trade it in. I am just not that into either crossovers or SUVs, and as you might expect, this car is a little thirstier than my own V50 with a 2.4L inline five.
The XC90 did come with third row seating, but it has never been needed, and has been folded flat almost from the day my dad brought it home from the dealership. And unlike the 1995 Grand Cherokee Orvis my dad once owned, there is good legroom for rear-seat passengers. I remember the Jeep being just a little tight for me–and at 5′ 10″ I am hardly a basketball player!
However, it is not likely going anywhere any time soon. Over the past couple years, my dad has broached the subject of getting Mom a newer one, and she has steadfastly refused. “I like my car, you can’t get the V8 any more, and a 2014 looks exactly like the one I already have!” Hard to argue with logic like that, and with the way my parents take care of their cars, it will be a valued family truckster for years to come!
Great car Tom! I really love the XC90, and despite being an 11-year old design, I think it looks a lot better than competitors that have come out in the last couple of years. My mom and I even looked at it last summer when she was getting a new car, but the loss of both the V8 and T6 (leaving only the rather anemic 3.2L I6) and rather dated infotainment relative to the price were detriments.
I love that interior color, which I’ve never seen either. The “Sovereign” leather seats in the 2013 XC90 are probably the most comfortable car seats I’ve ever sat in. I’m sure they’re not much different than in the ’07. I don’t blame your mother for wanting to hang on to it, especially with the rare V8. That’s how I feel with my TSX and its V6, which probably found its way into less than 5% of total production.
The 2015 XC90 is coming out in a few months, and I’m pretty excited. I’ve already seen interior pictures, and the exterior release should come soon. Maybe it will be enough to impress your mother.
I wonder if there is a Polestar upgrade available for the V8?
Right now Volvo and Polestar are running a world-wide performance upgrade promotion ending on 14 September 2014 for some of the range of vehicles.
Our own C30 T5 is still under warrantee until Christmas and I am thinking of doing this regardless. Even so, the factory warrantee is unaffected by any Polestar upgrade, and fuel usage is certified by Volvo to be identical to the prior tune. Power and torque, however, are dramatically increased. Obviously the turbo is no longer ‘light pressure’ after such a 30 minute ‘tweaking’ on the dyno!!
The service manager told me that the T6 is ending soon as well, and that the future range will be powered by a mix of diesel and petrol powered smaller capacity engines running turbos and/or supercharger combinations.. :/
I should clarify that right now it IS still possible to buy a new Polestar optimized twin turbo T6 off the showroom floor here in New Zealand in the form of the current S60 (and V60 I think??)
This looks good, inside and out. An SUV with “friendly” looks, it wouldn’t do too bad on Top Gear’s Cock-O-Meter. It would probably stay in the green when passing.
As a lifelong Brickhead, I applaud your family’s appreciation for this iconic brand! I particularly like the the rooftop luggage rack on your Mom’s 73 ES! Your choice of the V8 was certainly better than the T6. One thing that almost all Volvos have in common is the ergonomically superior seats. I’m currently driving an 08 Cadillac SRX4, only because I couldn’t locate an affordable XC70!?
I grew up in the back seat of a 63 PV544.(Our German neighbor had an Amphicar)
Owned a 74 142 GL that provided years of trouble-free service north of the 55th parallel. I reluctantly sold it to accommodate our growing family.
Briefly owned an 81 GLE Diesel, but sold it after discovering the VW logo on the engine block!?
Currently enjoying a 70 1800e!
The V8 version never really succeeded in Europe. Especially in eastern-/southeastern part of the continent. Neither its former swedish competitor the V8 Saab (suv) 9-7. Why? Because of the fuel consumption and the quite high taxation/insurance. Even the so called affluent members of the society are avoiding the V8 and they are rather buying/driving the boring D5 diesel inlines with manual transmissions mostly. Actually this V8 is the first one that I recognized… The diesels are affordable and can lift the owner as a “successful person” above the average public here as like a kind of status symbol. Nobody really cares if these are D5’s or V8’s. The same situation is with the Land Cruiser VX (not V8) and Range Rover diesels. The V8 in any matter is the synonym of ultra-luxury.
Yes, I’d imagine that in most of the EU with high taxes on fuel and engine displacement even a “small” V8 is going to be a hard sell.
The 9-7x probably failed because people recognized it for what it was–a Chevy Trailblzer with a nose job. At least the 9-2x “Saabaru” had a reason for being and a lot of redeeming qualities to make up for the obvious badge engineering. The 9-7x didn’t offer anything that a Envoy Denali did not, and had no business sitting in Saab showrooms.
The XC90 on the other hand is a very well executed SUV that doesn’t try to hide its wagonlike qualities but instead makes them virtues. I wasn’t sure what to think of them at first but I’ve warmed to them in time. Didn’t know the V8 was also avaialble in the S80 though…
And that interior color is fantastic! Never seen anything like it in a Volvo and it would stand out in any car… Reminds me of the two-tone orange/black interior available in the 2008+ Malibu LTZ. (That’s a good thing, always found that one to be handsome.)
ROPS? Eh, nothing new. We’ve had it on our tractors since, like, 1966. 🙂
Snap! In NZ same thing on all tractors built after 1964, unless specially exempted because of low-hanging overhead vineyard usage, as in kiwifruit orchards! The ROPS on tractors and bulldozers has saved untold lives.. however ..the same thing is desperately now needed on ATV’s..
ATV roll-overs cost lives here pretty much EVERY week someone is killed somewhere in the country… often younger people ..and sometimes children..
The government does not seem to want to take action
Same is true where it comes to ‘deadly’ adventure tourism so-called here in NZ
..pretty much every week somewhere a tourist will bag it …either jumping off a bridge with no rope attached to the harness ..falling off white water rafts and drowning ..getting trapped under rapids after being knocked out of jetboats ..plunging off a hot air balloon after it has caught fire.. ..plummeting down under a ‘failed’ hot air balloon canopy ..plunging to death out of tall trees with no harness connection double-check ..free-falling and exploding to the ground in an aircraft with no time to jump and deploy parachutes.. ..careering over cliffs.. falling into ice crevasses ..failing to re-surface from scuba diving ..sliding campervans over sheer ravines.. head-oning their rental vehicles into trucks and buses and other road users.. the list is just endless
…but of all these ATV’s cause the most death and carnage
Can anyone tell us why ROPS and seatbelts would not work on ATV’s? please?
We have a new safety organisation in NZ called ‘worksafe nz’… it was tasked with doing a safety audit of adventure tourism …however it has been lazy and virtually nothing has been done over the time the organisation had to do this job… a government department no less
Kiwi’s say …”she’ll be right mate!” …”if yer get killed having fun over here, that’s just too bad mate!”
According to Google, ROPS weren’t required here on all tractors until 1976. But I’ve seen more than a few tractors that I know were made after then that don’t have it. Orchard/vineyard models were exempt, I think, until JD and several other companies introduced the fold-down ROPS.
I know we’ve got UTVs (colloquially known as “Mules” or “Gators” depending on which company is preferred in the area), which are essentially the modern-day equivalent of a Willys CJ-3, and a ROPS is required along with seatbelts.
I think ATV = 4-wheel motorbike. I’d say they tend to have a higher centre of gravity, and narrower tracks than Gators etc.
V8s are always fun regardless of the actual amount of power they make and interiors with actual color are awesome.
The only fault I can find is that Volvo didn’t see fit to put dual exhaust tips out back. On vehicles with V style engines it ought to be the law, even if it is just a single inlet dual outlet muffler to give the appearance of dual exhausts.
I always smile when I see a car I know has a straight four, with two widely spaced exhaust tips out back. It just screams “I wanna be a V8!”
Does this share its platform with the Ford Edge? If they offered that Yamaha motor they could call it Super High Output, or SHO for short.
Volvo’s P2 platform, which the XC90 uses, did lend its way to the Ford D3, which serves as the platform for larger cars like the Taurus, MKS, Flex, and Explorer. The Edge uses Ford CD3 platform which was developed by Mazda. I like the SHO idea though.
The XC90 wasn’t my cup of tea… we looked at getting one a few years ago, and the interior (though super-comfy) seemed kind of chintzy for the asking price.
I do like the idea of an S80 V8…
For some reason I had always assumed that these Volvo V8s were short on torque (vs. hp), but I guess not.
That Volvo offered a V8 in these is new info to me. It is certainly an attractive one – I will join in with the chorus that really likes that leather interior color.
Alas, I am not likely to enjoy one of these any time soon. They are much too expensive new, and I would be hesitant to take on an older one with their reputation for complex systems, particularly with this V8, a model few would have experience with.
In a way, I can see how it sort of combines both of your cars into a single vehicle – all of the utility of your Volvo wagon and all of the comfort (and the V8 power) of your Townie.
I’m sorry to say that I’ve never owned or driven a Volvo car. I’ve ridden in some as a passenger, and I’ve found them to be the most comfortable car around. My favourite Volvos are the 140 series, the 240 series, and the 700 series.
You should give it a try! The 240 and 700 series cars make great “recent classics” with a low cost of entry and a huge enthusiast community.
They have always been good at interiors, too, especially seats. The 700 series all had excellent seats, and the most comfortable seats I’ve ever experienced in a car belonged to a 2003 S60 with the sport package. Near perfection.
I love the burnt-orange interior. By the way, Mr. Klockau, you might want to mosey on over to Flickr and check out the photos that I just uploaded to the Curbside Cohort.
I saw that. Verrrry familiar…
There was an ad for some tank game on the bottom of the article and I figured the tanks were symbolic of Volvo wagons and fit well.
I recall when these were first introduced (XC90, not the V8 version), we were invited to a pre-intro ride and drive event at the old Alameda Naval Air Station grounds. This was one of the first vehicles to feature Stability Control so they loaded us up into them and had a professional driver accelerate up to about 60mph and then do a VERY strong avoidance maneuver that freaked everyone out (the Moose Test!). Then it was our turn to try it with the same instructor in the passenger seat. It was an impressive feat and sensation at the time.
Every time we have bought a large-ish vehicle since then we have always considered one of these, most recently when we bought our Touareg in 2012 and then when we replaced that earlier this year as well (COAL to come once we cross the one-year mark with it!). For some reason we always end up with something else even though we are definitely Volvo fans. I think this time it was just because it didn’t quite have the room we needed but the V8 was very nice. The interior materials are getting a bit dated as well but the exterior design has held up extremely well over the years.
Tom, I really do like the color combo on this one. Your mom has a fine ride!
Wow, traded in the Touareg already? Well, you have had a lot of car changes through the years.
Looking forward to the next COAL writeup!
+1
It seems longer ago than 11 years that the XC came out. It started the 3-row luxury crossover segment but is now pretty much forgotten. Love the color combo on your Mom’s 740 GL Wagon.
The V8 version is definitely a rarity, out here there seem to be a more even mix of engines but the diesel is the best choice I think with better range on a tank and only missing top end horsepower. A 5.0L version of the V8 by polestar is used in the S60 V8Supercar racer, with a flat-plane crank it has a different sound from the Chev, Ford, AMG and Nissan engines and has been going quite well.
So John, does the standard Volvo 4.4 litre version also use a flat-plane crank??
I dont think so Craig, although it is a 60° V8 with a balance shaft, which is unusual and surely a consequence of its fwd configuration.
I guess we had better get one then before they become impossible to find in Grade 4 condition… a good vehicle to put away as an undoubted future ‘classic’ given the exotic donk sitting in there.. interesting engines like this are usually only found in Italian gear..the likes of the pretty Quattroporto comes to mind as another ‘nice’ V8 (however the supercharged 4.2 Jag doesn’t fit into this picture for me as those cars are so prone to daily bleeding and ‘dragging heels’ and major major on-going bankrupting headache that I wouldn’t want one of those even as a gift)
I’ve always been a fan of the XC 90 and even more so when this year it maxed out all the IHS safety tests as a 12 year old design, while some of the brand new SUVs failed to pass and received significantly lower scores.
But if you’ve seen the 3 new concept cars that Volvo showed last year, that preview the styling of the new XC 90, the new version should be just as good, if not better…….
If the pictures I saw the other day are any indication, the ’15 looks excellent. It appears they are going back to the chrome vertical-bar grille too, which is a big plus in my book!
Is this engine any relation to the Ford Taurus SHO V8, also a 60-degree V8, also designed by Yamaha?
Although it’s 11 years old, this design still strikes my fancy.
I worked in a multi-line luxury car store, and we saw lots of cars with hazed or faded bright window trim, and it was frequently caused by too-acidic cleaners in automated car washes. There was a car wash on Manchester Rd that was notorious for turning bright anodized trim white on Audis and Volvos. Acidic cleaners will have the same effect on bright sillplates and kickplates…
What? No “obama 2008” bumper sticker?