Volvos get a facelift: V70, XC70 & S80 get tweaked

2011 Volvo S80 Facelift - tweaks to cosmetics and diesels

Well, if you’re going to have a fiddle with one car, you may as well have a fiddle with three. That seems to be Volvo’s point of view as it performs a bit of plastic surgery on the Volvo V70, Volvo XC70 and Volvo S80, and fettles the oily bits in to the bargain.

Under the skin, it’s tweaks to the diesel lumps that dominate, with both the D3 (2.0 litre) and D5 (2.4 litre) getting some work.

The D3 lump gets no more power, but it does get a little more frugal. The S80 D3 now does 57.7mpg, the V70 D3 54mpg and the XC70 D3 51mpg. Nothing remarkable an extra 3mpg – but every little helps.

The D5 on the other hand gets improvements in economy and power – an appealing combination. The D5 now produces 215bhp and, in the S80, will average 57.7mpg. That’s helped by the stop start and the manual ‘box, because if you opt for the slushmatic the figure drops to 47mpg.

Similar figures apply to the other models, with the V70 D5 doing 55mpg (46mpg auto) and the XC70 D5 – at least the FWD model – now managing a very creditable 50mpg (42mph auto).

Volvo has also had a play with the eco-jobbies, and the S80 DRIVe and the V70 DRIVe now get tweaked version of the 1.6 litre DRIVe lump already found in the S60 DRIVe and the V70 DRIVe. That means an extra 6bhp and fuel consumption of 62.8mpg.

It wouldn’t be Volvo unless there’s a safety element to an update, so City Safety – which helps avoid low-speed collision - comes as standard and Pedestrian Detection – which does what is says on the tin – is optional. Also in the mix is Adaptive Cruise (a Marmite option).

Lots of little tweaks to the inside, with the more than decent Sensus Infotainment and new upholstery options, and to the exterior with new colours, new alloys and new headlights.

An all round sorting.

By Cars UK