2005 S80 Volvo Sedan 2.5 T 5-Cylinder AWD

Just recently, my husband and I realized we needed to purchase a pre-owned car because we could no longer lease due to the fact we moved and were putting on way too many miles on our leased cars. We had to pull our leased Cadillac Escalade off the road and decided to purchase a pre-owned S80 Volvo. We had already leased the S60 Volvo and we were currently in a XC90 lease as well. We knew what to expect from a Volvo car so we were comfortable purchasing a pre-owned car from Volvo. Here is my review about the 2005 S80 Volvo sedan.

Appearance - It is black on the outside with tinted windows. It has black/grey leather interior seats. It has wood trim throughout the dash and front seats. It has four doors and a sunroof. It appears low to the ground. It has a sleek appearance.

Engine - It is a 2.5 Turbo with a 5-cylinder engine. (I am not an expert on cars, so bear with me). It has All Wheel Drive.

Gas - It takes regular gas. I usually fill the tank once a week for $44.00. That is with the gas priced at $3.33 a gallon. It took almost 13 gallons at my last fill up. I can get 17 .5 mpg on the side roads and almost 19 mpg on the highway. I really thought it would have gotten better mileage than that. My S60 got almost 25 mpg on the highways, it got incredible gas mileage.

How it drives - Well, in the beginning it took me a while to get used to it. Contrary to theS60 and the XC90, which both have tight steering wheels; the S80 has an extremely loose steering wheel. It doesn't take much effort to turn the wheel. I could turn it with one finger. It reminds me of my friend's old Cutlass Supreme. You could keep turning that wheel 50 times before the car would actually move. This one isn't that loose.

How it Feels - Another thing that took a long time getting used to was that fact that it sits very low to the ground. I feel like I am in a sports car (or my old 2-door coupe Saturn). I even tried raising the seat to make myself feel higher. I am just not comfortable sitting in this car. I can't seem to find the right seat height and steering wheel height. I have to readjust every time I get in to drive it. I do like the easiness of the Turbo when I get on to the highway. Merging onto the highways is a dream. Just put your foot on the pedal and go. You fly on to the highway. Just be careful because it gets up to 80 mph pretty quickly.

Biggest Con - My biggest problem with the car and now that I think back to my old S60 is the blind spot. It has a terrible blind spot. My husband has driven this car twice since we got it and he already almost crashed it due to the blind spot. You always have to check your mirrors as well as turn you're your head to make sure no one is coming. I do know that the newer Volvo have come out with the blind spot detector. I think a light flashes on the side mirrors if a car is in your blind spot. I wish the 2005 model had this feature but it doesn't.

Instrument Panel - I don't think the radio is user friendly. I just leave it on my favorite station and never change it. It does tell you who the dinger is and the name of the song. I don't like the appearance of the radio screen. The letters are too big and the numbers aren't bright enough. I also don't like the cup holders. There is one cup holder that pops open but it is so awkward and you need to fold it in order for it to close properly. The other cup holder has to pop open as well. I always pop the wrong button though and end up opening my CD/extra change holder. I hope they redesigned this for the newer models.

I do like the backseat. I find it to be very big and my two year old son seems to be very comfortable in it. In the middle of the backseat, we pull down the cushion and that reveals two cup holders for his bottles and another compartment for his toys. He loves to have a space for his own stuff. He is able to reach his bottles on his own. This feature is wonderful.

Overall, I am not in love with the 2005 S80. It definitely has a luxury feel to it when you drive it but I am struggling with the low feeling as you sit in it. It is almost as if you fall into it. I don't remember my S60 feeling like that. It seemed higher to me.

Safety - You can't go wrong with a Volvo car when it comes to safety. They are one of the safest cars on the road. I feel at ease when I drive my son in this car. Although I am not a huge fan of every aspect, I do know I am safe. It exceeds all of its safety tests.

We bought it with 30,000 miles on it and we hope to have this car for a long time. I wouldn't recommend the 2005 model, but I would recommend checking into the newer models. The salespersons at Volvo are always wonderful. They don't pressure you and follow you around. My advice, find one salesperson you are comfortable with and stick with them. I have now used the same salesperson three times and he was able to throw in a free remote start on the S80 since we were repeat customers.