This month marks nine years since the second generation S80 entered production, and by February 2016, its S90 successor is likely to have appeared. Nonetheless, Volvo continues to tweak its largest sedan, with the Model Year 2015 S80 now on sale.

Given its age, the S80 probably ought to be more dated to drive than it is. The Drive-E four-cylinder diesel is part of Volvo’s newest 2.0-litre powertrain family, while the eight-speed Geartronic automatic transmission is similarly smooth. Even the car’s interior has a certain charm but there’s no denying that compared to an A6, E-Class or 5 Series, it’s now a long way off state of the art. Oddly enough, that label does apply to a big Volvo but that’s the new XC90 with which project V541, next year’s S90, will share an architecture. In contrast to the S80, this new crossover’s dashboard has just a few buttons, everything else having gone to a central screen. 

So if it can’t compete with the younger Germans, can a case be made for the S80? Certainly. As I’ve observed previously, Volvos somehow end up looking their best towards the end of their life cycles. Standard equipment levels tend to go up, bigger alloy rims appear, there’s more chrome-effect trim, darkened headlamp and tail-lamp modules and usually a ‘Classic’ badge. If the last of these things is going to appear on the S80, it hasn’t yet, though. Instead, the MY2015 car gains one more tweak – rectangular daytime running lights.

In the British market, the engine range has now been slimmed down to three diesel options: 115hp 1.6 D2, 181hp 2.0 D4 and 215hp 2.4 D5 

The four-cylinder units come with both SE and SE Lux model grades but the 2,400cc five-cylinder diesel can only be ordered in top-spec form.

Part of that ongoing series of updates throughout the S80’s life has been the addition of much advanced safety gear. One of the latest is a pedestrian and cyclist detection system. New software, including more rapid vision processing now means the detection and auto brake technology covers certain cyclist situations.

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Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection with Full Auto Brake is equipped with sensors which scan the area ahead. If a cyclist heading in the same direction as the S80 swerves out in front of the car, making a collision imminent, a warning sounds and full braking power is applied.

This same technology also detects if a pedestrian steps into the road in front of the car. If the driver fails to respond in time, there will be a warning sound and again, automatic braking.

Volvo packages multiple safety systems into a Driver Support Pack, which was a GBP1,900 option on the review car. In addition to Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake, this includes Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection, ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) and Distance Alert, Queue Assist (Geartronic only), Lane Departure Warning, BLIS (Blind Spot Information System), Road Sign Information Display and DAC (Driver Alert Control) with Active High Beam.

The as-tested model also had a GBP750 Winter Pack: heated front seats and windscreen, Active Bending Xenon headlights and cornering function, and headlight washers. Oddly, a heated steering wheel is not included but you can specify this for a further GBP200. Volvo is getting good at playing the same game as the German and English luxury brands by now charging for a spare wheel and jack (GBP150). And even after you’ve paid over GBP1,500 for automatic transmission, shifting paddles cost extra (GBP150). 

Come replacement time, the S90 will no doubt make the same pricing step upmarket of the S80 as the new XC90 has just done over its predecessor. But with 16,000 orders in the bag for the new crossover, it seems Volvo is succeeding with its plan to become a proper player in the luxury car league. 

The S80 might not have much of a role in the global sales total for 2014, with just 7,668 deliveries (-3.6%) but the brand itself had a record year, selling 465,866 vehicles. The UK played a strong role in that performance, with a year-on-year rise of 25.5% to its best performance in 20 years: 41,057 deliveries. China now being the Volvo Cars’ largest market, it’s worth noting the sales tally for the locally-made S80L, the special long wheelbase car. Its sales were up by 36.5% to 4,821 in 2014. As a place holder in the segment, this augers well for the potential success of the eventual replacement, which should be previewed later in 2015, maybe even at April’s Shanghai motor show. 

S80L production is exclusively at the Changan joint venture plant in Chongqing, the same facility that assembled the S40 between 2006 and 2011. The S80, meanwhile, is made at Torslanda in southern Sweden.

The target audience for this big saloon seems to be the UK’s many chauffeur operators. The fact that you do see so many of them on the West End to Heathrow run proves the S80 still sits in the same sweet spot for premium-but-not-too-pricey-to-lease-and-operate that it has occupied for some years now. 

In the years to come, this second generation and last S80 will be remembered for its subtle luxury feel if not the strength of its driving dynamics. There’s nothing wrong with the way it drives, it’s just that it’s been set up for comfort rather than BMW-style pin-sharp handling. And let’s not also forget one small but important fact: this will be the last big Volvo saloon to have been available with engines with more than four cylinders. One day, for those of us who remember it, the Yamaha-engined S80 V8, the first and only eight-cylinder Volvo saloon, might well become a Swedish classic.