For years,
Volvos have been praised for their solidity, lengthy road life and reputation as being virtually invincible when it comes to impact resistance. Adjectives such as "sporty" and "stylish," however, were rarely used to describe
Volvo's utilitarian, built-for-comfort-not-for-speed design-especially when the talk turned to wagons.
But Volvo's serious reputation began to change last year when the Swedish t maker introduced its front-wheel drive 850 series sedan, with its sleek lines and 168-hp, 20-valve, five-cylinder engine. That vehicle clearly filled a need in the market-place: After just one year, the 850 sedan accounts for a high percent of Volvo's U.S. sales.
Now, Volvo has followed up that success story by offering a turbocharged 2.3-liter, 222-hp engine - in both the 850 sedan and the all new 850 Sportswagon. For the wagon, the result is a delightful synergy of safety, durability, roominess, superior ride comfort, and levels of power and handling quite uncommon in a vehicle of this type.
The MSRP of our test 850 Sportswagon was $30,985. Optional amenities such as leather seats, a wood-trimmed instrument panel and a front-passenger power seat bumped the price up to $34,335.
Our test Sportswagon, at first look, struck us as a slight variation on the venerated
Volvo theme. (Keep in mind that buying a
Volvo is like purchasing a Brooks Brothers suit: You're more interested in understated elegance and product integrity than in making a fashion statement.) Upon closer inspection, however, the front end's cleaner, more aerodynamic lines revealed themselves. The windshield was gracefully swept back, framed by matte plastic trim, while the corners were smooth and nicely rounded. The sturdy, integrated front fascia wrapped around to the wheel wells, and a bodyside molding ran the length of the vehicle and transformed into the rear fascia.
The rear wheel wells boasted a flared ridge to intercept and deflect the impact of shopping carts and other car doors. But we took off a few points for the inconvenient passenger-side gas tank filler. And, oddly enough for a wagon, there wasn't a roof rack or clasps for fastening skis or luggage.
But it was the rear end of our 850 Sportswagon that was most distinctive-in fact, we'd never seen a design quite like it. Keeping with Volvo's reputation for safety-mindedness, the highly visible taillights ascended from the bumper all the way to the roof - so there was no chance of a rear-ender offender feebly protesting, "But I didn't see you."
