Volvo sells more cars in America than anywhere outside its home market, Sweden. The two primary reasons for this popularity - reliability and safety - also happen to be two of the most important purchase considerations for new-car buyers.
Volvo's attention to these key factors has created a loyal following, to be sure, but Volvo planners saw the need for a model that could attract a younger, perhaps less conservative crowd to its showrooms. The model that did it, the 850, was Volvo's first front-drive sedan and wagon line, and it accomplished its primary task with great success.
Volvo wasn't content simply to offer well-packaged family transportation - it offered the 850 with a turbocharged powerplant that instantly rocketed the model onto the wish lists of those who aspire to own a European performance car.
This does not mean traditional Volvo values have been ignored. In fact, the 1995 850 Turbo is the first car in the world to offer side-impact airbags.
Standard on the Turbo and a $500 option for the base level 850 and 850 GLT, the side bags join dual front airbags, Volvo's SIPS (Side Impact Protection System) and new Daytime Running Lights as the most comprehensive passive safety package yet available from any carmaker.
This should come as no surprise to Volvo loyalists, who might be aware that the 3-point safety belt was developed and patented by a Volvo engineer and installed in Volvo cars as early as 1959. Those same loyalists, however, might very well be pleasantly surprised by the performance parameters of a car that pays so much attention to safety.
The Turbo's in-line 5-cylinder engine puts its 222 hp to work in such a dynamic fashion that the car's occupants may expect to see a German or Italian badge on the dash. And though this willingness to run with the wind appears to be utterly contrary to the staid pace often associated with the Volvo lifestyle, the Turbo's balanced platform, forgiving suspension, excellent brakes and well-filled wheel wells make the driving experience entirely controlled, no matter the rate or road conditions.
