http://www.hotwired.com/Coin/Spnsrs/Volvo/850/Reviews/road.html (The Risc Disc Volume 2, 10/1995)
by Andrew Bornhop
Remember Volvo's advertisements for the 740 Turbo Wagon? They were fun. One showed the boxy Swede easily outdistancing a Porsche 944 at the drag strip; another featured the car dicing with Camaros on a race track - in the same 1986 SCCA Escort showroom stock series that saw our own Senior Editor Joe Rusz guest drive one of the extremely fast wagons. Even if you didn't like the ads the message was clear: Don't think of the 740 turbo wagon as a spacious 5-passenger wagon (which it was). Think of it as a fast car that handled well (which also was true).
We substantiated these claims in a February 1987 road test, where a 740 Turbo Wagon reached 60 mph in 7.7 seconds and hit the quarter mile in only 15.9. Indeed, the 944 did have reason to hang its head. However, that venerable 740 has moved on. And although the 940 Turbo Wagon has kept the fast-wagon fires alive in Goteborg, Volvo engineers have been busy of late, fanning the flames to a higher level with an even hotter Volvo station wagon: the 850 Turbo Sportswagon. Simply put, this new Volvo is a tire-smoking rocket, the fastest-accelerating wagon available in the US. While it can't outrun a current Porsche 944 (aka the 968), the 850 turbo's dash to 60 mph in 7.4 sec. and quarter-mile sprint of 15.5 at 92.4 mph leave many a car in its wake. Which is a good position to get a glimpse of the Sportswagon's most questionable design element: its peculiar taillights that seem overly large for such a handsome wagon.
The Volvo 850 Turbo Superwagon is more than just a straight-line rocket, however. It's a car that responds quickly and crisply to its driver's desires, be it to accelerate, corner or come to a quick stop. Beneath the skin the 850 Turbo Sportswagon is fundamentally a front-drive 850 Turbo Sedan, a very good-handling car (see our First Drive report, November 1993).
The heart of the Sportswagon is an inline 5 based on the 2435-cc twin cam unit found in the 850 sedan. But to cope with the higher temperatures and stresses of turbocharging, Volvo has lowered the compression ratio to 8.5:1, and shrunk the bore by 2 mm to ensure there's an extra bit of heat-dissipating alloy between the cylinders. Consequently, displacement has dropped to 2319 cc, but this rigid, aluminum-alloy engine is still Volvo's most powerful passenger-car engine ever, generating a healthy 222 bhp at 5200 rpm and 221 lb.-ft. of torque at only 2100 rpm.
Thankfully, power hasn't been found the easy way: by fitting the engine with a huge turbo that would also mean huge amounts of lag. On the contrary, Volvo uses a relatively small turbo mounted close to the exhaust manifold for lessened heat loss. It spools up quickly and blows its charge through a large intercooler to supply power in a smooth manner, with practically no turbo lag.
Although all US-bound 850 Turbos come exclusively with a 4-speed automatic transmission, it's no disappointment. The inline-5 produces a wonderfully flat plateau of torque from 2000 to 5300 rpm, meaning that a quick rush of acceleration is just a dip of the throttle away. When a downshift is needed, the Aisin Warner transmission responds crisply. Moreover, this gearbox, designed by Volvo, has three shifting schedules: Economy, for gentle, low-rpm shifts; Sport, for noticeably crisper shifts at higher rpm; and Winter, for 3rd-gear starts that reduce wheelspin in slippery conditions.
Overseeing the inline-5's operation is the latest Bosch Motronic 4.3, which controls the fuel injection, ignition timing and even turbocharger boost. This system also plays with torque output, limiting it to a maximum of 192 lb.-ft. when the Sportswagon is in 1st or reverse gear. This lessens the load on the transaxle and reduces wheel spin. This torque limitation should not, however, be confused with the optional TRACS traction control, a defeatable system that uses brake pressure to bring a spinning wheel back to the point of traction at speeds of less than 25 mph. Of note, the Motronic also has onboard diagnostics (required by federal law of new engines) that can identify and store 60 possible engine-related problems.
Beneath the Sportswagon's skin - which has slimmer headlights and wider side body molding like that of the Turbo Sedan - you won't find any surprises. MacPherson struts are employed in front, working with forged lower wishbones that attach to a rubber insulated subframe. In back, Volvo's Delta link axle is on duty, a space-efficient and sturdy design that functions much like a twist beam axle on trailing arms, but offers the type of compliance and toe change typically found in a multilink design.
The Sportswagon, though, differs from the Turbo Sedan in that its rear shock absorbers are self-leveling units that keep ride height constant, regardless of load. And when the Sportswagon is fitted with the optional sport suspension package (as was our test car), the front anti-roll bar grows by 1 mm (to 21) and the rear bar increases by a half millimeter (to 20). Softer rear springs are also part of the package.
At the track, the 850 is a star in the slalom, weaving through the cones at a comfortably quick 61.2 mph. But the story is different on the skidpad, where understeer rules and a surprising amount of body roll appears. Though its lateral acceleration figure of 0.80 g would have been impressive for any car 10 years ago, our internal g-meters expected higher grip. In the Sportswagon's defense, the skidpad performance was hurt by its automatic transmission, which softens the effects of the quick throttle inputs needed to keep the car properly balanced.
In the stop-and-go world of everyday driving, the Sportswagon's brakes exhibit excellent stopping power, but the pedal feels a bit softer than we would have liked. However, this did not hurt the braking performance of this 3400 lb. wagon, which repeatedly stopped in distances that rival many sports sedans. Credit goes to four large discs (vented in front), a smooth-pulsing ABS and the large footprint of the 205/50ZR-16 Michelin Pilots, which adorn some of the best-looking alloy wheels we've seen lately. Volvo says the 5-spoke design was inspired by the vanes of a turbocharger; but all we manage to see is a swirled starfish.
The 850 Turbo Sportswagon is a joy to drive. Torque steer is virtually nil, and the steering assist feels entirely natural. And despite the low-profile Michelins, the ride is comfortably firm, not jarringly so. Inside the cabin, a meaty, leather-covered steering wheel frames the easy-to-read analog instruments. Burled walnut extends from the gauges to the center console, where air-conditioning controls reside just above the readily accessible 9-speaker stereo. The stalk controls and dash-mounted rocker switches have a high-quality feel, and the overall ambiance is one of luxury, especially when the Sportswagon is fitted with the optional leather package as seen in our test car. Dual airbags are standard, and the generous amount of window glass makes the outward view superb.
There is also plenty of head, leg and elbow room for five adults, with one person in each front bucket and three across the very cleverly designed rear bench. The seat not only has shoulder harnesses and headrests for all three occupants, but it also splits 60/40 or folds completely flat with the seat belts and the headrests tucking neatly out of the way. And if that's not enough, the fold-down armrest converts into a booster seat for children who weigh between 50 and 80 lbs. There's even a nylon luggage net that unreels from the upper edge of the backrest and hooks into the headliner to keep cargo from dangerously shifting forward under hard braking.
Aft of that multifaceted rear bench lies 38 cu. ft. of cargo space, which can be occupied by an optional rear-facing bench for two-children. Minus that seat and with the rear bench folded flat, there's 58 cu. ft. of cargo room, only slightly less than you'll find in the 9-series Volvo wagons, which are about 4 in. longer in wheelbase and overall length.
However, Volvo's 850 wagons - even the non-turbocharged models without the aggressive wheels and tires - are quite different from Volvo's 9-series wagons. The 850 feels like a light car, a very rigid box on wheels that's the result of engineers spending lots of time with computers to minimize thicknesses and maximize efficiencies. Conversely, the 9-series wagon feels heavier, more like people expect a Volvo to feel, engineered primarily with long-term durability in mind. Whatever your preference, there's no denying that Volvo has once again filled the fast wagon niche with a hot performer. And though this new 850 Turbo Sportswagon feels a bit different than traditional Volvo wagons, we count that a big plus. No other Volvo before it- not even the much-vaunted 740 Turbo Wagon of yore - has so successfully blended station wagon utility and sports-sedan spirit.
Problems, Questions or Comments, contact: www@organic.com
