Volvo S80 - a new executive contender - Buying and owning

There will be standard and S trim levels on entry-level S80s (the 2.5 turbo and lesser-powered diesel) and SE, SE Lux and Sport versions higher up the range, with an Executive flagship to follow later.

A start price of around £24,500 is expected, but the more powerful of the two diesels, at £28,000-plus, will claim around half of all sales.

Volvo also expects small but significant support for the V8, and plans an aggressive pricing strategy (less than £40,000 for the SE model) to help.

Expect to pay less than £40,000 for the SE model while the V8 Sport should come in at around £42,000 – around £2000 below German V8s.

A high specification will be standard, and there will be the usual series of options packages (winter, comfort, sport) to let you upgrade the car at reduced cost.