Volvo's flagship sedan has been completely redesigned for 2007. The new S80 features a choice of straight-6 engine and front-wheel drive or a V-8 engine (a first in a Volvo sedan) with all-wheel drive, along with a host of advanced safety and convenience features.

The S80 first joined the Volvo lineup at the beginning of the decade, replacing the S90 (formerly known as the 940/960) as Volvo's flagship sedan. The S80's mission was to change Volvo's image as a supplier of staid, safe, and boxy cars, and while the S80 certainly was safe, staid and boxy it certainly wasn't. The new S80 carries on its predecessor's tradition in terms of styling—its protruding grille and rounded taillights carrying on styling cues that have become a Volvo tradition.

Over the past decade, the cars coming from the once-staid Volvo brand have been curvier, sexier, and ever more luxurious than those boxy, utilitarian workhorses of the '70s and '80s. More importantly, the performance and interior appointments of Volvos have improved to the point where they can take on the best luxury cars.