I remember watching these Volvo wagons tear it up in on the British Touring Car Championships back in the 90´s. It was awesome watching them and is one of the reasons why I am still a tourinc car fan today!
How everyone laughed when Volvo turned up with a couple of wagons... The laughs of the other teams didn't last long as Volvo meant business! Fantastic cars.
If you really look at it these R and the 95 T-5R models were ahead of their time! Back in 95 the T-5R had 240hp v6s in those times were between 140hp to 160hp and the 95 mustang cobra had 240hp so these beautiful wagons were top dogs not to forget they had leather and suede full power memory seats on both front seats dual climate control and front side airbags back in 95!
Love it! I have a 850R sedan in NZ. Dirt cheap I have had it 18 months put 15000km on top of the 300000km it already had, so far only needed two tyres! Turned boost up to 14psi and don't loose many traffic light drags :) Just wish it was manual.
I own 1998 S70 sedan. Mine has great paint and interior. My wife just got a new Acura but I just can't part with the old Volvo, it's been a good car and still is.
Even when I was 4 years old, I dreamed with this car after see it in the airport, shinning, brand new. Unfortunately I never had the chance to have one, and now the maintence of these vehicules are expensive. But this Volvo will be my dream car 4ever
you can find them and should be relatively cheap. there are many resources here on youtube that will show you how to fix them yourself real cheap. Get them now even the 850 turbo wagons are just as fast or faster like the 94 GLT Turbo wagon. Just get the aftermarket look a like wheels and a aero spoiler kit. And there you have your very own. Good luck.
yeah this is a special car, i love volvo, the 850R is amazing the same goes for its engine. they had a race series in the UK for this car, wich shows that it had alot of potential :)
Wish they came in 5spd in USA. However those automatic transmissions were really strong and you could probably get a better launch with them by brake boosting. I used to have a modded 850 Turbo with about 270hp and surprisingly almost 330ft lbs of tq. Transmission held together very good despite beating on it all the time.
Just watched the same motor week video on the 94 turbo wagon with 220hp and it was almost .5 sec quicker to 60 and in the 1/4... I would’ve thought the 850R would’ve been a little quicker.
Unlike many here, I prefer the current Volvos to the past Volvos. Except the 850, which I like just as much as the newer ones. Although the 850 wouldn't be up to date now, it was a wonderful Volvo. Why? Size, space efficiency, style, good road manners and it introduced that 5 cylinder that sounded just so wonderful. The 700 series didn't have the magic, the 240s were the 2-generation's ago Camrys of their time but much sturdier. Just dull. The 900s were modified 700s, old-fashioned near-luxury. The P2s started Volvo in the right direction. But the 850 turned to s70 ignited the move toward the P2s. It's one of Volvo's most significant cars, in my opinion.
John Davis is fairly accurate for the most part but got a few things incorrect in this video. 0:47 White & a very rare and sought after Green were available as well. 0:52 Obvious one here but the Volvo 850 as a whole was never offered with 18's in the US. The wheels picutred are called Volans...17' only. Some source say that 96 & 97 had a dealer option 18" wheel kit for Turbo's, T5's, and R's but info on this is very limited. A reply I made in response to a lower comment but may have merit. The Volvo 850R was never available in 4WD in any country. The only 850 variant availible in 4WD was the 1997 Volvo 850 GLT AWD ( Canada) or 850 AWD ( EU, Africa, Asia). Those cars were based on the 2.4 low pressure turbo motor (VIN id 56 in most cases), not the 2.3 High pressure motor found in 850 Turbo's 95-97 & 98 S/V/C 70 Sedan, Wagons, and Coupes. The 850 AWD could be mated to a 4 speed automatic or an M58 ( some source say M59) 5 speed manual. The AWD was of the viscous coupling sort, LSD was available albeit a rare option. That said, the Volvo 850R ( all FWD Volvo 850's for that matter) are four wheel steer. The rear suspension on these consist of 2 semi solid axle arms that tug on each other. These are joined by delta links and the arms themselves act as trailing arms too. Very excellent handling system. There were no other cars utilizing a system similar to this until much later, the facelifted Saab 9-3 SS has a similar system although its performance in handling is not nearly as strong as the 850's. For what its worth, the Volvo 850R works much better as an automatic rather than a manual. I have driven swapped examples and owned an automatic 96 850R sedan. The manual version I drove didn't seem to quite have the magic that the automatic ones did. This will likely piss off some manual fan boys but not all cars are meant to have three pedals; the 850R is one of them. That said, a 93 850 5speed with some of the rare sport options and variable length runners and aftermarket cams is a damn good amount of fun.
Miss the old Volvos. ....wish I could travel back in time and stay there. Do not like the computers on wheels made today. Also the styling was so much more practical back then.
This is a real Volvo and if Volvo is wondering why their new car sales are lacking it’s because of that 2.0 liter Turbo with a ratchet sound and a $50k plus sticker. The 850R was Volvo.
Sales are up in 2019. New Volvos are real Volvos. Times change and for sound business reasons, Volvo went with the 2.0 liter 4s and gets them to perform. Would I love the 5 and 6 cylinders, yes, but going with the 4s gave Volvo money to spend in other areas. The SPA and CMA Volvos are nice cars.
I usually prefer wagons over sedans, but the 850 was somehow among one of the handful cars I prefer the sedan over wagons. I wonder if anyone else feels the same?
The GLT in the other review was also turbocharged with 222 hp. A ''real'' GLT was non-turbo 20 valve 170 hp and did 0-60 in 10,2 seconds (automatic). It was called a GLT when it actually was a T5.
this numbers are incorrect I think they were high on coke when they tested this! I've owned 3 T-5Rs stock my slowest time was 6.2 on a black sedan and on my miracle wagon does it in 5.3 bone stock who knows!
Watched their review of a 1994 850 GLT turbo wagon, they managed much better acceleration times in that car. Also the interior was a lot nicer, had darker wood and full leather seats(those light tan suede seats wear like shit)
The sportivity came from Renault. This car has true road quality which were not existent beforhand in the 740 because Renault reworked it completely and even introduced front wheel drive as it came from the 25.
When you could TELL a Volvo from all the other cars unlike todays designs which are homogenized to "conform" mass market consumerism. Id take one of these over anything today.
I can tell today's Volvos. Their lines are very distinctively Volvo in their current language. The back is distinctive (and some hate the backs of the Volvo sedans), the Thor's hammer, the crease at the bottom of the profile. And inside, they look like nothing else on the market now, except Polestars because they're based on Volvos.
Strange. The 850 Turbo in 96 did 0-60 in 6.7 seconds I don’t see how the R models on here was this slow. It’s suppose to be in the low 6 second mark unless it got heavier in 96
60-0... in 100 feet, compared to many many others those days, very impressive.
But when they tested the old T5 it did it under 7 sec 🤷🏼♂️
@@boomblaster9470referring to braking distance
@@boomblaster9470 The Volvo 850R Sportwagon is fantastic perfomance and excellent braking
240 hp may not sound like much today but that's the same amount of hp found in the 1996 BMW M3. The 850R was a beast in its day.
May the wheel of time bring wagons back again.
Here in Finland wagons are very popular still
AMEN!
La-Z Rider the new Volvo v60 polestar just broke the M4s record on the 'ring
Station wagons are *THE* most practical and sensible car shape in general.
Sadly new Volvos have gone liberal! Now they come with a pussy turbo and supercharged 4 cylinder sad very sad 😓😢😭
18" wheels, 242 HP, 7sec 0-60 time... not very common stuff in '96! Nowadays, yes, but that was an impressive car for the day! :)
Aren’t they 17“?
@@julianmann2176 Nope they said 18 inch in the video.
Def 17" they got it wrong. I have 2 850Rs.
No, the model Pegasus and these of the video (Volans model) both was 17.
The 850 GLT did it in 6.7
I remember watching these Volvo wagons tear it up in on the British Touring Car Championships back in the 90´s. It was awesome watching them and is one of the reasons why I am still a tourinc car fan today!
How everyone laughed when Volvo turned up with a couple of wagons... The laughs of the other teams didn't last long as Volvo meant business! Fantastic cars.
One of the most iconic Volvo’s of all time. Beautiful wagon and impressive 5 cylinder engine. Great numbers for 1996.
Mine is 350,00 miles and still flying.
Still looks good today
Man...I loved these boxy Volvo's! Especially the R's! Such an under appreciated car.
I have a V70 Wagon. Fantastic car
One of the coolest wagons ever!
I miss my old Volvos.... Used to have an 850R sedan. Lovely cars.
Me too. 1996 850r
@@timlewis7993 Would you take turbo sedan over a turbo wagon
Man, I do love a Volvo. Indestructible.
Ryan DeClue lol
They aint hondas. I'm on my third p2 and they fail.
@@IsitReallyrealreally But P80 arent P2s - P80 n/a pretty much keep running until the end of time
@@warummussmeinnameangegeben6502 ? how are they different? I've had em all.
Just love these cars!
The seats, the interior, the look, almost Everything about it.
If you really look at it these R and the 95 T-5R models were ahead of their time! Back in 95 the T-5R had 240hp v6s in those times were between 140hp to 160hp and the 95 mustang cobra had 240hp so these beautiful wagons were top dogs not to forget they had leather and suede full power memory seats on both front seats dual climate control and front side airbags back in 95!
5 cyl not V6
Love it! I have a 850R sedan in NZ. Dirt cheap I have had it 18 months put 15000km on top of the 300000km it already had, so far only needed two tyres! Turned boost up to 14psi and don't loose many traffic light drags :) Just wish it was manual.
I own 1998 S70 sedan. Mine has great paint and interior. My wife just got a new Acura but I just can't part with the old Volvo, it's been a good car and still is.
Who here grew up in the late 80's and 90's remember watching these series on TV? Pepperidge Farms remembers.
Retro Reviews are like cocaine, very addicting.
Nothing "ugly" about that beauty at all, and worth every dime too! RIP Volvo, you deserved better.
Volvo is still around, you’re thinking of saab
*derpderpderderpVolvodied*
Idiot.
If I could find a nice example of one, my life would be complete. Ty for posting
Captian Slow (James May) choice of transportation in Top Gear Africa special.
rezboy90 yes you're right! Africa special was always my favorite
Volvo was ahead of the game.
Its 2017 and I still want one !
2024 chiming in and agreeing!
$40k in 1996. ouch.
$62,913 in 2017
Yikes.
Actually $36k, but still. Also wheels are 17".
Is that more expensive than a comparable V90, I wonder....
$4k in 2017 for a used one.
Even when I was 4 years old, I dreamed with this car after see it in the airport, shinning, brand new.
Unfortunately I never had the chance to have one, and now the maintence of these vehicules are expensive.
But this Volvo will be my dream car 4ever
you can find them and should be relatively cheap. there are many resources here on youtube that will show you how to fix them yourself real cheap. Get them now even the 850 turbo wagons are just as fast or faster like the 94 GLT Turbo wagon. Just get the aftermarket look a like wheels and a aero spoiler kit. And there you have your very own. Good luck.
Volvo and SAAB to me equals calm, sophistication and civilization
yeah this is a special car, i love volvo, the 850R is amazing the same goes for its engine. they had a race series in the UK for this car, wich shows that it had alot of potential :)
In the words of the guards in Metal Gear Solid: "It's just a box"
"The birchwood dash trim is just plain UGLY" That's the most savage I've ever heard Mr Davis get, ever
I have to agree. I love the interior of the 850 but didn't like that birch wood. And I usually like Volvo wood.
I wish Volvos were still made like this.
I grew up with this as my families car
Canada got a manual transmission on the R. Too bad the US didn't :(
You can pull a "manual swap kit" from a junked 850 N/A (some came with a 5 speed) and drop it in these, easy job if you like to wrench.
You can, but the R had a m59 transmission with a viscous LSD.
Wait we did?
More manuals than autos in europe!
@@FriendlyIntentions You can still mount the M56 transmission and get a pretty inexpensive LSD conversion kit.
love me some swedish cars - post more saabs PLEASE!!!
I agree
Diego Delgado Sweden cars, girls, nature the best in the world ;)
Diego Delgado Saab died...
1996 was a great year.
I miss my 850R wagon, despite being the money pit it was maintenance wise, I loved that car. But FYI, the stock volan rims are 17" not 18".
Wish they came in 5spd in USA. However those automatic transmissions were really strong and you could probably get a better launch with them by brake boosting. I used to have a modded 850 Turbo with about 270hp and surprisingly almost 330ft lbs of tq. Transmission held together very good despite beating on it all the time.
I love the wood trim
Just watched the same motor week video on the 94 turbo wagon with 220hp and it was almost .5 sec quicker to 60 and in the 1/4... I would’ve thought the 850R would’ve been a little quicker.
$63,399 in 2017 dollars. Wow. Though there was nothing else like it on the market.
These fast wagons were raced regularly in Australia!
what a beautiful car, the sportwagon even better, saddly this brand does not come to my country, in colombia they do.
Why all the birch wood hate?
I have always liked the look of these wagons.
Top 10 of an epic set of family wheels ❤️
Yeah these things were 🔥🔥🔥 back in the day and considered posh/upscale.
Long live the brick!
Turbo brick ftw!
I raced one of these in my 1991 SHO back in 1997. Beat him by 2 car lengths to 100. I cannot believe that was 20 years ago. Wow...
Tim Tursonoff Bull a 91 SHO will not best this stock! The guy prob wasn't racing you LOL
An SHO will not beat a good running 5.0 Mustang. I don't know what you're smoking. Running against this Volvo is a drivers race
😀 mine only 116,774 miles on it great VOLVO 850 T5 lots of years to enjoy ! Good. Luck to all of you on your. VOLVOS 👋😊
Am I the only one who loves wagons?
theres one JUST LIKE that red one around town and the wheels are AWESOME. if I see the owner (probably some older guy) ill offer him money for it lol
2:42 John: While the optional birch wood dash trim is just plain ugly! LOL
David Aubin it's awful, bloody awful
David Aubin It looks like it's trying to hide out in the desert.
Looks just like the hopped-up Volvo wagon Bobby Rahal had done for Dave Letterman.
More frequent uploads please !
Peter Griffin, every thursday
They didn't mention the 16-19 mpg; lol.
I used to own a black on black T5-R sedan, and it had the dark walnut which looked tons better.
Agreed
Unlike many here, I prefer the current Volvos to the past Volvos. Except the 850, which I like just as much as the newer ones. Although the 850 wouldn't be up to date now, it was a wonderful Volvo. Why? Size, space efficiency, style, good road manners and it introduced that 5 cylinder that sounded just so wonderful. The 700 series didn't have the magic, the 240s were the 2-generation's ago Camrys of their time but much sturdier. Just dull. The 900s were modified 700s, old-fashioned near-luxury. The P2s started Volvo in the right direction. But the 850 turned to s70 ignited the move toward the P2s. It's one of Volvo's most significant cars, in my opinion.
I think the launch colour of this model in Sweden was yellow and the sales slogan: "Yellow but not chicken"!
I distinctly ordered the Antarctic Blue Super Sports Wagon with the C.B. and optional rally fun pack.
This is the car I wanted back then. Talk about a sleeper car.
I love my 96 850R sedan...its still going
John Davis is fairly accurate for the most part but got a few things incorrect in this video.
0:47 White & a very rare and sought after Green were available as well.
0:52 Obvious one here but the Volvo 850 as a whole was never offered with 18's in the US. The wheels picutred are called Volans...17' only. Some source say that 96 & 97 had a dealer option 18" wheel kit for Turbo's, T5's, and R's but info on this is very limited.
A reply I made in response to a lower comment but may have merit.
The Volvo 850R was never available in 4WD in any country. The only 850 variant availible in 4WD was the 1997 Volvo 850 GLT AWD ( Canada) or 850 AWD ( EU, Africa, Asia). Those cars were based on the 2.4 low pressure turbo motor (VIN id 56 in most cases), not the 2.3 High pressure motor found in 850 Turbo's 95-97 & 98 S/V/C 70 Sedan, Wagons, and Coupes. The 850 AWD could be mated to a 4 speed automatic or an M58 ( some source say M59) 5 speed manual. The AWD was of the viscous coupling sort, LSD was available albeit a rare option.
That said, the Volvo 850R ( all FWD Volvo 850's for that matter) are four wheel steer. The rear suspension on these consist of 2 semi solid axle arms that tug on each other. These are joined by delta links and the arms themselves act as trailing arms too. Very excellent handling system. There were no other cars utilizing a system similar to this until much later, the facelifted Saab 9-3 SS has a similar system although its performance in handling is not nearly as strong as the 850's.
For what its worth, the Volvo 850R works much better as an automatic rather than a manual. I have driven swapped examples and owned an automatic 96 850R sedan. The manual version I drove didn't seem to quite have the magic that the automatic ones did. This will likely piss off some manual fan boys but not all cars are meant to have three pedals; the 850R is one of them. That said, a 93 850 5speed with some of the rare sport options and variable length runners and aftermarket cams is a damn good amount of fun.
The BRAKES... And I like it with birch.
I'd love to find one in good shape
love these videos, thanks for the upload
Whew 40k in the 90s, id still buy one
Miss the old Volvos. ....wish I could travel back in time and stay there. Do not like the computers on wheels made today. Also the styling was so much more practical back then.
Ever test the 850 rival the 1996 SAAB 9000 Aero?
This is a real Volvo and if Volvo is wondering why their new car sales are lacking it’s because of that 2.0 liter Turbo with a ratchet sound and a $50k plus sticker. The 850R was Volvo.
Sales are up in 2019. New Volvos are real Volvos. Times change and for sound business reasons, Volvo went with the 2.0 liter 4s and gets them to perform. Would I love the 5 and 6 cylinders, yes, but going with the 4s gave Volvo money to spend in other areas. The SPA and CMA Volvos are nice cars.
It did offer a manual, just not over in Yankland.
Why don't these American market 850 estate T5's and R's have rear tailgate spoilers?
Most dealers ordered them but were never installed unless you bought it as an accessory .
Jamal Taylor Oh right, cheers for the reply😊
Factory wings on sportwagons were offered ( in some cases as a no cost option) but many people opted to remove it. Shame really.
Лучший автомобиль
love this guy
The Wagons need to make a comeback, PLEASE. ( actually Volvo still do make Wagons)
People have to start buying them again. That have to get over the SUV/CUV craze. Doesn't look like it's slowing down unfortunately.
Love my V70 T5!!
I wanted one of these so bad!
pure awesome
Please put up the 1998 Audi A4 Avant review!
I usually prefer wagons over sedans, but the 850 was somehow among one of the handful cars I prefer the sedan over wagons. I wonder if anyone else feels the same?
240hp nice horsepower and good gas
Those Pirelli tires are aggressive enough to be all terrains
And despite that, they contributed to the very-short 100 ft stopping distance from 60 MPH.
Any archives of the 740/940 reviews?
Somebody else has uploaded motorweek's 940 review but pretty low quality
As I recall,they were hot for the Turbodiesel when the 7s first came out
British motorway police loved these !
how come 0-60 is 7.2 but the glt is 6.7 for 0-60?
The GLT in the other review was also turbocharged with 222 hp. A ''real'' GLT was non-turbo 20 valve 170 hp and did 0-60 in 10,2 seconds (automatic). It was called a GLT when it actually was a T5.
***** yeah I have the t5 version and I don't doubt it does 0-60 in 7 seconds but the R does it in 7.2 ? I l'm they fucked up the numbers here
0-60 times don't mean everything, the R is better prepared for ''sporty'' driving. Also, are you sure yours isn't a manual?
Yes I live in canada they only made auto for the t5
this numbers are incorrect I think they were high on coke when they tested this! I've owned 3 T-5Rs stock my slowest time was 6.2 on a black sedan and on my miracle wagon does it in 5.3 bone stock who knows!
The description 😂😂
The regular 850 turbo wagon you tested in 94 beat this on 0-60 and 1/4 mile time
Great car
1:30 that soccer mom taking kids to school
How about a venomous Volvo?
It's quite literally a red rocket for the time period.
I thought the 0-60 times was in the 6 second range not 7.3 that would mean the Turbo you had on did it in 6.9 seconds.
Watched their review of a 1994 850 GLT turbo wagon, they managed much better acceleration times in that car. Also the interior was a lot nicer, had darker wood and full leather seats(those light tan suede seats wear like shit)
Why is this slower with more HP than the 94 850 glt?
The sportivity came from Renault. This car has true road quality which were not existent beforhand in the 740 because Renault reworked it completely and even introduced front wheel drive as it came from the 25.
Thing is legit fast, No wonder I see these things riced out.
When you could TELL a Volvo from all the other cars unlike todays designs which are homogenized to "conform" mass market consumerism. Id take one of these over anything today.
I can tell today's Volvos. Their lines are very distinctively Volvo in their current language. The back is distinctive (and some hate the backs of the Volvo sedans), the Thor's hammer, the crease at the bottom of the profile. And inside, they look like nothing else on the market now, except Polestars because they're based on Volvos.
My friend has the same car, also red.
Strange. The 850 Turbo in 96 did 0-60 in 6.7 seconds I don’t see how the R models on here was this slow. It’s suppose to be in the low 6 second mark unless it got heavier in 96
I think they got it wrong in the video. And yes, mine does do a bit over the 6 second mark. I love this car.
there ar no 18 Inch wheels as he said :(
Sounds like a 4" hole blowout on the freeway!
Volvo 850R Best Volvo Ever