Reason to Believe

The light was red. I was stopped; so was the car ahead. But I could see in the mirror that the oncoming van wasn't going to stop in time.

"Well," I actually thought, "at least I'm in a Volvo."

See? Commercials work.

So does the Volvo S80. That's the biggest Volvo, and it's smooth, strong, and handsome. The chassis is so good that - in a switch from the usual big company eats little company scenario - word is Ford will base its next Taurus on the S80. And with its room, airy cabin, and turbocharged six, Ford could do a lot worse.

The S80's strength is no hype. The impact stove in the van's nose. The station wagon that I was knocked into had to be towed. And the Volvo? It'll need a bumper rehung, but that's about it. No wrinkled sheet metal or even broken lenses.

Volvo commercials may work, but the car does, too.

Sorry, Lawyers...

...and emergency room doctors, and orthopedists. There might be a bit less work coming your way.

Volvo's S80 is chock-full of airbags. Front ones, side ones, even bags for folks in the back seat. Fortunately, most accidents aren't severe enough to set off airbags. But Volvo's thought of those, too.

That's why the S80's front seats now incorporate anti-whiplash engineering. The seat flexes in an accident to move your upper body and head together, lessening the strain on your neck.

Having just been rear-ended in an S80 without so much as a sore muscle, I can tell you that it sure seems to work.

Now, if Volvo could just find a way to keep your knees from getting sore during racquetball...