The 850 is the first front-wheel drive Volvo offered in the U.S., an important breakwith tradition that pays benefits in the realm of wet weather traction.
Available in sedan and wagon body styles, the 850 is a midsize line that straddles the
luxury frontier. The basic 850 sedan starts at $26,125, and the price range runs all
the way up to $39,375 for the 850R Sportswagon.
That range embraces four main models--the 850, 850 GLT, 850 Turbo and 850 Platinum
Limited Edition--plus the even more limited edition 850 R. There are station wagon
variants at all levels, including the 850 R. Our test car was an 850 R wagon.
All models share a smooth 5-cyl. dual overhead cam 20-valve engine, mounted fore and
aft, rather than transversely, which provides better weight distribution. That's a
plus in a front-drive car, since all front-drive cars have a heavy forward weight
bias.
Non-turbo versions are 2.4 liters, turbos 2.3. The non-turbo engine produces 168 hp
and 162 lb.-ft. or torque, which provides respectable acceleration thanks to the 850's
relatively low curb weight. However, with 222 hp and 221 lb.-ft. of torque, which