We think this is the best overall car ever to come out of Sweden, slick, modern, pretty but understated, quick and powerful. Its surefooted stance and solid performance, 0-60 in about 6.5 seconds, should please most buyers, especially when the weather turns bad and the all-wheel-drive V8 can shine. As part of the introduction program, Volvo did a live crash test, with an S80 slamming into an 800-ton steel barrier head-on at 45 mph. When the smoke cleared and the broken glass was swept up, all four doors opened normally, a very convincing performance for a car that's so much fun to drive. While we wouldn't go as far as to call the new S80 an out-and-out sports sedan, it's closer than a Volvo has ever been before, and there simply aren't any rough edges on this package anywhere.

NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent Jim McCraw performed his test drive of the S80 in Sweden.