My (almost) one year review of a 1996 Volvo 850 Turbo.

Let’s start with why I bought this car. It was timing, a fluke, I went to a dealer to look at a Forester XT. I did a couple circles around the lot and didn’t find what I was there to see. But I did see, wayyyy in the back, this dirty, old, perfectly square car I’ve never seen before. I went into the office and asked the old man that ran the place what that car was. He said it is an old Volvo he acquired as a partial trade for a Civic. He said it was a hand-me-down from Grandpa to Grandson. He handed me the keys to take a drive. She took a few seconds to fire up, the brakes were almost non existent, a tire was dangerously close to flat. I sat in the most comfortable seat I’ve ever been in and looked at the dash to see this intriguing little gauge labeled "Turbo". Suddenly all the "little" problems faded from my mind. I crawled onto the road, being careful because she wasn’t mine…yet. Gave it just enough throttle to get up to speed, watching this little Turbo gauge getting close to the center. After I was out of earshot of the dealer I planted my foot in the loud petal. The trans kicked down and the little Turbo gauge blasted by the center and into the white. The engine made the most intriguing noise I’ve ever heard and I looked down to see I had just hit 85 MPH. I knew right at that moment this was going to be my car. This dirty, old, unsuspecting car had a monster living in the engine bay, waiting to terrorize the road again. Fast forward a couple weeks of paperwork and lazy repairs and I had her in my driveway, still dirty and with massive “DUB” logos stuck to the fenders (the first thing to go). From day one I have been addicted to this car, just listening to her idle is enough to satisfy me, the odd wub wub wub from the 5 cylinder engine. I always joke that the noise is the 5th cylinder and the car doesn’t know what to do with it.
So enough of the story time, lets get into it. The car in question is a 1996 Volvo 850 Turbo, AKA 854 t5 (four denoting four door and t5 denoting the 2.3l 5 cylinder with high pressure turbo.) She made 222hp and similar torque (specs vary on source) when new. It was the first car to sport Volvo’s new modular 5 cylinder engine, known as the “white block”. Power goes through either a 5 speed manual (very rare) or 4 speed auto to the front wheels. As far as I know AWD was not available for the Turbo models but was available for the R models. The Turbo is a higher mid-range model. There was a base model with a non turbo 5 cylinder, the GLT with a low pressure turbo 2.4l 5 cylinder, turbo, and R with a 2.3l high pressure turbo that was slightly larger than the “Turbo” model. The power plant in this car would prove to be as reliable as you’d expect from a Volvo, easily capable of reaching 300+k miles despite the turbo. Mine had 155k miles on the clock when the clock stopped working. Roughly 165k miles now and still fires up and choo choo’s daily. Power is delivered from the trans to the front wheels via an open diff on Turbo models, one wheel peels for days. Traditional torque steer does not occur despite unequal axle lengths but steering does become wayward under full boost. The automatic models come with a “torque dampening” program in the ECU that limits boost below 3k rpm in first gear. Launches are soft but full boost hits right after 3k, often resulting in controllable wheelspin. It plays a large part in this cars “lady that isn’t afraid to let her hair down” image. Traction control (TRACS) was an option, one that my car does not have. I have only heard good things about it, especially on cars with larger upgraded turbos. In the rear is Volvo’s new-at-the-time “Delta Link” suspension, it has two beams that criss cross to the rear wheels. It has trailing arms with buckets for the springs to back it up. The front is a traditional upside-down strut. Stopping power comes from decently sized 1 pot front calipers and 2 pots in the rear. It is clear that Volvo’s R&D primarily went to the rear despite being FWD and it paid off.
The 850, despite being a rather large land yacht, full of the most comfortable leather I’ve ever put my butt on, and power heated seats, is actually pretty light, weighing in at just under 3300 pounds with the options my car has. Combine that with her decent 222hp and competent suspension set up and you know she was destined for more than highway commutes. Hard cornering can be vague but not nearly as bad as electronic power steering. And steering is tight and responsive, the car will go anywhere you point it and is forgiving when changing lines mid corner. Roll is minimal for a stock commuter car. My best description of the handling of this car would be fluid and controllable. There’s a reason these cars embarrassed the more “sporty” names in the BTCC.
My complaint with sporty driving would be the auto trans, she gets into boost quickly after cornering but still does not hold it as well as a manual would. The gear selector is almost useless, only 2nd, 3rd, and D are available and when doing it yourself the shifts are much softer than using D in sport mode. That being said the auto trans is one of the best I’ve used despite it’s age. Shifts are hard and decisive, heat has not been a problem, and it’s ECU seems to have been programmed by a real human. It is really good at deciding when you are going full tilt or just putting around. Downshifts and lock ups are well timed and line pressure adjusts based on engine load. A shift in full boost will hit you in the back.
This car is capable everywhere but the jewel in it’s crown is it’s overtaking power. I have personally used this car to shock a great many people on the highway. I recently read an old review on the 850 Turbo that said the 40-80MPH time was shorter than that of a Ferrari 512 Testarossa and I am inclined to believe it. This car exceeds from a roll because of its soft launch programming. If you are cruising down a back road and the speed limit goes up you’ll be shocked at how quickly this car can tear through the speedo. And on top of that the sound of a 5 cylinder at full tilt is something everyone should experience. It’s a fantastic and sophisticated bellow.
And now the painful part, my issues so far with my car. I have had to replace 3 out of 4 calipers, which are wear items and to be expected with a 20 year old car. My only complaint with them is the rear calipers, which are a split design because of the 2 pots, they have a few gaskets sandwiched together and one actually exploded with brake fluid. I went through half a reservoir of fluid in 20 minutes. I have had issue with every known fault on these cars as far as I know. The turbo oil drain gasket failed and shot out oil at an alarming rate. The PCV system is clogged causing oil to be drawn through the entire intake system. I suspect because of the pressure caused by the PCV system failure the cam seals and possibly rear main seal are leaking oil. The odometer and trip meter failed which is a guarantee with this particular model. The rear wheels are half an inch narrower in track than the front, making it look goofy if you look hard enough. The most annoying problem of the bunch however is the squeaking and rattling. The entire interior is vinyl and leather and after 20 years of sun has shrunk up and twisted and there are noises to back up everything I do in this car. Sitting down, moving, driving, playing music, there is a noise from something in the interior every time I do anything.
Oh, and how could I forget Volvo’s main idea, safety. This car was the first to feature SIPS. Which for families stands for Side Impact Protection System. For car guys it stands for roll cage built into the sheet metal. This car is incredibly stiff for an old timer commuter car. It has front driver and passenger airbags as well as side curtain. An optional extra was a booster seat built into the rear center armrest.
In conclusion, if you are looking for a reliable (not including little quirks due to age), sleathy, and satisfying ride then the Volvo 850 Turbo is a serious contender. Proving you can have power, reliability, comfort, and low cost all at once. This is the even less known sleeper car that I would compare with the Taurus SHO and Regal GS. I will be looking to replace her soon but only for AWD and a manual. Be pickier than I was and this would be the perfect car for someone with any mechanical ability.