The Car That Changed Volvo FOREVER - Volvo 850R 

That glorious 5 cylinder sound is classic.

I have owned my 850 for 30 years. The reason I was attracted to Volvos was for the reliability and durability. My first Volvo was a 1981 244, in which I covered more than 300k miles. It is so easy to forget how all the competition was rusting away back then.

Back when I was still working as a mechanic (1990's) I used to drive a pair of 850T's that we serviced regularly and I always thought that they were a nice, comfortable and refined car, certainly a cut above the Holden, Nissan, Mazda and even Alfa's that came through our doors most of the time. They were practical cars as well, built in kids booster seats and a 3rd row in the estate/wagon and plenty of room inside. The star of the show was undoubtedly the engine, that 5 cylinder offbeat sound made it addictive to drive and they had good torque and power even if they weren't the fastest car ever. In short, I liked them.

In 1995 the 850 won 4 races and was pole positon 13 times, a record at the time. Not bad at all.

A common misconception is that the Touring car was a turbo. It was a tuned normally aspirated 2 litre which used very clever rule bending engineering by TWR in its cylinder head design. The cable throttle of these can go stiff with age. A squirt of penetrating fluid on the cable solves the problem.

I’ve changed the throttle cable today for one that I had custom made as RHD ones are NLA. It is so much better now. 😊

Thanks Jack. Great review, I enjoyed watching it. I have a new throttle cable that I had made that I plan to fit. Loved doing the drive-by shots. A pleasure to meet you.

The Volvo that made me love Volvo and will never get bored of that 5 cylinder sound

As a Volvo for life guy for over 40 years, it's brilliant to see you feature one of the icon's of modern automotive history Jack, thank you 👏🏻 I still miss my T5M to this day.

I had the immediate successor to the 850R the V70R. Throttle was smooth and progressive

Nice to see an 850 review, I had the T5 variant and throttle was not at all heavy. I suspect this needs a new cable. This example also needs some suspension fettling as I've not seen one bounce and look quite so jittery. Even with upgraded suspension and springs. I'm surprised the engine hardly got mentioned, the glorious 5 cylinder sound is one of the key things that makes a T5 special.

I had an 850R many years ago and I absolutely loved it! The throttle was fine on our one. It was certainly the fastest way to get your fishing gear to the lake !

Having owned a 95 Gul yellow T5R and a black 96 850R this was a welcome video. Both cars were the 854's and my only regret is not owning a wagon. Currently own a 2020 S60 T6 R design/polestar but would buy an updated version of the 850R in a heartbeat

We had the 850 T5 and then the C70 T5 and both did over 150,000 faultlessly in 3 years each. Such a joy to own and drive

Rickard Rydell and his 850 is still magic and was awsome to look at on tv.!!!👌

I own the successor of this car, a 1999 V70 R AWD. Beautiful car, remapped to 300 bhp and fun to drive. ❤

Love the sound of those 5 cylinders!

Lifelong Volvo fan, so it’s pleasing to see the 850R Older Volvos were awesome Gotta get myself back into a 240

I test drove an 850 T5R auto once....and found out the brakes do seem a bit lacking...but it did go right round the roundabout ok! Life at that time didn't allow for the Flying Banana that I was offered then. But now...I have a C70 T5 GT. I love the surprised look on the faces of the hot hatch brigade in the mirror. Lovely cruiser on a sunny day with the top down. Even BMW drivers say it has class!

That engine sound! Delicious 5 cylinderness! Lovely cars. Cracking results in racing. Cheers

I can recommend the 850 and the first gen X70. I have owned an 850, V70 T5 and now a C70 T5. So much fun driving these, nothing like the modern disconnected driving experience. Easy to maintain, maybe a bit heavy on fuel but hey - no depreciation! Get one before they really get expensive or just disappear.

Thank you. Love that dashboard, and the 5-cylinder sound.

Best Volvo ever! And that 5 cylinder sound!

Very nice review video! I owned a 1995 850 T5R. Had very young kids at the time and the car had an integrated child seat in the middle of the second row....was absolutely great. I also had as an option two rear facing jump seats that were put to good use. Car was very quick, and I just loved the tubo lag when I put my foot down at around 40mph....actually pushed me back into my seat. The car was very practical as the back seats folded forward completely flat giving you a huge area for cargo.....flat folding was something the much more expensive Audi Estate did not do. I will also say I had a poster of the racing Estates in my garage.

Finally a proper car . Well done for getting a t5 on .

Love the 850, I’ve known my 850 wagon since 1995 and I still have it! It’s a great car that saved the brand indeed 💪 🇸🇪 I really enjoyed watching this so thanks so much!! -Tim G 🇺🇸

Couldn’t find a decent t5 r so just purchased a p80 v70r AWD , no regrets

Thank you for this video! Great historical and racing footage! Not a strong seller in New Zealand but local motoring journalists regarded the 850 well.

I went from a 960 3 litre to a T5 (dogs & windsurfing) and I loved it! Never had any issue with the throttle pedal and it was an absolute blast, routinely showing up many a sports car - even when toting all the windsurfing gear!

Favourited police car in Dutch police. Epic machine! Greetings from the Netherlands

Hi there.Nice video.I used to have a 850 GL sedan,which was a 2.3cc,aspired engine,two camshaft,5 cylinder 144hp,automatic,a pleasure to drive.And the "sport" button did work,made all the difference.

When i got my license i bought myself the cheapest, closest car i could find that was a 98 S70.. that started my journey to volvos and 6 years of owning an R i am still loving the car. Most people i meet and speak to don't see what i see in the car they only see the kms/miles it has done and the age of it, but for me it brings enjoyment and gives me hell of a grin when they realize its not a boring slow volvo.

Ive got a t5 s60 - same engine, love it. RU-vid videos sound compilations were a key factor in my decision - and btcc

I own a 1st year V70 T5; essentially an 850. Bought as a project. Easy to work on & parts are much more affordable; than the German brands Now that I'm old, the Volvo is 'Grandpa's Sleeper.' Think of it as a Grand Tourer; for Antique Dealers & Hoarders

The volvo five-banger has a lovely off-beat sound when you put your foot through the throttle. Sounds far more sporty that it has any right to and, according to a guy I knew who developed race and marine applications of these 2.5 engines, they could handle some serious power with just off the shelf upgrades and insane power if they were seriously worked over.

Gotta be the best looking wagon ever created

I really appreciate these videos Jack. Volvo 850 is another car I like...

I had an 850R and I never noticed anything odd about the throttle. That needs looking at. It's good that the brakes have been upgraded. I had a very sticky moment once when braking hard after a speedy run, and the the brake fade was so bad that the I completely lost braking when entering a roundabout. Luckily there was no traffic on it. I also (in theory) had traction control on mine, but I never detected it operating.

I really enjoy your channel 👍 In 1996 I bought a T5R , green, black inside and automatic. It was very fast even fully loaded with dog I passed many BMW’s 😊. It was indeed a bit bumpy on the B roads. Sold it in 1998 😬

I bought a clean title 850R Saloon in rough shape, but I knew she was a gem. I put some work into the 850R and it's been a really nice project car.

I had one as a company car for a while and it was mad! Best thing most other drivers just weren’t expecting it

Thank you for this!

I had an s60 t5 manual saloon,throttle pedal was soft as anything and gear lever was the aluminium ball type had a lovely action to it.

I've always wanted, but could never afford one of these. There's just something really sexy about the 850 wagon that Volvo lost after this generation.

A friends Dad had a N-reg in Green, black leather. Brand new at the time! We all loved it!

Ohh yes, would love one of these one day 🙌 Great video buddy 🎬

I only had a lowly 2.5 20 valve but that engine had a lovely sound especially when you lifted off the gas....

I’m a huge fan of Volvo estates. I was lucky enough to drive the T5 estates for over a decade as a Traffic Cop. Nothing but praise for them.

I had a V70 T5 new in 1998, the plus points... so comfortable, so fast, so delightful aurally, so practical. The bad points? it (me) shredded front tyres at 10k miles, it was very frightening if the turbo boost cut in when you were going round a roundabout in the wet and finally, all my colleagues wanted to keep borrowing it.

Re your comment about throttle, ours did 223000 miles before selling it, no problems with the throttle being stiff, you were correct about the brakes upgrade, it certainly needed it. Ours was top of the spec range and had everything on it, nothing ever needed fixing. The only bill apart from normal servicing that I carried out myself was the air conditioning clutch. My wife however broke the roll torsion bar, evidently the only one broken in the UK..! Overall an amazing car well done Volvo!

I had the v70. Throttle not heavy at all. Totally reliable and super safe. But, juicy and the interior plastics crumbled.

Now THIS is a cool car. My dad had the saloon 850T back in the day. Comfiest seats ever and lovely sound. We both took the yellow 850R out for a run when that arrived and that, back then, was seriously rapid for the time.

Had the pleasure of driving one of these back in the day. Ended up in a traffic light Grand Prix against a 5 litre HSV Holden Commodore. Blew his doors off. Hilarious 😂

Thank you for this review.

I will always remember my 850. Great car. Well built. Never a moments problem. I then went on to a V70 T5 then later had the new V60 T5 and now on a XC60 T8 polestar engineered. None of them sounded like the old 5 cyl engine.

Remember seeing one of these on Wheeler Dealers and Ant Anstead raving about it as he'd driven the police version a lot in his days with the TFU.

Had one of those, ten years ago...regret selling it ever since. Not at all a B-Road special, more like an autobahn family rapid cruiser. Although it was never the fastest wagon out of the mark, from 3rd upwards, on full boost, man that thing could go ! Mine was manual and in 4th it reached 200kph...and then there was 5th... Drunkard on petrol, but that 5cyl growl still resonates in my memory as one of the best sounds produced by mankind. Nice review, pitty about the weather and location...on fast sweepers it would probably changed your mind. One last thing: Volvo's first FWD were the 400 series ! Try a 480turbo if you have the chance. Cheers

I remember those well. Paul Newman had a Volvo wagon but with a big V8 shoved in it. It must have been a rear wheel drive model. Wasn't sure if it was the sun in your eyes or something about this car...but you usually are smiling more on these drives. A fun video. Thank you.

This car is still relevant today. One of few cars that couldnt flip over. Great looking aswell. ❤

Don’t care about it’s shortfalls… it’s still cool as fupp and I want one. Got a modern day V60 T5 R Design to keep me going in the meantime. Dynamically, it’s not a patch on the F11 535d it replaced, but it is leaps and shoulders better for reliability and standard fit tech.

Mine's a 97 V70 T5SE wagon. It's just a laugh to floor it sometimes when these young'uns in their SUVs see an old bloke in an old (saga insured)car!

Really loved them in the pale yellow and the dark green metallic

Thank you for the video and finally an 850 👍🏼 Now the first front wheel drive Volvo was the 400 series introduced with the 480 which was introduced in 1986. When it comes to the 850R, TWR was involved working on the engine but initially, the 5 cylinder engine is derived from straight 6 which was introduced with the 960, was indeed designed and developed with the help of Porsche including the exhaust to get the right sound from it. The TRACS, traction and stability control on original cars only works up to 40kph or 25 mph and works really well. All Volvos pedals are stiffer compared to other cars so that's something one gets used to. The T-Red as it was called in Sweden, was sold with the light wood interior as standard but you could also choose other interior options. The suspension had softer springs as standard but stiffer shock absorbers as the previous 850T-5R had even stiffer springs so Volvo made the R model more comfortable 😅

I never owned an R but had a couple of T5's years ago. Throttle wasn't heavy on them. Serious appetite for front tyres though, especially with a Rica remap.

Porsche was contracted to design the suede inserts in the seats and tune the electronic boost control map for the R. That's it. The R unfortunately never had any physical Porsche build elements. Still neat.

The racing 850 was done by Tom Walkinshaw which, years earlier, had a sticker on his Jaguar XJS saying "Real Men Don't Drive Volvo"...

Simply iconic a car it's generation,still as handsome as when it first showcased 👌❤👍

Great roar, this 5 cyl! 😍

❤ there is a guy in Norwich driving one of these with the Omega livery !!!....legend

I LOVE the sound of that 5 pot unit! Even my 16 year old diesel 5 banger sounds good when pushed, but the petrol jobbie sounds wonderful. I'd love a late model 850, but the fuel consumption of the petrol units was dire. And the 5 pot diesel was the VAG unit, and it was trouble waiting to happen, in terms of durability and reliability. I'll keep my late Mk 2/2006/7 D5 though, 50+ mpg and an unburstable motor that'll do, maybe 3-400K before a rebuild (read scrapyard). But so good to hear that R5 growl, thanks.

Great video again as always. The 850 "Terminator" is one of my 90s favourites, and yes you're right it changed Volvo's 'boring' image forever. The T5 started the now ubiquitous badging , T6 then onto the diesel phenomenon D5. I have to say as a younger lad other than the T5 I wouldn't have looked at a Volvo, impressions were also gained (warning dad/,kid story coming). My dad bought a brand new 343GL in mint green, the car was finished superbly , had some great features but alas was a bit boring, despite the various parts in it. Renault 1.4 engine ok, alot of weight to lob about mind, and as I recall had a lovely stubby short throw 5 speed gearbox. You might say it ticked all the boxes. However in the winter of 1982, the Volvo despite it's "Swedishness" had all the grip of a jelly. To my delight SVH14X was traded in for ........our first family foray into the Ford stable!(sunburst red XR3i, A602HCX) Back to the 850, it really did well, the hotter versions had all the pukka options including as in your example Ash wood dash inserts and big wheels. They are capable of massive mileages and I think I'm correct in saying the Diesel versions used Audi powerplants. The final endorsement is of course West Yorkshire Police had Saloon T5s AND estate versions. As an aside to this , 30 years on to today, we have a fleet of 9 litre Volvo single decker buses at our depot, they have clocked up 750000 miles, and I can testify they pull like a train, I'm very jealous of the truckers with 700bhp plus to drive! Great video, lovely example of an R , but looks too low and feels it as you said. Just one observation, stiff throttle? Press harder Jack 😂!!!! Best wishes, and Seasons Greetings, Ben ☃️🇸🇪🧑‍🎄🦃🚌🚍

The '97 850R, was the best car, I've ever owned.

My 10v (140 ish hp) V70 from 1998 has the same stiff throttle. Doesn't need to be pressed a lot to get the car moving. Nice review.

Don't forget that Volvo were also successful in racing with the 242 Turbo back in the '80s. The US-market adverts for the 240 and 740 Turbo wagons made a big deal of the performance, but they weren't anywhere near as powerful as the 850s.

I've owned my 940 2.3LPT for 16 years and its a beautiful drive, even though its heavy. Volvo's have a quality feel about them and the 850 T5, T5R and R were game changers for Volvo.

This is the one that I was waiting for!

The Traction Control works by applying brakes individually to the front wheels to limit wheel spinning, which would have worked very well in conjunction with the factory fitted LSD to the manual 850Rs.

The strength of 850s is legendary. There's a video somewhere on RU-vid of a French guy in a scrap yard driving an 850 estate staight into the back of a Peugeot hatchback. The Peugeot is flattened, but the Volvo looks fine. The guy goes on to smash the 850 into several other vehicles. I think he even rolls it using a ramp. No matter what he does to it, the 850 holds its shape and still drives.

Love the mobile phone of the time

I miss my 850t5 estate very much…best car I’ve had and I work in the motor trade! ❤

Great to see you reviewing an 850 R , I owned a T5 & a T5R , loved them both , they were proper Q Cars (wolfs in sheep clothing) as for the throttle and suspensopn, I don't remember either of my cars having stiff throttles and unforgiving suspension, as far I can recall both cars were easy to drive very quickly , they handled beautifully for an estate car and most of all they both put a smile on my face every time I drove them, I can only assume the 850R you tested was a little tired.

Love the sound of five pot

I had dark olive pearl t-5r manual estate but with R hardware (white injectors, 16t turbo, ecu tune) . I still miss it every day.

My late father explained its use in racing, in terms of a huge aerodynamic advantage - a perfect long body and roof leading in turn with a near-perfect Kamm-tail to produce a very low Cd without needing much in the way of spoilers etc. However, I also remember the Alfa Romeo 155Ti racers with the same enthusiasm as I do the racing stationwagons...

Looks cool, sounds cool - that's all that matters to me!

Hi Jack, very nice car. It reminds me of the Volvo Wagon that actor Paul Newman had built with a V/8 engine in it. He loved it and he suggested that they should build one for his friend David Letterman who is a big fan of all cars. Dave ordered one and he really loved that car. I always thought that a Volvo Wagon with V/8 would make a wonderful performance car that was also practical and comfortable. I really wanted to get one built for myself but the Children wanted clothes and shoes and groceries and my Wife needed copious amounts of BonBons and shoes to fill her closets just in case she needed some for special events etc. so there was no money left over for my cars and necessities like V/8 conversions. I still want one, thanks for the great review.

Test drove a T5 at Millbrook in period and it was fab. No issue with a crazy stiff throttle. Driven back to back with some other similar metal and I was genuinely impressed. That R sound wrong if the throttle is so horrible.

Jack you should buy one, these are super cool cars.

Had a black 850R manual wagon 1997 a couple of years ago. It was a dream car for me and it did not let me down meeting my hero. I think it also had a remap and it had 3 inch downpipe.The car was the most happy when passing cars going 50mph from 3 gear it pulled hard and there was many modern cars that this sleeper just walked away from. The car was sold to a nice guy but he lost control of it and it burnt to the ground. He got away without injuries so i guess volvo safety worked.

I'd love one of these cars. Years ago I had an 850 AWD which didn't have as much horsepower and ran a low pressure turbo but that 5 cylinder engine sounded fantastic. A pity it turned out to be a lemon! I remember going to see the Touring Cars at Brands Hatch with Tim Harvey and Rickard Rydell driving for Volvo. Fantastic!

Actually the 850 wagon came third in a race in Australia in 1995. Granted, the competition there was not as great as the BTCC, but it was still up against full strength works Audi and BMW teams.

Such a beautiful car.

I always associate Rickard Rydell with the Volvo in BTCC. It was around 1994, when the estate was being raced, that I really got into following touring cars. A great era of tin top racing.

Yes! Mine has been off the road for a few years, but still the best car I've ever owned.

Fond memories of our V70 T5 ‘Italian spec’ - with 2.0 engine instead of 2.3 and a bigger turbo - on boost for hours on end on the German autobahn

I enjoyed my T5, a tremendous car, i had a crank shaft seal go and that was it the only problem, front tyres if you got 18k out of them you were doing well. Having said that i still preferred the 740 estate over both the 850 and V70 estates,

The light birch interior is original. I thought it was so ugly at the time, now I would look for one with it. Lol. Thanx for the trip down memory lane Cheers

I had a 96R Wagon in the US. I bought it new the last day of the year. I kept it till the mid 2000’s and still to this day regret ever letting it go. Black over the blonde interior, loved 99.9% ownership of the car. The rubber band tires offered the 7 spoke wheels zero protection. I had to have them repaired more than once. The car was comfortable, good gas mileage, plenty of interior space for everything. I don’t ever recall the throttle being still at all.

Jack, the reason that they took the 850 SW racing was the aerodynamics, it did not generate "aerodynamic lift". As someone previously has said, it wasn't exactly unsuccessful. I wanted one, but the Mrs at the time said that she wouldn't get into it, let alone drive it!

I own a 2006 Volvo S60 2.5T AWD, With 325,000 km bulletproof engine, greatest automobile I've ever owned, Volvo for life.