The four-cylinder Turbo offered more power than a V8 BMW 530i, and buyers noticed.
AutoweekThe Volvo 850 turned 30 last year, but just like many other cars from this Swedish marque, many are still on the road as daily drivers alongside much older Volvos. We can’t say that for a number of its contemporaries from the early 1990s.
The 850, codenamed Project Galaxy, arrived in 1991 as the automaker’s first big new model launch of the decade. At that time even the 240 was still in production, with the 740 and 760 playing the role of the volume model stateside in sedan and wagon form. With styling that was evolutionary rather than revolutionary, Volvo still managed to get plenty of compliments for the handsome proportions and styling of the new sedan and wagon duo, with the latter debuting taillights stretching to the roof—a trademark of Volvo wagons since.
The first two model years of the 850 saw subtly different details, including the front bumper design, headlights, taillights, and side cladding, compared to the 1995 and later versions. The debut 1993 model in the US featured taller headlights, a boxier front bumper, and side trim with small vertical ribs at the corners.
The Turbo arrived for the 1994 model year, along with some cosmetic tweaks for the entire range. So the second model year already looked different.
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For 1994, the 850 adopted slimmer headlights and different bumpers along with slightly different side trim, but kept the boxy taillights. This 850 Turbo is one of those cars, and it wears somewhat rare five-spoke Canisto wheels, which actually debuted far later on the Volvo C70 as standard items.
While the base 850 of 1994 offered 168 hp and 162 lb-ft of torque, the Turbo model served up 222 hp and 221 lb-ft, courtesy of a turbocharged 2.3-liter inline five-cylinder. This made it a very tempting alternative to a number of German sedans of the time, which tended to be a segment smaller for about the same price, with the 850 aiming to sit somewhere between a Mercedes C- and E-Class in size, or between a BMW 3-Series and 5-Series. This asymmetric response would continue with the S60 models years later, with Volvo finding a niche for itself in between the usual benchmarks.
As reviews of the day pointed out, the V8-engined BMW 530i made less power than the 850 Turbo, with 215 hp on tap in funfer.
While the 850 Turbo models served up plenty of power, handling was another matter. The standard front-wheel-drive 850 was quite nose-heavy, with an unforgiving front suspension that tended to transfer pothole impacts into the dash when not carrying four passengers or some cargo. Body roll was also far more generous than in the 3-Series or 5-Series cars of the day. But it still offered that solid, tank-like feel of older Volvos.
Also, cupholders didn’t arrive in the 850 until 1995, in the clearest sign that Volvo wasn’t especially anxious to cater to absolutely all American car demands.
The 1994 model year also featured slimmer headlights and a revised front bumper design, along with a different plastic trim strip around the perimeter of the car.
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The 1995 model year brought redesigned tail lights—the ones you see here are 1993 and 1994 only—with the 850 continuing on without other exterior changes until the arrival of the S70, which was basically a major mid-cycle facelift for the 850, albeit under the new nomenclature.
The Turbo model also seemed to be more popular in the 850’s later years, with square taillight 1993 and 1994 model-year cars being far harder to spot on the road in the early 2000s compared to the later versions. It was in 1995 when sales seemed to really pick up for the 850 range.
That makes this 1994 Turbo something of a modest rarity among 850s on the road today. But chances are, today’s Volvo drivers might not be intrigued, unless they’re well versed in 850 history.
Jay Ramey Jay Ramey grew up around very strange European cars, and instead of seeking out something reliable and comfortable for his own personal use he has been drawn to the more adventurous side of the dependability spectrum.
Keyword: Street-Spotted: Volvo 850 Turbo