Trying to remove a low profile one from the big Volvo S80 test car I'd only collected the previous day proved an impossible task even from the relative safety of my own driveway.
No matter how hard we tried, it just wouldn't budge.
A call to Volvo Assist resulted in their nearest recovery operator calling to my home within 30 minutes. He'd previously asked if it was an alloy wheel and when I replied that yes, it was, he'd said that being called out to take off alloy wheels was an increasing part of his business. He'd placed a big wooden block behind the wheel, got down on the ground and banged the hell out of the block with a large lump hammer until he could prise it off.
But I didn't fancy driving around on three low profiles, and a narrow temporary wheel for longer than necessary.
After inspection, a nice Volvo dealer next day told me the tyre was unrepairable due to a tear on the outer edge and quoted €300 for a 17-inch replacement, along with a two-week delay. In the meantime, he said he'd fix me up with a similar sized Dunlop tyre at €200.
The episode didn't deter me from enjoying this big executive saloon for the remainder of the test week.
Thing is, many big cars are now being powered by small sized engines. Up to quite recently, it would have been preposterous to imagine a car this size being powered by a 110bhp 1.6 litre engine, and not at least by a 2.0 litre, or bigger. This is down to the brand's DRIVe badge for its greener range of cars, all to do with reducing fuel consumption and lowering emissions.
This turbo charged diesel engine averages 4.5 L/100kms (63mpg) which is very impressive for a car this size. That's the official figure. With me, it averaged 5.4 L/100kms, still mighty impressive. It means this version of the S80 is in tax band B with road tax of €156.
The engine is quiet and refined. I found it quite incredible at first that there was no sixth gear choice, just a 5-speed manual transmission. But it's all down to extending the reach of each gear for best performance.
The car can do zero to 100km/h in 11.9 seconds, and has maximin torque of 240Nm (compared to 190 Nm for the 2.0 petrol version).
The S80 has a style of its own and can even take on the big boys of BMW or Audi.
While the exterior was in Caspian Blue Metallic, the interior was in Soft Beige with black on top of the dash and some splashes of walnut. It all looked quality, and felt it.
Big leather seats keep you snug but also offer lumbar support and a few other adjustments to allow you get your best driving position. There's also rack and reach adjustments to the steering wheel to help with this. And more than enough head and leg room for all on board.
The low scuttle line means even smaller drivers don't have to yank up the seat to be able to see out front. Side mirrors are of a more than decent size and I appreciated the deep windscreen flaps when driving into the late afternoon sun, but they curve a bit too soon at the sides.
Instruments are nice and simple, white on black and turn shades of grey/silver at night. A huge plus for me are the superb headlights which light up the road for miles. The car also has daytime running lights as required in Sweden where the car is built, and which will be mandatory on all new cars here from next February.
An electronic parking brake does the job instead of a traditional hand one and you just drive away to automatically disengage it.
Storage include two big open cupholders in front, a big front armrest that can be opened from both sides, and an enormous cavern below with an AUX imput. Door bins are decent too.
Creature comforts on the test car included heated front seats, air conditioning, Bluetooth Handsfree System (optional), and parking sensors which are needed with a car this big. There's also a very good big boot.
The S80 as tested was priced at €42,092; the range starts from €34,500 plus delivery & related charges.
Just remember about those alloys. Best advice is to see if you can take them off at home so as to be prepared should the worst happen at the side of the road.
