Volvo S80 and V70 2.5FT: With 200Hp Flexfuel E85 Engine

Tuesday, May 13, 2008 | 7 comments » Categories | Ecology, Volvo, Volvo S80, Volvo V70 |

Swedish carmaker Volvo is expanding its flexfuel line-up with the introduction of S80 and V70 2.5FT, both of which are equipped with a 5-cylinder, 2.5-litre turbocharged Flexifuel engine delivering 200 hp and 300 Nm of torque. The Flexifuel cars can run on E85 bioethanol or 95-octane unleaded petrol - or any mix of these two fuels.

Volvo says that from a technological viewpoint, it would have been possible to reach a higher output, but that would have translated in higher fuel consumption. The EU combined figure for both the S80 and V70 2.5T is 9.2 l/100 km or 25.6 MPG with the manual gearbox and 10.2 l/100 km or 23.0 MPG (V70) and 10.1 l/100 km or 23.3 MPG (S80) with the automatic gearbox. No thanks to its lower energy content, fuel consumption when running on E85 is approx 30-40% higher than when running on petrol.

7 comments

kjb434 // May 13, 2008

Say it ain't so Volvo.

Why are they going to waste time on E85?

Many people around the world are realizing the fallacy of ethanol.

It takes more energy to produce than a gallon of standard gasoline or diesel. It cannot be efficiently transported through pipelines (it must be carried by tanker trucks).

It also shrinking the available food supply.
Nicklas // May 13, 2008

With gasprices over $7,5 in Sweden E85 is exploding. Everyone either buys a flexifuel or a diesel, and Volvos "top of the line" diesel, the D5, is too weak for the new station wagon V70 and XC70, resulting in a high fuelconsumption.
kjb434 // May 13, 2008

I can see that, but now our neighboring country of Mexico is having a corn shortage which forms the major staple in their diets.

The US also ships corn as a aid to many countries in Africa. We have to pull back these shipments to meet our E10 ethanol demands here.

To me, it's the scale of the pain. Having slightly more affordable E85 as the cost of food to many people around the world is a problem.
Anonymous // May 14, 2008

You also get $1700 back from the Swedish Government of you choose these types of "environmental friendly" cars. That's a big reason why we Swedes choose these engines.
Nicholas // May 20, 2008

Why do these E85 objectors not realize that corn based ethanol is only just to get the ethanol fuel industry started. Second generation plants will use cellulose from indigestable plant matter and algae based ethanol will not use any food otherwise destined for humans. You need to see past the end of your nose sometimes.
Niholas // May 20, 2008

Next Generation ethanol ain't going to come from food. Checkout http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/the-next-generation-of-ethanol.htm
Anonymous // March 13, 2009

Well, times are changing in Sweden. Now the price for the E85 is so high that there is a much higher cost of running your car on that rather than gasoline. The Swedish government is also planning increased taxes on diesel fuel and they are from June 30 removing the $1700 bonus for those who buy a flexifuel car. That's what happens when politician put there nose into things. The good thing is that now the Volvo dealers have many tempting offer for those who want to buy a brand new car. Discounts of up to $8000 for a flexifuel car!