It doesn’t have an official Euro NCAP rating but the S80 is one of the safest cars of this size, with a high level of ‘protective’ safety systems, such as its rigid body structure, deformation zones plus front, side and curtain airbags. It shares the same front and rear structure as the Volvo V70, which has scored five stars in NCAP crash tests.

There’s also a range of ‘preventive’ Volvo S80 safety features such as optional adaptive cruise control and a blind-spot information system, which uses rearward-facing cameras on the door mirrors to alert the driver to approaching traffic that might be outside the normal field of vision provided by the rearview mirrors.

Fitted as standard is Volvo’s City Safety system, which can apply the brakes autonomously to perform an emergency stop if absolutely necessary in an emergency to prevent a low-speed collision. From 2012 onwards, the system can operate at higher speeds of up to 31mph.

Also available is a Pedestrian Detection system (and from May 2013 a cyclist detection system – something Volvo says is a world first for production cars), which uses a mixture of radar and cameras to scan the road ahead and both sound a warning and, if necessary, apply the brakes if a pedestrian or cyclist strays into the car’s path.

Active High Beam systems, which switch automatically between high and low beam, are not unusual on cars these days but Volvo’s system is particularly effective. It uses a combination of cameras and radar to detect both oncoming cars and same-direction traffic up ahead, and then only partially blanks off the high beam to avoid dazzling them and leaves the rest of the area around the vehicle illuminated.

Also available is a Road Sign Information system, which detects road signs with a camera and displays them to the driver on the instrument panel.

On the face of it, Volvo S80 practicality is not its strongest suit as with 422-litres of luggage room it doesn’t have quite as large a boot as saloons like the BMW 5-Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

Despite the shortfall in size, the boot area itself is square and the opening wide, so you can fit larger suitcases and boxy items easily.

The rear seats can fold down to allow you to carry longer items while up front there’s decent storage with good-sized door pockets, twin cup-holders and a large central cubby between the seats that also doubles as an armrest.

Nearest thing to an estate version of the S80 is actually the Volvo V70, which shares many of its underpinnings with the S80.

New for 2013 is an ambient light scheme to make driving at night easier by illuminating the cup holders, door releases, seat controls and storage areas.