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Junkyard Gem: 1984 Volvo 242 DL

Volvo had tremendous success with the iconic 200 Series cars, selling them in North America from the 1975 model year all the way through 1993 (and if you count the Volvo 140, which was the same car from the A pillars rearward, the 240's history goes back to the middle 1960s). Nearly everybody who bought 240s on our continent did so in order to be safe and/or practical, which meant that the two-door version never sold anywhere near as well as its four-door and wagon brethren. Here's one of those rare 240 coupes (technically speaking, a two-door sedan), found in a San Jose car graveyard last winter. If you're going to be a stickler about the designation of this car as a two-door sedan and not as a coupe, you'll also want to call it by the name Volvo used when it was in the showroom: the 1984 Volvo DL. However, everybody in the Volvo world now prefers the original naming system that Volvo used for the 200s back home in Sweden, where you had 2 followed by a numeral indicating the number of engine cylinders and a numeral indicating the number of doors, with the trim-level code after that. So, what we have for today's Junkyard Gem is a Volvo 242 DL, i.e., the cheapest new 240 Americans could buy in 1984. You could get a turbocharged engine from the factory in the 1984 242, but this car has the ordinary naturally-aspirated 2.3-liter straight-four, rated at 111 horsepower. It also has the four-speed manual transmission with overdrive controlled by the button in the middle of the shift knob. Nearly 230,000 miles on the clock, which is decent for any 1980s car but not spectacular by Volvo 240 standards. Many Volvo enthusiasts prefer the smooth lines of the coupe to the stodgier sedans and wagons, and this one shows signs of ownership by someone who wasn't just about listening to NPR while driving safely to the natural-foods store. Sure enough, it has aftermarket springs and a non-factory rear sway bar. I wish I'd found these parts back in 2007, when I was helping to build a V8-swapped Volvo 244 road racer. The presence of the keys in a junkyard car, however, usually indicates that it was voluntarily let go by its final owner. Perhaps it was a dealership trade-in that proved to be impossible to sell due to a combination of three pedals, high miles, and lack of truck-shaped body. The interior looks like it might have been tolerable before it reached this place.

2021 Volvo V90 T6 Road Test | The best-kept secret

Against all odds and sales sense, the 2021 Volvo V90 is still kicking and available to order in the United States. Not only that, but Volvo gave it a mini mid-cycle update this year, altering the styling and adding more tech. It’s still disappointing that Volvo doesnÂ’t keep any V90s in stock at dealers, but it looks like the best way to sell a wagon in this country is to make it order-only like the Mercedes-AMG E 63 S or Audi RS6 Avant. Well, that, or lift it and apply body cladding as in the case of the V90's Cross Country sibling. Dealers do carry those. However, youÂ’ll be glad that you took the time to special order the non-lifted, uncladded V90. It's a design masterpiece; a full-size family vehicle that forces you to look back at it every time you walk away. Volvo hasnÂ’t struck out with a single design over the past few years, and this V90 is surely the brandÂ’s crowning achievement. Proportions, stance, lighting and wheels; all of it is pleasing to the eye. The hugely useful cargo area and big back seat just raise the bar even higher. That a vehicle can be as practical as this one is, handle like a car and still look this good just makes it even more appealing. This Volvo goes from point A to point B like a member of the Swedish royal family sweeping across a crowded ballroom centuries ago. Poised and elegant, the V90 silently wafts down the road riding on a pillowy air suspension. ThereÂ’s no rush. Curious eyes turn to catch a glimpse of something they rarely see. Yet the V90 never demands anybody take notice with extravagant creases or a gaudy grille. It just exists in this glamorous state of purist wagon nirvana. Simplicity tends to breed the most appealing car designs, but labeling the V90 as simplistic would be a misnomer. This Inscription trim V90 is adorned with just the right amount of shiny chrome, highlighting the sharp styling and drawing the eye downward. VolvoÂ’s updates serve to smooth out the front and rear fascias even further, going so far as to delete the rear exhaust outlet in the bumper in favor of an invisible under-car exit. It suits the wagonÂ’s attitude and also serves to prepare our eyes for an electric future. A new and much more intricate rear LED taillight design animates a friendly “hello” from bottom-to-top at the press of the unlock button, or top-to-bottom for “goodbye.” The new 20-inch wheel design completes the picture with a striking bright and dark two-tone finish.

Volvo releases extensive model updates for 2014

The 2014 model year is going to see big changes for the Volvo lineup. The biggest news is that the "60 cluster" models (the S60, V60 and XC60) are receiving some substantial updates despite not being all that old, and Volvo is also refreshing the S80, V70 and XC70 models. Of course, the 2014 model year also marks the departure of the C30 and C70 from its lineup, and we still have at least a year to wait until we see the redesigned XC90.
Except for the XC90, all of the 2014 Volvos will be getting noticeable design updates. The S60, V60 and XC60 get more in-depth changes, including a full front facelift. All will use an evolution of the "naughty" design that debuted on the S60. The rear of all three cars get some changes, too, most notably consisting of the reshaped rear fascia with the integrated exhaust outlets. S80, V70 and XC70 will get more minor changes - mostly to bring them in line with the fresher models. The XC70 keeps is rugged plastic cladding, but it gets some stylish wheels with what look like arrowhead accents.
Inside, all of these updated models will new in-car technology such as the Sensus Connected Touch infotainment system and the adaptive digital display with a TFT (thin film transistor) screen. This reconfigurable screen allows the driver to choose between three different themes - Elegance, Eco and Performance - which changes the color and layout of the background. Other new features include heated windshields, Active High Beam Control for the headlights, paddle shifters for a little added driver involvement and IntelliSafe active safety systems (City Safety, Pedestrian Detection and Road Sign Information) The S80, V70 and XC70 will also add heated steering wheels to their respective options sheets, too.