Volvo does not build many cars like the Volvo 850: a 4-door sedan (car) / saloon / 5-door estate car / estate with Petrol engine, built from 1991 to 1997 when airbags, anti-lock brakes and Japanese build quality became the world standard. Its designer of record is Jan Wilsgaard (1989). Production ran to 1,360,522 cars.
How it came about
The Volvo 850 is a compact executive car that was produced by the Swedish manufacturer Volvo Cars from 1991 until 1997. Designed by Jan Wilsgaard, the car was introduced in a saloon body style; an estate style was introduced in 1993.
The Volvo 850 was shown for the first time in June 1991, and the car marked a departure for Volvo, featuring multiple unprecedented features for the company; these included a transverse 5-cylinder engine driving the front wheels, a Delta-link rear axle, a side impact protection system, and a self-adjusting front seat belt mechanism. The Volvo 850 was succeeded by the Volvo S70 and Volvo V70.
The hardware
Under the skin sits Petrol engine; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. Kerb weight is 1385 -. The gearbox is a 5-speed Volvo M56 Manual transmission / manual / 5-speed Volvo M58 manual / 5-speed Volvo M59 manual / 4-speed Aisin AW50-42LE Automatic transmission / automatic. The wheelbase is 2664 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Family and rivals
Where it sits in Volvo's history is not in doubt: the Volvo 240 came before it; the Volvo S70 (Sedan)/V70 (Estate) followed it; it was built at Torslanda. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Opel Astra, the Dodge Viper, the GM (General Motors) Hummer H1. Its Volvo stablemates include the Volvo 144 and the Volvo 264 TE.