I met the Volvo dream couple in an elevator at the Four Seasons hotel in Georgetown. Young and well-heeled they are current S80 owners and were excited to see the new models being tested by us automotive journalists. “Great car!” they beamed as they stepped off the elevator, as if to say, “We’ll be buying another one.” Unfortunately no Volvo representative was there to take their order.

            The car they are so smitten with is Volvo’s flagship luxury sedan, so even though the 2004 model is a minor rather than a major model change it is still a big deal for the company. Volvo says it has made over 700 refinements (it likens them to polishing diamonds) to the S80 but only a few are visible to the naked eye. The front fascia has been tweaked, some chrome accents have been strategically added and the tail lights and side view mirrors have been downsized because customers said they were too big. The overall effect is to make the car look more upscale, but by softening design cues like the in-your-face big tail lights and the more aggressive shape of the front air intake the new vehicle definitely looks less sporty than its predecessor. And the way that Volvo covered over the reduced size of the tail lights by placing a narrow band of body-color and chrome under them looks like exactly what is it, a fix and an afterthought, not an organic design element.

            The interior has received some minor refinements: the door panels were re-shaped to flow better into the dash and aluminum rings were added around the gauges of six-cylinder models for a sportier look. Volvo is also offering the option of inserts in either aluminum or cultivated walnut for those willing to pop for some extra refinement.

            When it comes to the driving experience, Volvo made two major improvements. It jettisoned the Koyo rack and pinion of the previous model in favor of a ZF steering unit that delivers more direct steering response. (The rap on the Koyo set up was that it over-assisted making steering feedback less than crisp.) And it has added a Four-C (Continuously Controlled Chassis Concept) option. Four-C is an active chassis system that monitors and adjusts shock absorber stiffness on the order of 500 times a second, which is to say instantaneously as far as anyone but an F1 driver is concerned. Activated by a lighted button on the dash, Four-C can be set to either “comfort” or “sport” mode depending on whether the driver wants to cruise the highway in detached limousine-like ease or have a more involving experience.

            A drive from Washington D.C. to Virginia’s hunt country gave ample opportunity to test both the “comfort” and “sport” modes. On the highway the S80 provided the smooth, quiet performance buyers of European luxury cars expect: comfortable but not akin to driving a couch. On narrow, gravelly roads with “sport” mode engaged the suspension response was notably stiffer, which was reassuring when navigating twists and turns. Indeed, the chief advantage of the “sport” setting is not that it creates a somewhat sportier driving experience but that it gives the driver more engagement with the road, which can lend more real comfort in hairy situations than a cushier ride.

            S80 pricing starts at $37,045 for the naturally-aspirated 2.9 L base model then takes a vertiginous leap up to the T6 turbo-equipped model at $44,525. The Premier package which adds special leather upholstery, walnut panel inserts and a rear seat entertainment system bumps the price up to $48,515. Pricey yes, but immanently doable for the S80 buyer who Volvo says has an average household income of $135,000. Probably like that dream couple on the elevator.