Volvo 850 R | Spotted

You’ve probably heard the good news already – Volvo estates are back in business. Having withdrawn the V60 and V90 from sale in the UK a while back, there was sufficient (albeit well-mannered) outcry from customers for Volvo to reverse the decision. They aren’t on the ‘Our Cars’ page of the Volvo website, but head to the configurator and both V60 and V90 are back in their rightful place. It’s good to see. 

To mark the occasion, PH booked a test V90 in. A T8, all 455hp of it, just to get the full big Volvo estate experience. And while the full story of that is to follow, it hopefully shouldn’t spoil any surprise to say it was really rather lovely. Agreeable, pleasant, secure, like it had been part of the family for many years rather than a couple of days. 

That power meant it was reasonably brisk, too, though the V90 is still no performance car. But it’s not hard to imagine one, however predictable that sounds, because the V90 looks so smart already – and we all know there’s nothing much cooler than a fast Volvo estate. So you can see how this 850 R has ended up on the homepage. 

That’s not all, though, because 2025 actually marks 30 years since the 850 wagon’s second (and final) season in the BTCC. Such is the love for that car it’s easy to assume it was campaigned for years not very long ago, but its racing career was short. And not all that sweet, really, because the saloons were faster, so Volvo went to the four-door 850, then the S40, then actually won the championship. But people don’t get quite so excited about flagship S40s as 850s, do they? 

The R was the final hurrah for the five-cylinder 850s from 1996; the unexpected popularity of the T5 and the limited edition T5-R had persuaded Volvo that more needed to be made. More than just a series production T5-R, the R benefited from a bit more power and some additional changes to better harness it. Manual versions got a limited-slip diff, though they remained a bit of a wild ride. 

The red paint is still vibrant (it’s been garaged the whole time in the UK), the light leather interior has withstood 30 years of use beautifully (plus that means it’s basically specced as a Ferrari estate), and lots of important work has been done recently, including a Waxoyl underneath. Any 850 still on the road now is a survivor, but this one looks a real gem.

The days of Shed money 850s are done, sadly, because supply has dried up, but £12k for a car that’s going to be so universally adored wherever it goes doesn’t sound all that bad. There aren’t many cars out there that every car enthusiast appreciates and enjoys – the five-cylinder Volvo 850 estates must be in the select few. And imagine the excitement around the classics should Volvo do the decent thing and make a proper flagship of the V90…

Engine: 2,319cc turbocharged, five-cyl
Transmission: 4-speed auto, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 240@5,400rpm
Torque (lb ft): 221@N/Arpm
MPG: c. 27
CO2: c. 250g/km
First registered: 1996
Recorded mileage: 77,000
Price new: N/A
Yours for: £12,495