The Volvo 850, launched in 1991, was an important car: Volvo's first front-wheel-drive model in the mid-size class and the debut of its transverse modular five-cylinder engines. It introduced side-impact protection (SIPS) and, later, side airbags. The 850 T-5R and R models became cult performance cars, and they famously raced as estates in the British Touring Car Championship. It laid the technical foundation for the S70, V70 and C70 that followed.
The key front-drive Volvo of the 1990s, whose transverse five-cylinder turbo led to the T-5R.
35years
3trims
168–247hp range
The Story
Why the 850 mattersTrims
3 trims · 1991–1997Volvo's first transverse-engine, front-drive family car, the 850 offered five-cylinder engines topped by the turbocharged T-5R and R, whose BTCC-racing estates made the boxy wagon a performance legend.