Volvo’s strategy for low CO2 seems to follow a similar principle to the phrase supposedly uttered by Henry Ford about the colours for his Model T.

It seems you can have Drive technology with any engine as long as it’s a 1.6-litre diesel.

The analogy is spoiled somewhat by XC60 and XC70 models, which have recently downsized power units from 2.4-litres to 2.0-litres, but the vast majority of the Drive range is powered by the 1.6-litre.

It is a very economical engine, so undeniably effective at minimising CO2 emissions and maximising fuel economy.

With 109bhp, it might not sound like the ideal engine for powering large cars, and only being offered with a five-speed manual gearbox could also create a low-tech perception.

However, I can vouch for its ability. A year ago, I drove an S80 with an earlier version of this engine from Milan to Marlow on a single tank of diesel – a distance of about 800 miles.

Back then, CO2 emissions for the car were stated as 129g/km and fuel consumption on the combined cycle was 58.7mpg.

Now, Volvo has tweaked the engine further and taken the S80 to 119g/km and 62.8mpg, and is currently the only car in its class to attract BIK tax at the current lowest rate for diesel at 13%.

Even with just 177lb-ft of torque, it keeps up with the flow of traffic well enough, and the engine is refined.

A nice bonus, as with all Drive models, is that a number of equipment grades and options can be chosen, so our SE Lux test car came with leather seats (heated for front seat occupants), sat-nav and a few other goodies, so although drivers are downsizing the engine, they needn’t miss out on all the kit they might be used to.

Verdict

It might lack pace compared to other models in the range, but the S80 Drive is currently the tax and emissions benchmark for low-CO2 executive saloons.