LYONS of Limerick has a new string to its bow. Appointed main dealer for Volvo on December 15, Keith Lyons is happy to have secured a second prestige agency for this Ballysimon Road company, long identified with the Ford marque.

“We are fully in business now with Volvo and delighted to be so,” Ken told Motoring pages. “We find Ford to be very successful and easy to sell in this climate, and Volvo is a complementary marque. They are a lovely, solid car on the road, safe and there’s a big price range. Anybody wanting to ‘step up’ what they are driving can look to Volvo with confidence. It has its own market and wide appeal. Lyons of Limerick can also arrange finance and rates are good at the moment for new buyers”.

Lyons of Limerick is at Eastpoint Business Park - driving out the Ballysimon Road, take a right just before the landmark Wickes store. You can make a testdrive appointment for any Volvo or indeed Ford from 9am to 6pm six days (service section closes 5.30pm) with sales manager Philip Madigan and his team. Tel. 439555.

For 2009, Volvo have introduced their second generation S80 saloon to offer a “competitive alternative to the dominant, German luxury saloon rivals”. This second-generation S80 comes in three trim levels, all viable options depending on your preference. The front-wheel-drive 3.2, the all-wheel-drive T6 and the AWD V8 are the new variants for the saloon from the Swedish company which aims to out-muscle the best in the prestige passenger car sector.

All models have safety features such as a 6-speed automatic transmission, 4-wheel ABS, traction control, anti-skid system as well as curtain and front side airbags. Even within the different submodels there are further choices possible with an Executive Package available to the T6 and a Convenience Package for them all. With this new set of submodels, the Sport Package has been dropped.

Other extras are available including luxury items such as the massage function in the front seats, and heated front and rear seats, as well as a V8-exclusive rear-seat refrigerator.

All those luxury extras must be purchased separately, as must Volvo’s Blind Spot Information System (BLIS). BLIS detects nearby objects that may go unseen by the driver and warns the driver of them.

Common across the board are features including the cruise control, leather seat upholstery, eight speakers, power steering, rear fog lights and a tachometer.

The Volvo S80 has an unparalleled safety reputation for a luxury saloon, one that is deserved. It is definitely among the safest cars on the road today. It may not be the fastest of cars, but its comfort and safety make up for that in most ways.

With three different engines to suit the three different models, the V8 at the pinnacle boasts a 4.4 litre V8 generating 311 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque. The T6 and 3.2 have a 3.0 and 3.2 litre in-line six-cylinder respectively.