Volvo couldn't expect to play the highline performance game with raw horsepower alone. Such a performer typically comes equipped with more creature comforts than most royal palaces, and the 850 meets that challenge with an impressive list of standard equipment.
The lineup begins with the standard 850 sedan and wagon, which is hardly a base model when it comes to amenities: dual airbags, air conditioning, cruise control, anti-lock brakes, power windows and mirrors, 6-speaker stereo system, tilt/telescoping steering wheel and velour upholstery.
The GLT models add a remote keyless entry security system, power glass sunroof, upgraded 8-speaker stereo and 8-way power adjustable driver's seat with 3-position memory.
At the top of the line, the Turbo package adds the side-impact airbags, split leather upholstery and electronic climate control.
All the bells and whistles are integrated in a readable, though unexciting, dash panel, which does its best to avoid taking the driver's attention away from the road.
The seats are wonderfully spacious - wider and more plush than the typical German performance sedan - and they offer good levels of support during hard corners.
Optional burled-walnut instrument-panel trim and full-leather upholstery can be ordered for an opulent look, but the 850 Turbo presents a pleasingly upscale interior in its standard form.
One minor irritation is the presence of the Daytime Running Lights. Though they without doubt add to a car's visibility during marginal conditions, we think it should be left up to the car's driver whether to run with lights on during the day. During the course of our test drive, we spent too much time waving off the polite flashings of fellow drivers warning us that our lights were on.
Getting the turbo engine's considerable torque to the ground through the same wheels that also steer the car presents difficulties. What's known as torque steer (the tendency for the front wheels to pull strongly to one side or another during acceleration) can happen when you tramp on the accelerator - but often it's not overwhelming, even to the inexperienced driver.
Volvo's optional traction-control system (TRACS) smooths this process considerably, allowing the driver to apply the throttle fully without having to worry about front wheelspin or torque steer.
Once under way, the car is a paragon of smoothness. Its 4-speed automatic transmission has three selectable modes of operation: economy, sport (holds rpm longer before shifting) and winter/wet, which keeps the transmission in the gear that has been selected to help takeoffs or towing on slippery surfaces.
The gearbox also offers virtually seamless upshifts and nice, crisp downshifts. A manual transmission really isn't required for sporty driving. The Volvo 850 is plenty fast with the automatic.
Much of Volvo's appeal is in ride quality, and the 850's road manners come pretty close to impeccable. Body lean is very evident during tight cornering, but the vehicle sticks beautifully without the wallowing that afflicts most cars with suspensions tuned toward the comfort zone.
Extra-firm shocks and a larger stabilizer bar can be ordered as options, but there is little reason to want a car that races through the bends any faster than the stock 850 Turbo.
Its wheel-and-tire combination is one of the best original engineering setups offered, and that contributes as much to the car's sporty demeanor as the turbocharged engine.
The power-assisted steering is also among the best in the business. However, although the brakes perform admirably, a certain amount of nosedive during panic braking can lead to a moment or two of uncertainty. Compared with its competitors, the 850's underpinnings rank just below those of the best German makes.
The 850 can feel choppy over freeway expansion joints, and extremely rough road isn't absorbed with quite the aplomb of a BMW, Audi or Mercedes. However, the 850 offers the sort of chassis feedback that the Europeans excel in and that the Japanese seem eager to engineer out of their suspensions.
We were pressed to find any surprises in the 850's behavior; it consistently goes where it's pointed, carrying itself through the sharpest of corners with ease.