Times are changing in Sweden. The Saab-Volvo coalition that has defined the country's car industry for generations has become rather lopsided.
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At one time they had every base covered between them: Saab was the wacky one that sold idiosyncratic, turbocharged executive hatchbacks, steeped in aeronautical history, while Volvo was the sensible one, knocking out perfectly square estates for perfect squares.
Saab's head was in the clouds, and Volvo thought inside the box. They complemented each other. But then General Motors came along to take Saab, and promptly misplaced its mojo; Saab went sensible too, but it couldn't do it as well as its neighbour.
Cut to the present and Saab is in absolutely dire straights, while Volvo is fitter than ever. And what's more, almost every Volvo these days is rakish, swoopy-sporty, even.
That's almost every one. There's still the S80. It might have seemed hip and thrusting back when the first one was launched in 1998, but this second one - launched in 2006 - looks very similar in 2011. Today, it's languishing near the bottom of the corporate ladder.
Above it, of course, are the BMW 5 Series, Mercedes E-Class and Audi A6; each extremely good executive saloons, but in slightly different ways - you pay your money, you take your choice.
But if you want to pay less money, the S80 really does have something to offer - and it's not just being cheaper than the Germans.
For a start, it's inconspicuous. That might be a negative for you, but when there are so many of the aforementioned German executive cars on the road, the Volvo is understated. It's attractive in a non-flashy sort of way.
The best thing about the S80, though - and the thing you'll notice within a mile of first driving it - is its refinement. The Swede's ride quality is exemplary, limo-like in its ability to iron out the road.
That's aided by one of the best driver seats in the business. It lacks the side support of some rivals' chairs, which can sometimes feel like they're squeezing their occupants for information, but it's soft and contoured perfectly. It's set slightly too high, but some armchairs are less comfy.
To Volvo's credit, the company hasn't tried too hard to make the S80 a sports saloon, even though there's a sport chassis option, so while that means it doesn't provide anywhere like the driver enjoyment that a BMW 5 Series can, it is a very stress-free ride to pilot.
For example, the steering is feather light and very direct, so it takes very little effort to get the car turning. Parking and low-speed manoeuvres take minimal effort, but try and drive with any sort of enthusiasm and the S80 leaves a lot to be desired.
Part of its dynamic shortcomings are down to its front-wheel drive layout, which gives rear passengers a bit of extra leg space, but makes it unique in the executive segment: all its rivals are rear-wheel drive, and it has nothing like their sense of handling balance.
However, the engine of the car we tested is a real highlight - so it's a shame it won't be sold here in the UAE. It's actually one of only a few things that have been tweaked in the S80 for the 2012 model year; the S80 had its major midlife facelift last year and these minimal changes seem to have been made largely to keep the car on the collective executive radar.
It's stuff like moving the indicators into the door mirrors, adding a couple of new wheel designs, changing the steering wheel design and the instrument panel slightly and fitting a couple of extra safety features as standard. It's the equivalent of turning up to work one day with the same old shirt and tie you always wear, but with a new pair of cufflinks.
Anyway, back to the engine. The D5 diesel is changed in a Eurocentric sort of way, with more power but significantly better fuel economy and emissions, meaning lower tax. In fact, the 212hp unit is, on paper, more impressive than anything the Germans are doing in terms of power-economy ratio. With 4.9L/100km combined, it's a fat cat running on skimmed milk.
It's quick, too, and because it has five cylinders it sounds more raucous than an average diesel. Enough of that though - the petrols are the important engines in the UAE, and they stay the same, with the punchy 304hp T6 spearheading the range.
But, again, speed is not what this car does best - comfort is, by a long way. In fact, the S80 is so comfortable and its cabin so simple and intuitive that it's difficult to muster up any sort of enthusiasm for it; people get excited about speed and loudness, not sober functionality. Who ever shouted on about their awesome new shelving unit?
Yes, the S80 still has the trademark "floating" centre console that seemed sensational in 2004, but today it has lost its novelty value. The buttons are big and easy to decipher and it all seems very high quality, but it's so straight-laced that it makes the Audi A6's cabin seem like a party of postmodern design.
But that's the point - it's easy to use, no nonsense. The S80 is arguably the last bastion of old school, conservative Volvo, especially now that the S60 has gone all sporty looking.
It's exactly the sort of safe, unassuming and high-value car that Volvo used to be famous for. It's quiet and soothing. You can sit in it for hours then get out feeling like you've had a massage.
Let's hope Volvo sticks with what it's good at when the next one comes along because it doesn't want to go down the same road as Saab.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
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Sun jukebox
Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.
Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Rashid & Rajab
Director: Mohammed Saeed Harib
Stars: Shadi Alfons, Marwan Abdullah, Doaa Mostafa Ragab
Two stars out of five
Fifa Club World Cup:
When: December 6-16
Where: Games to take place at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi and Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain
Defending champions: Real Madrid
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 502hp at 7,600rpm
Torque: 637Nm at 5,150rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: from Dh317,671
On sale: now
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Canada
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
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The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
