| Manufacturer | Volvo Cars |
|---|---|
| Production | 1990–1998 produced 1,430,000 |
| Predecessor | Volvo 700 series |
| Successor | Volvo 850 Volvo S80 |
| Class | Mid-size luxury car Executive car |
| Layout | FR layout |
The Volvo 900 series is a range of mid-size car that were manufactured by Volvo Cars from 1990 to 1998. The 900 series was introduced in 1990 to replace the 700 series from which it derived.
The most visible differences between the 700 and the 900 series was the completely redesigned rear of the sedan models (late 700 estates and early 900 estates are visually identical.) The 960 was introduced in 1991 along with a new family of modular engines, and then was substantially revised for the 1995 model year, improving the handling. The range was first augmented and finally supplanted by the Volvo 850 in 1993, with the last of the 900s being sold in 1998. Some 900 series were built as chassis for ambulances and hearses after the main production run had been completed.
This series, ending with the 940, S90 and V90 were the last of the rear wheel drive cars from Volvo.
|
| Production | 1990–1998 |
|---|---|
| Assembly | Kalmar, Sweden (VKA) Torslanda, Sweden Ghent, Belgium Halifax, Canada (VHA) Samutprakarn, Thailand |
| Body style | 4-door saloon 5-door estate |
| Engine | 2.3 L 153 hp (114 kW) I4 (B234F) 2.3 L 162 hp (121 kW) I4 (B230FT) 2.3 L 114 hp (85 kW) I4 (B230F) 2.3 L 135 hp (101 kW) I4 (B230FK) (EU) |
| Transmission | 4-speed automatic 4-speed manual 5-speed manual |
| Wheelbase | 109.1 in (2,771 mm) |
| Length | Saloon: 191.7 in (4,869 mm) Estate: 191.7 in (4,869 mm) |
| Width | 69.3 in (1,760 mm) |
| Height | Saloon: 55.5 in (1,410 mm) Estate: 56.5 in (1,435 mm) |
The Volvo 940 is among the last in the long-running line of large rear-wheel drive cars from Volvo.
Introduced in September 1990, the 940 was essentially a cosmetic reskin of the 740.[1] All drivetrains, and most options available in the 940 had been available in the 740, with the exception of the 780 Coupé. The 940 was more closely related to the 740 than the 760, sharing the same dashboard, drivetrain choices, and sheet metal from the A-pillar forward. In contrast, the 960 was an evolution of the 760. The 760 / 960 front sheet metal, independent rear suspension, dashboard, and other interior features were all exclusive to the two upscale models. The station wagon, introduced in May 1991, was even harder to tell apart from its 745 predecessor.
The engines remained largely the same as for the 740, with 2-litre and 2.3-litre four cylinder gasoline engines, either naturally aspirated or turbocharged, as well as the familiar 2.4-litre Volkswagen six-cylinder diesel and turbodiesels being fitted. There were also sixteen valve versions of the gasoline engines, with a turbocharged version of the 2.0 16V available in some markets with tight tax limits, such as Italy, Belgium, and Portugal. An interesting version added somewhat later was a low-pressure turbocharged version of the B230 – max power was only up slightly, from 131 to 135 PS (96 to 99 kW), but torque increased throughout the range and the car suffered from virtually no turbo lag because of the small size of the charger. The 155 PS (114 kW) turbocharged 2.0 was first presented in February 1991,[1] originally intended for Italy and other such markets it was later also installed in the British market 940 SE.
The SE badge was in fact one of the more confusing badges. In the US, the 940 SE was in fact a 960 Turbo with the four-cylinder B230FT engine, the 940 SE badge presumably chosen by Volvo in order to maintain the link between name and number of cylinders. In Sweden, the 940 SE was an ordinary non-turbo 940 with some optional extras as standard, most notably painted mirrors and bumpers. In the UK, the 940 SE was a 2-litre Turbo with some extras as standard aimed specifically at the company car market as 2-litre engines receive a tax benefit.
In the United States, the 1991 940 was offered in three versions: the 940GLE used a DOHC 16-valve version of the 2.3-litre engine with a 6,000 rpm redline. The 940 Turbo used a turbocharged 2.3-litre engine, and the top-end 940SE (turbo) included body-coloured trim, and the premium features (leather, power seats/moonroof, etc.) as standard equipment.
This is one of the Volvo vehicles that was produced at Volvo's former manufacturing facility in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In 1993, 940s built at that plant were affixed with roundels at the rear window, to celebrate the plant's 30th anniversary.
In 1991, the 940 GLE was downgraded with a 114 bhp 2.3-litre 4-cylinder engine and sold as the 940 GL (or basic 940 in some export markets). The 940 SE was in actuality a 960 Turbo sold as the 940 SE, while the 940 Turbo remained largely unchanged. Production of the 940 series ended on February 5, 1998.
| Production | 1990–1997 |
|---|---|
| Assembly | Kalmar, Sweden (VKA) Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Body style | 4-door saloon 5-door estate |
| Engine | 2.0 L B204E/F 16v I4 (1990–1993, "tax special") 2.0 L B204FT/GT 16v Turbo I4 (1990–1993, Italian and Portuguese markets) 2.3 L B230FT Turbo I4 (1990–1993) 2.5 L B6244/6254 I6 (1995–1998) 2.8 L B280E/F (PRV) V6 (1990–1991, certain markets) 2.9 L B6304 I6 (1990–1998) 2.4 L D24TIC Turbodiesel I6 (VW) (1990–1993) |
| Transmission | 5-speed manual (M90) 4-speed automatic (AW30-43) |
| Wheelbase | 109.1 in (2,771 mm) 115 in (2,921 mm) (executive) |
| Length | 5,020 mm (197.6 in) (executive) 191.7 in (4,869 mm) (1992–94 sedan) 191.8 in (4,872 mm) (1995–98 sedan) 189.3 in (4,808 mm) (1992–94 estate) 191.4 in (4,862 mm) (1995–98 estate) |
| Width | 69.3 in (1,760 mm) 68.9 in (1,750 mm) (1995–97 sedan) |
| Height | 55.5 in (1,410 mm) (sedan) 56.5 in (1,435 mm) (1992–94 estate) 57.6 in (1,463 mm) (1995–98 estate) 56.6 in (1,438 mm) (1995–98 sedan) |
Autumn of 1990 marked the launch of the Volvo 960 in time for the 1991 model year. This was the replacement for the 760. The 1991 960 was an evolutionary progression of the 1990 760, but it was also one of the first cars to feature the work of British designer Peter Horbury.
The most significant change was that, in most markets, the 960 was offered with an all-new aluminum 24-valve DOHC inline six-cylinder engine, often referred to as "white block" in the Volvo community due to its bare aluminum block. Max power was 204 PS (150 kW) at 6,000 rpm. Some markets, such as Australia and Japan, saw 1991 960s equipped with the same B280E/F V6 engine (145 PS/107 kW at 5,100 rpm) that had powered the 1990 760.[2] The 1992 model year saw the U.S. introduction of the DOHC inline six-cylinder engine. For the Italian and Portuguese markets, the 960 was available with the 16v 2-litre turbo (190/200 PS, 140/147 kW) from September 1990 until September 1993 along with the inline sixes. Certain markets also received the 2.3 litre turbo 'Redblock' four, with 165 PS (121 kW) and the Volkswagen built D24TIC with 116 or 122 PS (85 or 90 kW).[1]
The 960 received incremental changes for the 1992, 1993, and 1994 model years. Most visible were the new more shapely seats, and redesigned seat-belts with hydraulic pretensioners for 1992. 1993 saw a new more ergonomic shifter, and in 1994 dual front airbags were introduced in some markets. The opaque sunroof was replaced by a sliding sunshade and glass window. The US version of the 3-litre six was tuned for more torque and a less peaky power delivery, with 181 PS (133 kW) at 5,200 rpm and 270 N·m (199 lb·ft) at 4,100 rpm (as opposed to 267 N·m/197 lb·ft at 4,300 rpm for the rest of the world).[3]
For North America, the 1992–94 Volvo 960s were built in Kalmar, Sweden. The very first Volvo 960 for the US-market rolled off the assembly line on August 12, 1991 as a 1992 model. The 1995 to 1998 960s were built in Göteborg, Sweden. The first 1995 model year (facelift) 960 was built on June 27, 1994.
In 1994 for the 1995 model year, the 960 underwent a facelift. The most obvious changes were the more aerodynamic grille, and body-coloured panels.[3] A smaller 2.5 version of the six-cylinder (2,473 cc) was also added to the lineup, with 170 PS (125 kW) or 180 PS (132 kW) for the B6244FS version.
Only the modular six-cylinder engines were available from model year 1995 on. Underneath, the front suspension was completely retooled to more closely match that of the 850. Indeed, 1995 to 1998 model year 960s may use the same wheels as 1994 and newer front-wheel drive Volvo models, except for the S40, V40 and 400 series. The rear suspension received a completely redesigned multi-link independent system. Instead of conventional coil springs, Volvo used a single transverse fibreglass leaf spring. The 1995 wagon marked the first time ever that Volvo equipped one of its rear-wheel drive station wagons with an independent rear suspension. Boge's Nivomat self-levelling rear suspension system became an option rather than standard equipment.
Trim levels were GLT and SE for European markets.
From 1996, Volvo renamed the 960 in select markets as Volvo S90 (sedan) and Volvo V90 (wagon) to match the letter-and-number naming scheme now used on their other models. This rebranding applied to several European countries in late 1996, in North America from late 1996 for the 1997 model year, and in Australia from March 1997. The new name did not coincide with any notable changes, except for small layout changes and an improved air conditioning system.
Production of the 960 and its S90 and V90 derivatives ended on 5 February 1998.
All US cars were equipped with an electronically controlled Aisin AW-series automatic transmission. Beginning in the 1995 model year, European cars with the 2.5 L engines were also available with a manual transmission, the so-called M90, a strong new design that was derived from the Volvo 850's transmission. With the demise of the 2.5 L engine, the M90 was paired with a detuned version (180 PS/132 kW)of the 3.0 L engine.
These engines were offered in the 900 series vehicles over the years:
Volvo offered various transmissions depending on the year/model/engine combinations including the:
There were also different suspension combinations depending on the model chosen:
| Type | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | |
| Small family car | 544 | 66 | S40 | S40 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 340/360 | C30 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Volvo 440/460/480 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Large family car | Amazon / 120 / 130 | S60 | S60 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 140 | 240 | 850 | S70 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Luxury car | 740 | 940 | S80 | S80 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 164 | 760 | 960 | S90 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 260 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | P1800 | 1800S | 1800 E | 1800 ES | 242 GT | 240 Turbo | 850 R | S/V70 R | S60/V70 T5 | S60/V70 R | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coupé | 262C | 780 | C70 | C70 II | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Estate car | V40 | V50 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 145 | 240 | 850 | V70 | V70 | V70 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duett | 740 | 940 | V90 | V60 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Crossover | XC60 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| XC70 | XC70 | XC70 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| XC90 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||