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Volvo celebrates 20 years of sleeper wagons with 850 T-5R and V60 Polestar

I must have been around Bar Mitzvah age when I was in the back of my parents' car on the highway as we passed a truck full of Volvo 850 T-5R wagons - half of them in black, half in banana yellow. It was one of the coolest things I'd ever seen: a whole gaggle of sleeper power wagons that were infinitely cooler than whatever minivan we were riding in. Hard to believe that was 20 years ago, but it was. And Polestar is understandably keen to mark the anniversary of the first overt Volvo performance wagon.
While Volvo's racing partner hasn't released some commemorative edition to celebrate that prototypical sleeper, it has shot a special batch of photos of the T-5R (based on the 850 wagon internally known as the 855 for its five doors) alongside its modern successor, the V60 Polestar. The images shot in Huntington Beach, CA, only go to show how much has changed in the two decades that separate them.
Whereas this front-drive T-5R packed a turbocharged inline-five driving 240 horsepower through a four-speed automatic propel the yellow box to 62 in 7.0 seconds, the turbo six in the svelter, Rebel Blue-clad 2015 V60 Polestar churns out 350 hp to all four wheels through a six-speed auto for a 4.9-second sprint. That's the kind of progress we can get behind. In fact, it's the sort of progress that everyone can get behind, really, because chances are whatever you're driving will probably have a hard time keeping up.

Volvo brings a whole new 2014 showroom for Geneva's approval

Sometimes it takes smaller automakers a bit longer than the industry average to rotate and freshen their product lineups. Volvo has taken a big swing for the 2014 model year in that regard, and has brought along a full product portfolio of new cars.
In the main, this means that the Swedish brand has fast-tracked facelifts for its already-attractive assemblage of sedans, wagons and crossovers. Volvo mainstays S60 and S80 have both gotten appearance modifications to freshen them for dealer lots, as well as added features inside the car. We're particularly happy to report that the spirited "60 cluster" models - S60, V60, XC60 - can now be had with optional paddle shifters on new, three-spoke steering wheels.
Below you'll find a whole bunch of image galleries of the revised Volvos, live and in person from the show floor in Geneva. For a bit more background on the Volvo updates, feel free to read our original announcement of the news or scroll down to catch the press release.

Volvo Concept Estate to spawn V90 luxury wagon, joining CUV and coupe

The Volvo Concept Estate garnered Autoblog's Editors' Choice award as our team's favorite reveal at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show earlier this month for its sleek take on Scandinavian design, and now it looks like we might actually see the sleek wagon in production. Volvo is reportedly considering using the concept as the basis for a replacement for the V70 wagon, dubbing the new model V90.
It's rumored to be part of the Swedish brand's plan to launch a new range of 90-series vehicles. In addition to the more luxury-oriented wagon, the family of models includes the XC90 that is expected to debut later this year. According to MotorAuthority, Volvo is also considering using the same version of its Scalable Product Architecture that underpins the crossover to create a range-topping S90 sedan to replace the S80. Assuming it's a success, a C90 coupe is even a possibility. All of these models would be outfitted with the company's Drive-E four-cylinder engine family, which includes hybrids and plug-in hybrids.
The Swedish automaker is also looking downmarket with help from owner Geely in China with replacement 40-series models. According to MotorAuthority, the duo's rumored small car platform will be used to create an updated V40 wagon, C40 hatchback (a C30 successor), as well as an XC40 compact crossover.