T5
As had been previously achieved with the 850 series, the S70 continued Volvo's exploration of its high-performance five-cylinder FWD high-pressure turbocharged model's, known commonly as the "T5". Volvo's initial ethos of the T5 was to produce an engine that would give serious performance when needed while also giving unparalleled reliability and solidness from a high powered turbocharged engine(Volvos' T5 units are amongst the only performance turbocharged engine, capable of exceeding the 250000 mile mark, without being rebuilt, if regularly serviced). A new larger Mitsubishi 16T turbocharger was incorporated into the new design, giving an adequate power improvement to the 850 engine. There were two engine options available: the ultra rare 2-litre B5204T3 (originally only produced for the Italian market for tax purposes) producing 230 hp (172 kW) and the 2.3-litre B5234T3 producing 240 hp (179 kW). Aside from top end speed, due to the difference in bore and torque, both offered practically identical performance with the manual version of the B5234T3 S70 capable of accelerating to 60 mph (97 km/h) in just under 6 seconds and with a maximum speed of 155 mph (249 km/h).
At the time of its release, the S70 T5 was one of the fastest accelerating production saloon cars in the world, and despite its boxy,understated appearance, it had a distinct advantage over the 4x4 performance cars of the same era such as the Mitsubishi Evolution and Subaru WRX in mid-high range speed. This led to the UK Police Traffic Corps exclusively using the S/V70 T5 models for high speed pursuits where standard issue cars would not be as equipped.
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