One of the only 80s vehicles you'll still see on the roads today.

I still consider the seats found in the old 240's to be some of the most comfortable ever made.

There's always charming about the old Swedish brick we know and love as the Volvo 240.

I own this very model of car (a 1982 Volvo 244GLT Turbo), except mine is white, has four doors, and is equipped with the hi-line trim package: leather seating, power windows, fog lamps, and a few other amenities. The car depicted is a base-line 242GLT Turbo. GLT cars were initially available with and without turbochargers, and would eventually be sold in three different body styles: two-door sedan, four-door sedan, and five-door wagon. With the oil-cooled Garrett T3 turbo, you get about 130 horsepower; naturally-aspirated cars were rated just under 100 horsepower. Fuel injection is provided by the Bosch K-Jet CIS, the same used on the PRV-V6 you'll find in any common or garden DeLorean DMC-12, just with two of its ports plugged for Volvo's 2.1 litre B21FT four cylinder engine. Mid-year 1984 models came equipped with an intercooler from the factory that boosted output to 160 horsepower. From 1983 intercoolers were available as kits from Volvo and could be retrofitted to any B21FT motor from 1981-1984, with only minor modifications and no sacrifice in fuel economy. Cars built between '81 and '82 equipped with the AW71 automatic required the rear axle be changed for a different gear ratio, plus a shift kit was installed for better performance. Volvo's first foray into turbocharging, production of the 240GLT Turbo ended in 1985. While the GLT Turbo wasn't the best of the turbocharged cars of its day, it was faster than the contemporary BMW 3- and 5-series cars in stock configuration, and was far less expensive than many other European cars of the time, with or without turbochargers. It also was descended from the 242GT of 1978-1980, which made a great impression in the handling department, but never had the muscle to match. The GLT Turbo may have been a mixed breed, but it could certainly hold its own. As compared with naturally-aspirated 240-series cars of similar vintage, it does a far better job of keeping up with modern traffic. The four-wheel disc brakes are more than adequate and are beefier than those found on the standard DL, with vented rotors up front. The 15-inch "Virgo" rims give you much better handling and road feel than the ordinary 14-inch steel rims fitted to other Volvos of the time, and the stiffer suspension components really do help to make the car agile when necessary. However, further stabilization would be needed for the really enthusiastic driver. And the almost complete lack of side bolsters makes the seats tricky in tight turns. Car and Driver, Road & Track, and many other magazines found a lot of good to say about the 240GLT Turbo when it was new, and there's still much to be said 35 years later. You won't win any races today, but it may still give you the satisfaction of driving something understated.

"10 minute tire change." People standing right next to the car during brake test. No acceleration data. Love it

"That means turbocharged"...got to love that!

'$13k, certainly not cheap' Oh inflation, the silly things you do to us

I'd buy this car right now. At least this thing has a soul compared to the plastic shitboxes that are pumped out today.

I love the look of those wheels, super caught my eye when I was a kid

I loved 240s. So unapologetically dowdy.

I love watching these older Motorweeks. John Davis is so much more relaxed, and more at ease with his presentation these days vs. the early days.. Been following Motorweek since the beginning.

I bought a car exactly like this for 6k in 1990. Keeping the rpms up helped keep the turbo lag at bay. It was a great car at the time and I enjoyed every mile. Now that I think of it, the only problem I had was with the transmission mount. The rubber spacer had to be replaced. Sold it with over 200k miles. The original turbo still going strong.

Theses Volvos look better than the new ones.

a car that lasts 25 years with regular maintenance

My family has had several of the 2 Series dating from 76-90. They are sturdy, reliable and safe vehicles. Not a looker like the 7 series but not too shabby!

That is a tank!!! What every teenage girl needs as her first car, actually happened to a girl in my school back in the 90s, she wrecked her coupe and her parents bought her one of these tanks.

Love these cars so much. I used to have an 84 2 door turbo in brown. Wish I still had it.

And they are still very much alive and driving on the roads today! That's almost 40 years!!

This guy still does great reviews on tv in his later years.

I love those old bricks. 242 is top 5 car I'd love to own.

Love this! So many memories: early 80's performance cars, discovering Motorweek in my teens (and demanding to be home for it, pre VCR era), Volvo's being flying boxes. Thanks!

So it looks like 127hp for the non intercooled 2.1 Turbo in 82 but apparently you could get a factory intercooler installed to boost output to 157hp (I think) 2850lbs is pretty good and my favorite part, it came with 4-piston front 2-piston rear calipers! nice!

Love these old Volvos! Do you happen to have any other 80's Volvo reviews? I had a 1985 Volvo 240DL sedan. Wonderful car. Safe, comfortable, built like a tank, and insanely dependable.

A car that looked like used when it was new.

EPA mileage: 18 city, 28 highway. Not too shabby for a car from 1982.

This thing was quite space age with those electric mirrors. 😅

I love these older videos with the extended endings. It’s funny to watch how they go from an IROC-Z drag racing another car to the Eagle Wagon just creeping. :)

70-90's volvos really are a thing of beauty, I have many fond memories of them as my family was flooded with them for many years. I've been thinking of buying a nice 240 or 740 turbo as a nice Sunday driver would also be very comfy for long road trips

Oh my god.. This was the car i learned how to drive stick in at the age of 10😁😄 Only my pop's was an 83 and jet black/tan leather. Loved that unreliable old brick.. Even had a distinct smell in the interior that i can still remember today.

Awesome. Wish you guys had done a 0-60mph test since you said it had good pull below 40mph.

Loving these retro reviews.

Back when theses were the best cars... Time is a crime.😀

total tank. great safety record.

I still have one because i like this car and I drive it everyday.

I miss the boxy era of Volvos. That said, the 240 really overstayed its welcome. My parents owned a 1992 240 wagon into the early 2000's and its 1970's roots were very obvious. Still, that wagon was HUGE inside (larger than the XC70 they also owned) and had a lot of personality.

Some IPD springs and sway bars are what you need to turn into a true sports sedan.

An intercooler and a little boost and its a wonderful car.

My first car was a Volvo, we have owned LOTS Volvo For Life!

Got a 91 superpolar.... Enjoying it as much as my jaguar xjl 5.0 and xk convertible.

I've driven 2 740 turbos and those were some really fast cars. They were still old at the time. They surely would beat a V-8!

I've been waiting for this review =)

My parents had a 1980 DL 2 door in that same color. It also had the 4+overdrive manual transmission.

The radio seems like an afterthought, as if the design engineers forgot it and added it last minute. Epic fail even for 1982.

I have that exact car, I love it! Wish they still made them like that, modern cars are so bloated and unimaginative.

What a flashback. I had one of these and drove it for ~ 10 years.

I'm glad the volvo still on highway

My first car 28 years ago, I still miss it 😢

There's something very cool about these years of Volvo's, they take any engine you wanna put into it. And has a pretty comfortable interior.

After being a 1986 240 GL wagon owner, I can say, incredibly easy to maintain! Would buy any Volvo older than 1993!

Awesome! Thanks Motorweek, I am really glad to finally see a redblock Volvo retro review!! Any archives on the 740 or 940?

Finally. This makes me so happy. FINALY!

back when the days were good

I had one just like this one, same color, everything. Best (and safest) damn car I ever owned.

My father had one exactly like that when i was 16, we took it to a friend who was an engineer and mechanic and we rise boost and make some performance upgrades without telling dad. One morning we were having breakfast and he told us in a very serious way. "Men with God as my witness, that Volvo is running faster every day". My brother and i crack up at the same time but we never told him.

LOL at the squeaking brakes. My dad's 1982 Volvo DL did the same!

The metal on these cars is crazy the rustproofing is top notch.

I clearly came here for the old turbobrick lovin. But I have to point out during the opening credits, THAT LINCOLN nose-diving under braking... OMG!

Such a beauty.

My son just bought a 2020 Volvo V60 Cross Country with a 2.0 LTD turbo four and 250 hp that does 0-60 in 6.3 sec...times have changed.

Such a soulful vehicle!

I wish my parents still had theirs I'd love to have it right now.

We owned a string of 240s in the early 80s, the last a gold 83 244GLT. We got a SAAB 900 turbo which was like driving an airplane vs. a tractor. That's when we really discovered turbo therapy. But I love how Volvo of that era figured out what they were good at and just did it unapologetically.

You could replace the timing belt in about 5 minutes on these cars.

Imagine if you put modern performance tires and brakes on one of these antiques, I believe performance would be improved a lot!

Could you upload the 760/740 Turbo Please!

I wish Volvo goes back to their old school soul

I would happiuly drive one of these right now. Make it a wagon, though.

Haha, this is awesome! I'd love me some 240 Turbo!!

Most comfortable seats I've ever experienced

Those where the days, I really like the America front as we used to call it in Sweden.

that car is greatly featured in the movie spun what a cool banger

The Volvo wasn't particularly impressive until the intercooled versions came out. I remember adjusting the waste gate on an 85' 740 turbo to 14 psi for my customer and it was impressive.

There's a guy in my town that, when he decided he wanted more punch in his Volvo, pulled the Turbo-4 & transmission, then installed a 302 that's backed up by a 5-speed, out of a Fox-body Mustang GT. He said he loves the look on the faces of people when he pulls up next to them at a stoplight. The only "tell" that it's not a regular Volvo is if you look at the rear of the car, where you'd see two tailpipes sticking out that have the Mustang GT-style angle cut on the tips. Has anyone else heard of people doing this conversion?

242 GLT is up for some good value these days.

I had a 85 Volvo 740 I think. I can't remember. I wish I'd of kept it. It came from a Navy base in Hawaii. It need slot of work, and I was too young to know what I know now about cars.

From factory the Garrett turbo only put out 6.5psi. But boost pressure is easy to increase (Tho going beyone 11 might twist the gearbox into scrap). Also the 3.73:1 gearing was a bit tall. Fortunately diff ratios as short as 4.30:1 were avaliable over the years and are relatively easy to change. :-D I still love my brick

May you provide a retro review of the Mitsubishi Galant Sigma? I've seen one on the road a few weeks ago and couldn't find any decent reviews of one.

Best car ever made.

Did MotorWeek ever cover the introduction of Volvo's Intercooler Boost System (IBS) on the 240 GLT Turbo in 1984.5? I would love to see that tape if it has survived. Wide coverage in the motoring press was afforded this unique upgrade to the B21FT motor, so it would seem likely to have been featured in a subsequent road test. Thank you!

A very clean running car it was too! Meaning, it didn't pollute very much.

Volvo - They're Boxy, But They're Good! (and yes, I had an 4 different 240 Turbos)

I had an 83 Turbo wagon with a 4 speed automatic (I was told it was actually a Toyota transmission). I can tell you I surprised a lot of cars of that era at the stoplight :-) Seemed a lot faster than 0-60 in 10 seconds... but I had a non turbo 81 with the 4 speed/OD before the Turbo automatic. It was impossible to speed shift the manual transmission. I actually pulled the knob off the shifter once trying to do that... LOL

“Supermarket shopping” Something Mr Burns would say

Would love to see what you thought about the Saab 900 and 9000. Or better yet: my first car. Which is the Toyota Celica ST162.

Great radio placement. Haha

i always liked this car my buddy had a 80 GT

The Volvo brick is one of the toughest cars of all time. The way I see it, they rank like this: 1. 70s or 80s Benz with a diesel engine 2. Ford Crown Vic 3. Volvo brick

Editing on the intro, the switch to tire rack, could be redone. It sounds kind of strange right now.

Had me an 84-6? intercooled wagon back in the day.... bought it for $500 bucks, turned the boost turned up a few PSI and I was in sleeper heaven... Loved that car and am sad I ever sold it. My GF back then had a 242 non turbo and that car quite literally saved her life... Head on with a Chevy 2500 doing about 40-50 mph....Not unharmed but certainly not dead. I would love to find a intercooled 242 but sadly the millennial's have deemed this car "super cool" and now they are way over priced. Great cars though.

+MotorWeek Do you have a review of a Chrysler Lebaron Convertible. I own a 1982 Chrysler Lebaron Convertible and would love to hear what you had to say about it.

I owned an '82 GLT back in the '90s and it was a great cars far as 240s go, but the wiring harness melted because of the heat from the turbocharger and I spent a lot of time reinsulating every wire in the harness in order to get the car running properly again. It also, like most Volvos, required very expensive maintenance from time to time and I fell out of love with the car in about a year. Regular non-turbo 240s would seem to last forever and would be worth the maintenance costs, but the turbo GLT had some inherent quirks that were just too costly to justify compared to other better performance cars.

It wasn't the intercooled turbo model which was released in 1983, with 30 hp more

Car and drivers ..... 240 turbo intercooler.... the missile !

The Volvo 240 are some awesome cars, they could be personalized to the owners touch,options

I remember this brand. Some Volvo dealer in San Juan, Puerto Rico during the 80s took a 240 GL and added another letter to this model was the 240 GLE and sale the same model by far more money. When the Swedish found about this all he'll broke loose and the rest is history.

Volvo is so different now than then. Unlike others, I wasn't a fan of the 200 series Volvos. The design was so old and tired by 1982 and it made Volvo seem like a backwards company. I mean, I had a 1972 164 and in 1982, Volvo had pretty much the same body on half their new cars. The 760, a rather nice and pretty luxurious car, if quite boxy, was out in 1982 and by comparison the 200 series looked really dated compared to it and cars from other European companies (although Saab had the old 99 out at the time as well). Yet, the 200 series went on until the early 90s. Volvo started to move truly upscale with the 1999 s80 and the first xc90. That was the end of the boxy Volvo era. I like today's Volvos way better than yesteryears. My intro to Volvo was the luxury Volvo of the day, the 6-cylinder 164. I always thought they had the talent to compete with Mercedes/BMW/Audi. Now they come close to competing with them and I think the current Volvos are more stylish than the current bunch of German premium cars.

I picked one of these up in the late 90's for a few grand. The trick to them was turning up the boost. There was a small screw on the wastegate and every four turns to the right added a pound. They made 8 psi stock but they could run 12 on pump gas with no detonation. With that simple trick they gained 30-40 hp and could really scoot. I always hated the push button fifth gear though, it took 1-2 seconds to engage/disengage and you really needed it on the interstate.

my buddy had one of these. we called it the rolls Royce.

Volvo

The dash looks like it was made from legos.