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SMOGEN, Sweden — Minimalism dances nicely with luxury here, a former fishing village turned into a seaside resort on Sweden’s west coast.

Many humble homes of yesteryear have been replaced by more upscale dwellings. But, like their predecessors, the new properties are unencumbered by excess. They blend with the environment rather than dominate it.

Onetime fishermen’s cottages along the village’s long wooden wharf have been converted to tourist shops, restaurants and bars. But there is nothing offensive about them — mostly tiny, brightly colored single-gable structures. They are appealing in transformation — utilitarian, charming reminders of their region’s history.

Most people come here to enjoy the beauty of Scandinavian summer, that joyous season of sunlight, now ever so gently yielding to autumnal colors and the eventual darkness of winter.

I came to better understand the design ethos of Volvo Car Corp., the automotive paragon of Scandinavian luxury, which aims to give you everything without giving you anything that isn’t needed, a philosophy amply reflected in this week’s test car, the 2007 Volvo S80 sedan.

Volvo executives contend that the S80, introduced in 1998, is “all new” for 2007. But it is a claim that invites argument.

Externally, the new S80, Volvo’s flagship sedan, looks very much like the predecessor model, which was a recantation of the company’s previous design philosophy of automotive celibacy.

Volvo back then jettisoned the tanklike, square bodies of its cars in favor of something sinewy, more sensuous. In the process, the company disappointed many traditional Volvo buyers. But the change attracted new customers. It was a winner.

Now, having established a new design language and having discovered in that enterprise that sex sells, Volvo is determined to prove that safe sex, sensibly and elegantly packaged, sells even better.

Step inside the new S80. There is a natural consistency to its interior. The rich grain of the vinyl instrument panel flows into the fine wood-veneer inlays in the all-wheel-drive V-8 model and blends easily with the brushed-aluminum inserts in the front-wheel-drive, in-line six-cylinder version of the car. A waterfall console runs from the center of the instrument panel to the floor, joining the two in an appealing visual union.

All interior materials in both the V-8 and the six-cylinder cars are first-rate, and that, thankfully, includes supple, perforated (and thus breathable) leather-covered seats. Everything is there. Nothing is wasted. All dials and controls, including the navigational screen controls behind the steering wheel, are where they are supposed to be.

Volvo’s cars are not driver-centric. That is a design decision in keeping with the Scandinavian devotion to the notion of commonweal, in which there is an attempt to care for everyone, treat everyone equally. I tested that theory as driver and passenger in both cars. And I did so with a pain in my lower back, the legacy of falling asleep in an odd position on the flight to Sweden from Virginia.

The front and rear passenger seats were so comfortable that I wanted to come back to the United States in the protective cocoon of an S80 sedan instead of the seat of an Airbus or Boeing jet.

But not everyone will like the new S80. It is not a “me” car, not a flash-mobile. The model equipped with the 311-horsepower V-8 will satisfy most people who believe luxury needs more cylinders and oomph. But it will do little to please those people who view luxury as carte blanche to blow everyone else off the road by going from zero to 60 mph in five seconds or less. The V-8 car, powered by a Japanese-designed Yamaha engine, covers that distance in 6.5 seconds, which is frightfully close to seven seconds by the standards of most speed freaks.

The six-cylinder car, powered by an economically and ecologically sensible engine provided by Ford Motor Co., Volvo’s parent company, moves at a seconds-slower pace.

But if you don’t live by a stopwatch, and if you find value in safe, comfortable, thoughtful premium automotive design, you will be more than pleased with the new S80, and so will your fellow travelers.

Nuts & Bolts
2007 Volvo S80

Complaints: There was some engine downshifting in the six-cylinder car on hill climbs. But it was nothing terribly bothersome, and nothing at all that could be considered dangerous on a highway run.

Ride, acceleration and handling: Excellent in all three categories in the V-8. Ride and handling were excellent, and acceleration was very good in the six-cylinder car.

Head-turning quotient: The look is unmistakably Volvo, and that is a good thing for product identity. But the hood has been bubbled up to reduce the chance of pedestrian injury or death in the event of the car hitting a person, and the rear lights have been modified to reduce the chance of rear-end collision. The car has a wider, more rounded stance than its predecessor.

Body style/layout: Full-size luxury sedan with a V-8 or in-line six-cylinder engine.

Technical highlights: Safety advances include Volvo’s patented Blind Side Information System (BLIS), a camera-operated device that provides a visual warning of vehicles approaching in hard-to-see spots; a radar-operated pre-collision warning device that audibly and visually alerts the driver of a too-rapid approach to a vehicle in front; and enhanced side-impact air bags, included as standard equipment, that better protect the torso and head.

Engines and transmissions: A 4.4-liter, 32-valve V-8 that develops 311 horsepower at 5,850 revolutions per minute and 325 foot-pounds of torque at 3,900 rpm, and a 3.2-liter, in-line six-cylinder engine that develops 232 horsepower at 6,300 rpm and 236 foot-pounds of torque at 3,500 rpm. Both engines are mated to six-speed automatic transmissions that also can be shifted manually.

Seating: The S80 has seating for five people.

Mileage: Preliminary highway mileage estimates include 26 miles per gallon for the V-8 and 28 miles per gallon for the six-cylinder car.

Safety: Enhanced side air bags, traction and stability control, whiplash protection system. Also, BLIS and pre-collision warning.

Price: The new S80 goes on sale in the United States on Feb. 1. Base prices are expected to range from $39,000 to $49,000, according to Volvo executives in Sweden.

Purse-strings note: If, in fact, the new S80 is sold in the suggested price range, it’s a buy — easily one of the best available for a full-size luxury sedan.