THE notice on the hotel wall was blunt and to the point: "The cold is just too cold for any outdoor activity I am afraid."

When the Lapps start complaining about the cold you know you've got trouble, writes David Duffy.

With temperatures in Lapland plunging to a record low this century of -51C, even the huskies were confined to barracks and trains and aircraft ground to a halt.

As a local television station demonstrated, warm water thrown into the air will freeze before it hits the ground.

So you need some faith in a luxury car to take it 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle to demonstrate its cold weather competence.

The ranks of Volvo S80s ably demonstrated the Swedish maker's unshakeable faith in the winter capabilities of its flagship and gives some clue why Ford decided to shell out almost £4 billion on the company.

With the cold so intense that the inside of your nose froze the second you walked outside, it is a tribute to the car that it started at all.

That its hi-tech traction control systems coped faultlessly with snow-covered roads and high-speed testing on a frozen lake, while managing to keep us warm and comfortable, is nothing short of remarkable.

Its awe-inspiring abilities in such extreme conditions instilled total confidence.

Volvo has built its reputation on safety and the new car pursues the theme, with a whiplash protection system, an inflatable curtain to give extra head protection in side impacts and a safer and easier-to-operate integrated telephone.

Now the six-cylinder version, which was launched in the UK last May, has been joined by a range of five-cylinder models, offering petrol and diesel power, with prices ranging from £22,930 to £36,230.

The S80 lines up against some of the world's most accomplished cars, including the Audi A6, BMW 5 series, Saab 9-5 and Mercedes-Benz E-class.

It competes well on price, style and space, but perhaps its biggest assets are the invisible strides in handling, which deliver rock-solid stability, safety and comfort.

Hurling the 1-tonne saloon through a slalom course set up on 3ft deep ice, the S80 did not put a wheel out of place.

The credit for such awe-inspiring surefootedness goes to the supremely rigid body structure and two active chassis systems, which help roadholding and help the driver maintain stability.

All Volvo S80 models come with so-called STC - stability traction control - an anti-spin system which automatically ensures that the drive wheels receive exactly the right amount of power to retain a firm grip on the road.

Six-cylinder T6 models are fitted with DSTC - dynamic stability and traction control - a system that automatically corrects a skid as it starts, by slowing one or more wheels.

Sensors compare the actual handling of the car with a pre-programmed ideal and can counteract and prevent a skid, even in a situation where the driver has already begun to lose control.

It can't work miracles, but could just make the difference between a scare and a serious smash.

A new electrical system, called Multiplex, handles communication between more than 20 computers using just two cables.

Known as data busses, one cable carries all the digitial signals in the cable at one time while the other cable provides the power.

As well as pushing forward its technology, Volvo is also keen to promote its green credentials and has produced an "environmental declaration" for the S80, covering all aspects of the car's life from manufacturer to recycling.

Volvo is developing bi-fuel versions of the S80, offering the choice of compressed natural gas or liquid petroleum gas power.

To get around in the bitter Arctic cold you either need a car with the abilities of an S80 or cloven hooves and antlers.

There are more reindeer than people in Lapland.

I am not surprised...

Story date: Wednesday 10 February

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.