You have nicely explained some of the advantages of RWD for high performance cars. I would also add less understeer (better cornering), no torque steer (drive an S80 T6 and you'll know what I mean), ability to have a longer wheel base (better ride), better off-the-line acceleration, and avoiding the potential hassles of CV joints. High performance auto makers like BMW, MB, and Lexus will never do away with RWD (contrary to what some previous posts would have you believe).

You also stated that:

"Volvo is not a performance car and most Volvo owners are not car enthusiasts--they don't even know their car is a turbo nor do they care about performance."

Although it's hard to make generalizations (some on this board truly know a lot about cars in general), I basically think that for the most part you have a good point. However, I believe that Volvo (and its owners) are undergoing an identity crisis. I recently attended the auto show, and it seemed to me that the Volvo display was not as well attended as I would have thought (although this is admittedly difficult to judge). Those who visited tended to fall roughly into 2 groups: People over the age of 60 or 70 who were bemoaning the direction that Volvo has taken, and then people under the age of 25-30 (maybe even under 20) who thought that the S40 and S60 were "cool." I guess the fact that Volvo is now offerring the S60 as a prize for the winner of College Jeopardy (the TV show) has some merits. Regarding the S80, it's obvious that Volvo had intended the T6 to be a performance luxury sedan, and it initially attracted some of the same consumers who otherwise would have bought a BMW, MB, or Lexus with the promise of performance, styling (albeit controversial tail lights), and slightly less cost. In my opinion, Volvo's mistake was to enter a highly competitive market with a car that simply didn't compete well with these other established makes. Now the word is out, and I think that most (not all) people who are interested in a BMW or MB won't give the S80 T6 serious consideration.

It's too bad, because the S80 had potential. But in my opinion it's going to be very hard for it to make up for lost ground at this point (if competing with BMW, Lexus, MB, or Audi is the goal).