Overview & Reviews

Swedish-born Volvo has long been a forerunner in safety research, and its vehicles have the crash test scores to prove it. These days, the brand has improved its offerings by crafting vehicles that also offer generous amounts of style and performance.

In Latin, the word "Volvo" means "I roll." Volvo cars have been rolling ever since 1927, when the first vehicle (nicknamed "Jakob") was produced in the city of Gothenburg. The company's founders, Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larsson, put an emphasis on safety, and that dictum still holds true today. The Jakob was joined by the six-cylinder PV651 in 1929, and by 1931, more than 10,000 Volvos had been produced.

Postwar, Volvo unveiled one of its biggest successes, the PV444. By the 1950s, Volvo had begun exporting cars to the U.S., and the PV444 — with its compact size and stylish looks — helped the manufacturer quickly make a name for itself in its new territory. The decade also saw Volvo building on its reputation for being a vanguard in the area of safety; it was the first manufacturer to make vehicles with a three-point safety belt.

The 1960s saw the launch of a new Volvo sports car, the P1800. The car's sculpted good looks helped earn it celebrity status when it was featured on the long-running TV series The Saint, with Roger Moore behind the wheel. Safety features grew more advanced during this decade and Volvo was again at the forefront of the action, offering features such as padded dashboards and energy-resistant crumple zones in front and rear.

Volvo distinguished itself as the exclusive home to a number of valuable new technologies during the 1970s. If you were looking for safety features such as childproof locks, collapsible steering columns and rear-facing child seats during this decade, you'd only find them in a Volvo.

Like BMWs and Saabs, Volvos became an American "yuppie" favorite during the 1980s. The company proved its technological know-how wasn't just limited to safety when it rolled out its first turbocharged car. By the end of the decade, Volvo had unveiled new models like the front-wheel-drive 480 hatchback (for Europe) and the Italian-designed 780 coupe.

In the early '90s, Volvo launched the 850. The car was Volvo's first front-wheel-drive executive car, and teamed performance with the company's trademark attention to safety. The decade also saw Volvo rolling out new models like the S40 and C70 — cars that updated the automaker's boxy image with a more rounded, sculpted aesthetic. The company became part of the Ford family when it was acquired by the automaker in 1998. Ford helped Volvo financially, while Volvo provided Ford with new safety technologies and car platforms. Due to Ford's financial troubles during the American recession, however, Ford sold Volvo to the Chinese automaker Geely in 2010.

It's unknown how Volvo's new owner will guide the brand long term, but chances are Volvo will continue to offer sedans, coupes and SUVs known for their combination of safety and driving excitement.

User Reviews:

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  Never Again... - 2001 Volvo S40
  By Car Owner - April 6 - 10:00 am

  Cant even begin to tell you how many problems Ive had. Bought at 91k miles, now at 100k. Within this time have had the tensioner, timing belt, motor mounts, alternator, brakes, spark plugs, coils, pressure valve, and some other hose replaced. Would love to buy a newer car, but cant get approved so I pay the costs to fix this POS. Dont buy this car. Has been in and out of the shop every month for the past six months. COstly to fix.

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  15 + Years A Volvo Owner - No More !! - 2003 Volvo XC90
  By Stephen J. Lalor - April 2 - 11:13 am

  Was true Volvo believer here for over 15 years but no more! I have always loved this brand and believed in but the XC 90 is the most unreliable, high maintenance auto I have ever owned. 60 k miles now, and am in need of (4th set of 4 tires)and front-end ball joints; heating and air conditioning system has never worked correctly (and they cant figure it out), passenger side front window has broken at least 4 times; wind shield wiper blades fly off car.... shall I continue? I just purchased a different brand SUV even though I have 3 months to go on my Volvo-KLUNKER lease! 2007 Buyers - beware and consider alternative, less expensive SUVs unless you enjoy visiting dealer service facilities.

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  Who Messed Up Volvo - 2000 Volvo S40
  By TSandd - March 8 - 12:36 am

  Boxey was Best. I have never been so angry at an inanimate object in my life! Bought in 2003.Tune ups $500, varous issues with brakes $800 and finally the head gasket blew and killed the engine.Bought an engine with 50,000 miles on it. 6 months later hose to coolant broke and temperture gauge did not register.Alas, another blown headgasket.Found this company on the internet that completely fixed it with a liquid for $165 bucks, awesome saved me $1200.Well, then the battery died, bought a new one, slow to start the 2nd day, almost impossible to crank and roll over the 3rd day!!! On the 4th day would not start, mecahnic has no clue what is wrong and cannot start it. I AM DONE WITH VOLVOs....

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  Beware of the Bills - 2004 Volvo XC70
  By NeverAgain - February 18 - 5:23 am

  The Xc-70 has been a very expensive car to repair with many part failures conveniently occurring right after warranty expiration. Dealer promised to cover but then reneged. Will never deal with Volvo again. Brakes on car are poor full replacement every 30K miles. Would expect more from the safest car in the world. Many other cars that are quieter, better mileage and overall more reliable than this. Deeply disgusted

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  Poor Reliabilit - 1998 Volvo V70
  By Joannea - February 10 - 10:00 am

  This Volvo is very poor in reliability.I cant begin to tell whats gone wrong with it. It just a piece of junk. One time, it was in the shop for six weeks,however, they did give me a loaner. I missed the California lemon law because I kept thinking this was the last problem Id have with it. I wrote Volvo and I got a reply stating what a wonderful car they built. My advice, do a lot of checking amd research before spending money on a Volvo; there are too many fine, reliable vehicles out there. My Volvo dealer has been outstanding and bent over backwards to help me and tocorrect the cars problems.

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  Safe but unreliable. - 2001 Volvo V70
  By sunny2 - January 26 - 10:30 am

  Bought this car new. It was a very comfortable car and drove smoothly for a couple of years. After 2 years and 13k miles, transmission problems arose. Transmission problem temporarily fixed with some software upgrades. However, at 56k miles, the car jolts between gears and it needs an entire new transmission. I have read this is a problem with this model. Volvo NA claims no responsibility and that the car is simply past warranty. The company hung up on me! Transmission failure has resulted in numerous other problems with engine mounts and suspension. This vehicle has serious mechanical problems. Beware.

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  What a lemon - 1999 Volvo S70
  By Disappointed - January 26 - 3:23 am

  This car was a problem from a month after I bought it. It wouldnt start. Back to dealership about 4 times on flatbed truck. Dealer was great. Car not. Then problem finally solved, and all sorts of little things went wrong. Antenna gear broke, drivers door hinge broke, trunk hinge broke, trunk lock broke, air bag stopped working, and a big thing, stalled on freeway. Never buy another Volvo. Im heartbroken.

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  Man, I hate this car - 2004 Volvo XC90
  By Heath Kinsland - January 6 - 10:16 am

  This was purchased as my wifes car but she got tired of it and is now driving my Tahoe and I am stuck (read upside down) in this thing. Rides great on the highway including good gas mileage but around town the turbo lag is just unacceptable. There is no storage inside in areas like the console and the stereo is not adaptable to adding bluetooth or XM/Sirius. Additionally, the controls for the stereo are not very intuitive making it difficult to operate. The rain-sensing wipers dont seem to follow any kind of consistent operating process. To many plastic pieces that seem to break and the cost of replacement parts are out of hand. $180 for a headlight bulb is completely crazy!

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  Poor quality for a Volvo - 1998 Volvo S70
  By pandabear1 - November 25 - 5:30 am

  This car has been a nightmare to maintain. Within the first few years I purchased it, I brought it back to the dealer every 2-3 months. Within 2 wks of driving it off the lot, I had multiple light bulbs on the panel, spark plugs, and AC components replaced. In the 8 yrs Ive owned it, Ive replaced the battery 4x, alternator 2x, headlights 2x, latch for hood, entire air conditioning system, front axels, shocks, power steering component, ABS sensor...all replaced. I go through tires like crazy, had to get the gas gauge fixed several times, the vinyl has bubbled off the doors, coating on buttons started peeling within months of owning it, all buttons have nail marks on them.

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  never buy this car - 2001 Volvo S40
  By volvohater - October 13 - 10:00 am

  Since we leased this car, it has been in the shop 47 DAYS! The check engine light keeps going on and off, there are many rattles in the headliner, and when the dealer tried to fix this, they caused a leak to start in the roof. The car even came with a defect, a bad turbo hose that caused the car to stall randomly. The front brakes and rotors needed replacement after 21000 miles, the rear brake pads much earlier than that. The sunroof leaked, the antenna broke, and the dealer never had the parts on hand to fix the car.