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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  Not Bad Once you get it set correctly - 1999 Volvo S80
  By Dolphin - August 28 - 10:00 am

  This is a luxury car. Quiet, huge interior space, and great luggage capacity. Volvo sure did upscale their product with this vehicle. Absolutely the BEST seats I have ever been in, excellent for extended trips. The ergonomics are fine. I had to install a new cable for the am radio, earth fault on the original, and I am getting a spurious ABS STC light message. Oh yes, the message display screen seems to have a dark section in the middle of the display. Sometimes cannot read this display at all if the sun is hitting the display.

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  Horrible Experience - 1999 Volvo S80
  By crode22 - August 26 - 5:03 am

  I purchased this car with 70,000 miles on it. I had it for 3 months when the power steering column broke that was 1k to fix, a few months later I have to get brakes fixed, this costs 1k for all four brakes. Now it is leaking oil and though I bought it for 15k two years ago I cant get more than 3k for a trade in. This car is fun to drive but not at all reliable.

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  Not a Volvo, A Mitsubishi - 2000 Volvo S40
  By wd - August 25 - 5:36 am

  Volvo made a critical error in marketing this Mitsubishi built car as a Volvo. It has really hurt their overall rep in the USA. While the car is decent and can last a good while if HEAVILY cared for (now at 135K and still running strong), it just does not have the build quality of a Swedish built sedan. Volvo if you learn anything from this experience, do NOT sell out again just to get market share...it hurts you in the long run. Volvo buyers are NOT simple minded and we know good products and bad products. The 2000-04 S40 is just a bad product (relative to what we expect)

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  Reliable for us - but not for many - 2002 Volvo S40
  By Matt - August 21 - 4:00 pm

  We bought a used 02 in early 06 with about 50k miles. It is now approaching 85k and we have had few problems. We had an oil leak for 1.5 years that the dealers could not fix, thought it was RMS but started cheap (RMS is $2k) fixed the Camshaft Seal ($300). That didnt fix it Finally an independent shop found it was the turbo return line, not uncommon and a $100 fix. Otherwise, we have had no real problems. The A/C occasionally blows hot air, something also not uncommon. In general, reliable for us, comfortable and fun to drive. However, shop just told us it was very rare to see this car with 7 years and 80k plus miles without a roulette of engine lights. So maybe we got a good one...

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  Just right SUV for family - 2011 Volvo XC90
  By philo4 - August 19 - 1:58 pm

  We had a minivan for a decade, so its time to change to something different. Looked for a 7 seats SUV and XC90 was our choice. I write this review after 6 months of driving. Its designe is old but still looks good. The engine is just adequate for 4700lbs vehicle, but not refined. The gas mileage is bad and its idling is rough. Volvo needs to improve its engine badly. The ride is ok for SUV but the seats are very comfy. I feel very secure with the XC90. Its not a fancy nor fast SUV but more like driving solid built vehicle.

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  Another Great Buy... - 2002 Volvo S60
  By an9reaw - August 19 - 10:13 am

  I was kind of sorry to see that so many people had S60 troubles. I bought my pre-owned 2002 S60 in 2007 @ 90,000K knowing very well that Id own it for years to come. Its nearly 2011 now and I still havent had anything unexpected. This is my second Volvo (first being a 1996 850) and its true they are extremely expensive to maintain, but I havent had unexpected issues, as Ive always gone to the Volvo deal for every single last part on the car/service. Things that needed replacement for were: + Fuel Filter + Muffler (I live in New England, they go quickly with rust) Other than that, the car is now at 170,000K and seems to be going well.

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  Great car but expensive repairs - 1996 Volvo 850
  By Geoff83 - August 19 - 10:00 am

  We bought our Volvo in 1997 with 20,000 miles, now its 2004 with 145,000 miles. In that time there have been no major problems. There have been some minor things that have had to be replaced, i.e. cup holders, lamps, reverse lights, sensors. But for a car with this many miles the problems arent that bad, in fact almost all occurred with less than 50,000 miles and havnt had to be fixed again. My one big problem with the car is the price of repairs. Parts are expensive and the Volvo dealer prices are extremely high. Got in an accident and they appraised for $600 but instead went to local mechanic and payed $50 for a new grill and that was it. But safety

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  Volvo XC60 T6 AWD - 2014 Volvo XC60
  By bullvo2 - August 15 - 1:43 am

  I have owned the XC60 for over 2 months -- 300 HP turbo 6-cyl, AWD model. It is super quick. The AWD worked beautifully in the snow. It handles very precisely, feels rock solid, and I like the ride quality. The car is very comfortable for tall people, with plenty of leg and head room even with the sunroof. Im 66" so finding a comfortable midsize car can be a challenge. I also liked the Acura RDX but found it was not as well set up for tall drivers.

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  Very Good Car - 2018 Volvo S60
  By Ted V - August 13 - 5:02 pm

  I am on my third S60 and have loved them all. My first S60 I owned and sold it in 2015 because my wife insisted on me driving a car with all the safety improvements. This brings me to one of the very few problems with the S60 and that is resale value. Like so many other cars nowadays my near perfect car with normal mileage was worth less than 50% on a trade. However the up to date safety features prevented me from two serious accidents so it was worth it. The car drives great. The comfort, quality feel, gas mileage and all the features work great. The only reason I ever go back to my dealer is for recommended maintenance. What I like about the S60 is I never feel bored driving it. I recently leased an end of year 2017 because the incentives to turn my 2015 in early were so sensational it made sense to do it. For the first time I got the Inscription model with the platinum trim. The extra legroom in the rear seat answered another issue with my two previous S60s. This is the best version I have had yet. The car now comes with an automatic shade for the rear window and manual shades for the two rear passengers. These are great to keep the kids cooler. This is a very good car.

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  OK but not good for $38000 - 2001 Volvo S80
  By johnbull - August 11 - 2:00 am

  51000mi replace rear shock not warr. sun roof raddles at 75mph to 80mph not warr door locks broke at 22000mi. This car has the worst AM radio reception I have ever had in a car with a factory installed radio, and the dealer will not fix it! Normal service is too expensive. Every 30000mi. it requires more than a Cadi does at 100000mi.