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:

• 

  Great road trip car - 2003 Volvo V70
  By NJ V70 Owner - June 18 - 10:00 am

  Generally very happy with car. Superb seats, great ride and handling, very comfortable on trips. Both my wife and I have safely completed evasive maneuvers that would have been trouble in other vehicles. Better equipped and more comfortable than other cars in price range. Child booster seats are a great feature. Great gas mileage - approaching 30 mpg on trips. Comes at the expense of acceleration though, which is just adequate. Only major gripes are and engine courseness and reflection off light taupe dashboard. Resorted to polarized sunglasses. It doesnt bother my wife, however. Upside is that the light leather interior looks great.

• 

  dissapointed - 2004 Volvo XC90
  By Dale - June 17 - 4:40 pm

  I have owned my 2004 XC90 since 6/03 I have a few problems that were covered by warrenty but now the veh is in shop to have a new transmission put in. From what I understand I guess they have had few come back for this reason .........

• 

  Very happy - 2001 Volvo V40
  By Claude - June 14 - 6:10 pm

  When the price of gas when up crazy, I decided to trade my Nissan pathfinder. With two young kids 2 and 4 i needed some space! For the price of my Pathfnider LE 2000 I found this Volvo V40 2001... I just love it, With full leather interior, good space, great performance, I really dont miss my pathfinder. I just fell in love with Volvo. I would recommand this car to anyone. Reliability... only have the car for 4 months... So far So good

• 

  Not overly impressed - 2003 Volvo XC90
  By Wedge - June 12 - 2:00 am

  Bought my first Volvo instead of Lexus. Not overly impressed. I have had it in shop 5 times: Loud knocking from front wheel hubs. Foudn out after second complaint that hubs were not knocking when torque added or removed via gas pedal. Front windows a nightmare. Creaking and noisy over bumps. Customer service at dealer not good. They will call you incessantly for feedback then do NOTHING with it! Anyone else find the drivers seat not very comfortable?

• 

  Concerns - 2004 Volvo C70
  By John Hancock - June 12 - 2:00 am

  The car seems to have heavy shakes at 50MPH, especially in the morning when its cold. As it warms up shakes lighten up a little bit. Backing up with top up has a visual problem as there are no "portholes" in the canvas top and therefore visibility is blocked when backing up and trying to see, mostly to the right side approaching cars as well as blind spot just to see what is behind you. Electronic access to rear seat is slow and a pain, would be better to have manual seat backs that go forward.

• 

  Love/Hate relationship - 2000 Volvo S40
  By Berlyn - June 6 - 10:16 pm

  In 5 years of owning this care my ex and I have put over 2 grand into repairs, now I have another 3 grand to go. Engine mounts, strut cushions, bushings, sunroof, sway bar, breather box, and catalytic converter all need to be replaced. My front passenger door no longer opens from the outside, and like mentioned before the back door locks stick. The cup holder position makes no sense to me and one of the weather strips on the top of the car flew off while on the freeway and is 150 to replace. I love Volvo but theres something wrong with this car!

• 

  Great snow car, solid, fairly reliable - 2000 Volvo V70
  By Seattle Driver - June 3 - 10:36 am

  Bought my car about 4 months ago. Had an ABS issue which dealer replaced ($1,600), shortly after that, Catalytic converter went out ($1,300), havent fixed yet since it isnt a major issue. Car is GREAT in the snow, TONS of room, peppy, comfortable, etc. Would have liked some of these issues NOT to have happened but with the handling of the AWD in the snow, rain, etc., and the safety features, this car is great!

• 

  Big disappointment - 2002 Volvo V40
  By DJ_in_WA - May 29 - 10:00 am

  The car has been plagued with electrical problems the dealer has been unable to identify and correct. Random stalling and loss of power steering have made the vehicle unsafe to drive. The excellent overall design, spaciousness, and comfort features are overshadowed by the cars fundamental unreliability.

• 

  Fun to drive family car - 2005 Volvo V50
  By kermit - May 24 - 11:13 am

  We bought our V50 wagon because we had a baby on the way. It was by far the best looking in it class. Weve had some minor issues. The visor mirror lights stopped working, but the dealership fixed it without complaint. My biggest gripe has been that it goes through breaks and tires fast. The brakes needed replaced at 25k and the tires will need replaced before 40k. The car also has a tendency to look the saved seat settings. It can take or day or two to get it right again. Overall, the car has been great though. I would definitely buy one again.

• 

  Volvo XC90 - 2004 Volvo XC90
  By Chuck - May 22 - 4:33 pm

  Overall, were happy with our purchase of the Volvo XC90. Clearly, the safety features were our first draw to the vehicle but styling wasnt far behind. Reliability has been good so far, with only several little things popping up. Fuel economy has been OK, good when you compare to other crossovers. Its not sexy or fast. We didnt get options like a DVD player or upgrade the sound system, but after three years of ownership and one child, we wish we had. Overall, this has been a good car for us.