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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  Buyer Beware!!! - 2002 Volvo V70
  By Tim - September 26 - 10:16 pm

  We bought this car with 32k miles on it in 2004. We bought a certified pre- owned Volvo which extended the warranty to 100,000 miles. It cost $1,500 extra (at least thats what the dealer said). Im glad that we got the extended warranty because we needed it approximately 12-15 times in 3 years of ownership for major repairs. Ive never had so many problems with any car that Ive ever owned. Most of the problems were related to vaious sensors on the car and the car went into sort of a limp mode on 2 or 3 occasions which reallty caused a lot of worry about getting stranded on the side of the road. We got rid of it and bought a new Toyota Sienna. Volvo is by far the worst car Ive ever owned.

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  Great Vehicle - 2016 Volvo XC60
  By Shaneel Sharma - September 25 - 8:41 pm

  Great car with a lot of features. The 6cyl turbo has awesome power and gets this up and going quick, unfortunately they replaced it an eco engine for the newer models.

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  happy with my v40 - 2001 Volvo V40
  By budsun - September 23 - 10:00 am

  Bought the v40 w/30K last year and I have been happy w/it since. Ive had only 1 major problem since I owned it but it was covered by the warrenty (steering). The prev. owner had replaced the rear rotors (again..warrenty item)IMO, The v40 has good initial acceleration due the minimal turbo lag and the ride quality is great. I wish the car came w/a strut tower and 15/16in rims because taking on windy roads can get a bit scary. Rear seat room is tight(made for kids), internal components break easily(cup holder, etc), and styling is a bit plain(I added roof rails, rear spoiler,& mud flaps). overall, I love the car

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  great used car - 1999 Volvo V70
  By Daddy of two - September 23 - 10:00 am

  We bought our wagon certified from the local dealer and are in love with it so far. Drives great, super comfortable, tons of room and the best seats in the industry. The safety reviews and dealer certification sealed the deal for us. We owned the car for 6 months including one long road trip and could not be happier.

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  A Luxury Overbuilt Mazda 3 - 2005 Volvo V50
  By JSapp - September 23 - 10:00 am

  It has the most solid feel of all the wagons in its price range with amzingly rigid chassis. Very good sound insulation and a fairly relaxed highway cruiser. 2.4 CYl 5 has adequate power and has a feel of a small straight 6 with a pleasant growl. 5sp is light but a bit vauge. Optional Sport package is an improvement over the soft but competent base suspension but still not overly sporty with definte understeer detracting from high levels of grip. Seats are typically comfortable Volvo. Materials are of high quality. Seating has adequate room and caro room is good for a small wagon. Saftey features best in class.

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  V40 No more Volvos for me - 2000 Volvo V40
  By V40 Owner - September 23 - 7:00 am

  This vehicle has given me fits pretty soon after I bought it used. First malfunction was a front left coil spring broke and ruined a brand new snow tire. A year and a half later left rear coil spring broke. Just replaced my second ignition coil last week after engine ran very rough and check engine light came on. Also had to replace an acceleration sensor (cant remember the technical name for it) that was a $200.00 sensor. Pwr window buttons on the doors are all broken too. I expected better quality from a Volvo.

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  10 months into ownership - 2010 Volvo C70
  By doctom - September 23 - 6:16 am

  Quite a nice piece of work. It combines so many exceptional features. First off is the exterior design. Neatly sculpted and quite fashionable. Easy on the eyes and will draw a lot of envious stares whether the top is up or down. Most naturally I prefer the top down. Makes getting to and from work a delight and not a chore. While not the top dog in the horsepower race, it wont disappoint either. Particularly when you want to pass. It accomplishes that in convincing style. I have not to experienced the safety/crash features and hope I never do. Knowing that they are there is reassuring. Fuel economy is quite acceptable. Not having to use premium gas a real plus. I really like this car!

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  Scandinavian Delivery - 2008 Volvo XC90
  By bobliles - September 22 - 1:33 am

  We picked up the car at the Volvo delivery center in Goteberg, Sweden and drove to Oslo, Lillehammer, over the mountains to Balestrand, back through Sweden, Karlstad, Stockholm, Kalmar. Climbing the mountains was no effort for the V8 and was unaffected by the altitude. We drove 1700 miles in ten days. The only challenge was parking in an Oslo underground garage meant for the dimunitive European vehicles. Mileage for trip was 23.8 mpg which is excellent considering the mountain and in city driving. But minimum octane in Norway/Sweden was 95. Ive been a Honda/Acura owner for 30 years. Owned an MDX and test drove a new MDX recently. The Volvo XC90 is the ultimate.

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  2000 S40 Great Fun/long term - 2000 Volvo S40
  By Joe Nemastil - September 21 - 9:23 am

  There have been many "negative" remarks for this vehicle and model year, but maybe, as my vehicle was an OSD [oversears delivery], somewhat better build quality was initiated into it, I do not know. I never found any problems with my motor mounts. There were the electrical headlight "burnouts", but the TSB[tech servive bulletin] for this problem solved it. An A/C problem was fixed via another TSB. Converting the brake pads and rotors to semimetallic Mintex pads, and Power Slot rotors, reduced significantly the front dust, and greatly added to the OE fantastic stopping power of the EBD/ABS system. My S40 has been exceptionally reliable and dependable! Changed wipers to PIAA brand.

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  Great and Sporty (responsible) Car - 2001 Volvo S60
  By Chad - September 20 - 7:30 pm

  I test drove a Volvo S40 back in 2001, bought a Caddilac instead. I recently purchased an S60 T5 and dont know what I was thinking back in 2001. I really enjoy driving the S60 T5. Power is great, the most fun I have had driving a car.