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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  Bad XC90 experience, bought Toyota - 2005 Volvo XC90
  By Mark - October 24 - 10:23 am

  The Volvo dealer would not even buy our fully loaded 2005 XC90 T6, that is what a piece of junk the XC90s are and Volvo knows it! We have 6 cars including Ferraris and Hondas. Volvo buyer beware, the only thing good about the XC90 is the ride quality. However ride quality does not matter when the driveshaft fails(twice), the shock strut fails(twice), tires wore out(20k miles), and the left axel seal failed, stranding us on the freeway. Not to mention little things like the defroster failed and the seat heaters mysteriously turn on. Then there are the interior ergonometric issues - try taking a family to McDonalds, there is no place to put stuff. We sold it and bought a Toyota Sequoia

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  XC90 T8 plagued with problems - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By Ramsay Battin - October 20 - 5:13 pm

  We bought our $84k TX90T8 about a year ago and its been nothing but problems. Weve had it in the shop twice for a total of 30 days to fix problems with the hybrid system. Message from car was "Hybrid System Failure, take to dealer immediately". Both times we were out of town. In the first instance, we ran out of gas before we could get it to the dealer and the car wouldnt restart. Had to get it towed to the dealer. The second time we had enough gas to get it to the dealer fortunately. We also had issues with the "Park Assist" where it intermittently would shut off. Our dealer finally determined that one of the sensors was broken and they replaced it. Another time, my wife was driving it down the highway with the kids in the car when it suddenly lost all power. Thankfully she was able to get it to the curb safely. She called the dealer whos advice was to "turn the car off and then turn it back on". She did so and it worked - but the whole situation did not engender confidence in the car. Not been a great experience thus far and were only a year into it!

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  Volvo for Life...NOT ANYMORE! - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By Jason L - July 27 - 11:07 am

  After owning 5 Volvos before this one, we were Volvo for Life! This car looks great....with that said, thats about it. DONT BUY THIS CAR. Got ours new June and it has been in the shop almost half the time. TONS of false promises from Volvo and the dealer about fixing it. Pretty sure they are ALL lemons and we are about to start the Lemon law process with our dealer. For the record Volvo has had to buy back tons of them already! So many issues I dont know where to start. Volvo knows there are so many problems, but refuse to do anything about them. They are trying to come up with fixes on the fly. That was exactly what the dealer told me. The Turbo on the 4 cylinder is a joke and it sounds like a jet engine from inside the car and nothing can be done about it. The tablet that controls EVERYTHING, is the devil! Never works, freezes up, goes off for no reason and on and on and on. Doors locks dont work, foot activated tailgate doesnt work, I can continue! VOLVO YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF! If you are considering this car, look at the new Acura MDX, or the Audi Q7.

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  bucket of bolts - 1998 Volvo V70
  By tom - July 17 - 6:16 am

  we have carefully serviced this car from the start. while it is reliable (starts every time) its fit and finish from the very first day showed a lack of workmanship and good design. It is very costly to replace ordinary parts such as oxygen sensors, mufflers and pipes and to repair interior problems like interior lights, shoddy plastic interior molding, etc. I will not buy another Volvo.

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  Standard suspension is WAY TOO HARSH! - 2017 Volvo XC90
  By BCWatty - July 3 - 5:31 pm

  Make sure you can live with the suspension, I could not deal with how harsh the ride was and traded the car after 8 months and 14K miles. You know how some cars are better than the sum of its individual parts (VW GTI, for instance)? This car has all the right parts, but, the vehicle made me feel like a beta tester - the computer which controls everything is too slooooooow - a trip for service had the software updated, but the computer got slower, not faster. Too much intervention with touch screen required to perform the simplest functions, and it is slow to react. The sensors go off randomly which flabbergasted me with trying to get them to just shut up! The rear seat belts constantly rattle against hard plastic, which drove me crazy, too. The dealership experience is not up to the standards of its peers, either. The design of the car is beautiful, but it just needs more refinement to be competitive. It is my fault I did not pay enough attention to the suspension during my test drive - my other car is a Ford Mustang, which has a much smoother ride experience. Either pay for the upgraded suspension, or know it will try to beat you to death with the standard suspension. I had such high hopes and am disappointed the car failed to meet my expectations.

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  Why did I buy this car? - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By Terry - July 1 - 10:42 pm

  Update: Still hate my car, cant wait to get rid of it. Waiting for the 2018 BMW x5 to come out..... Have now had 3 app upgrade. Had no choice, my nav system stopped working. Have 12,000 miles and squeaky brakes and Im told I need new brake pads, really! It is just so hard to even figure out how to properly play the radio system. Ive had my car a year and I still cant figure it out. Had 3 recalls also. When they do take my car in for repair it takes them days, days. Just last week they had it 3 days. Should never of gotten this suv. I am not happy at all. Oh it looks great and thats what I fell for. But is not worth the $66,000 I paid for it. DONT BUY this you will be sorry..... I am

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  1st and last volvo - 2001 Volvo S60
  By rrh - June 3 - 4:40 am

  Bought this s60 for looks, quality, safety record and name. Very bad decision..i have been replacing bulbs since i bought the car...any dealer service fee is outrageous..cant find anyone that wants to work on the thing..."limp home" throttle body experience was maddening and very dangerous..fuel pump o-ring seal is a terrible design..gas fumes inside the passenger compartment..i am now having a really crazy electrical problem..drive the car, shut it off and come back a few hours later to a totally drained battery..nothing left on..no evidence of what the problem might be...just a dead battery... really cant explain why i still own this car..absolutely the least reliable car have ever owned.

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  Very Unreliable + Expensive to Maintain - 2001 Volvo S60
  By David - May 16 - 6:46 pm

  This is the worst car Ive ever owned without question of the six total. It has expensive issues constantly popping up and has terrible rattles. I will never ever consider buying another Volvo. I cant wait to get rid of it. What a total disaster it has been. I regret the day I bought it. I dont normally complain about things, but they earned my scorn.

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  Avoid this Car! - 1999 Volvo S80
  By Burnt once.... - May 4 - 10:00 am

  I had trouble with this car from the moment I drove it off the lot. Selling dealer was coy, and made no mention of the poor reliability of this car, even when presented with poor reviews. Ive had it towed three times. Warning lights blink on and off. Ive replaced more bulbs in that car than in all my previous cars combined. I wouldnt buy another Volvo if it were half price.

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  Test Drive of XC90 - 2003 Volvo XC90
  By MikeNLPD-9 - April 27 - 2:00 am

  The car some what tight inside