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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  Sadly Engine Scrapped - 2007 Volvo XC90
  By Christine Farmer - August 11 - 1:56 am

  I loved this SUV so much I retained the previous owners name for her, Lucy. She was great the first 3 years I owned her. She rode well, was comfortable and I felt safe since I drive a lot of highway miles. She has approximately 142,000 miles on her now. Unfortunately, this year after a replacing the transmission and serpentine belt, for $3500, some strange noise began last week. I drove her straight to my mechanic. Heres what they told me: inspect locking pin after removal, if locking pin is broken after removal, the shaft has worn into the bearing position, engine must be scrapped". Sadly, I dumped $3500 into her now will hope to recoup at least some of that selling her parts.

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  Unrealistic Expectations - 2005 Volvo XC90
  By sean.rowesr - August 8 - 12:00 pm

  This is by far the most disappointing vehicle purchase I have made. The transmission has gone out three times in less than 70,000 miles. The radiator and multiple hoses had to be replaced and the maint department at the two Volvo dealerships my car has been towed to were rude and unprofessional. The service department actually told me that my car was poorly built and Id be better off buying a different vehicle. I was told by the manager that the XC90 is plagued with mechanical flaws and the gentleman that brought my car to me from the shop threw the keys on the counter and walked away without speaking. They didnt even give me a new transmission..they stripped one from a car on the lot!

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  Nice Car, Costs a small fortune to maint - 2003 Volvo XC90
  By Dennis - August 5 - 6:23 pm

  I have owned a lot of cars over the years, this one is buy far the most expensive to maintain. Im on my third set of tires with only 56,000 miles. The first two sets from the dealership got less than 20K each. The tires generally recommended are too light for this car. The third set was Michelins but they arent up to the task either. For my next set of tires Im going to try the GoodYear Assurance ComforTred tires. It took the service department about 3 years to finally fix the leak in my power steering. And the funny noise the front end suspension made every time I made a right turn. Now let me count how many suspension parts and brake pads Ive had to replace... The gas mileage sucks.

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  Look carefully - 1999 Volvo V70
  By ve744 - July 31 - 10:00 am

  Bad gas mileage, poor leather interior, poor paint job, many minor interior defects (window button sticks, interior lights do not go off when door is closed, etc.)

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  Keep the engine, ditch the car - 1998 Volvo V70
  By nancy c - July 30 - 1:10 pm

  The engine in this car has been pretty reliable. And the first five years of owning it were great. Since then its just been a money pit. The air conditioner has needed major repairs twice. There has seldom been a time when all four power windows functioned; fix one, another breaks. Same with the power locks. ABS very temperamental. Turns off for no reason. Now radio wont work. Inside trim on tailgate is falling off because the cheesy plastic tabs that hold it on broke. Too much money to fix. Every time it needs anything it seems like the bill is at least $1500. The 70,000 mile service was going to be close to $5000 so Im selling this car. Maybe a mechanic will buy it.

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  Poor reliability & expensive to maintain - 1997 Volvo 960
  By jll - July 28 - 10:00 am

  I gave up on trying to fix all the problems with this car and finally traded it in. The reliability is horrible, everything and anything broke. Sunroof stopped working, A/C broke on multiple occassions, keyless entry broke multiple times (too expensive to repair, I didnt bother to fix the last time), power steering fluid leaking, had to replace brake pads frequently. Random things would break off as well - cup holders, the door hinge for the gas cap, random pieces of plastic and rubber would fall on my head, the leather on the door panel is bubbling. It only had 62k miles on it, so I didnt drive it excessively either. I will never buy another Volvo!

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  Interior Falls Apart - 2000 Volvo C70
  By Glue Guy - July 24 - 10:06 am

  Fun to drive and safe, but mine is literally falling apart. Both door panels have fallen off and needed to be replaced at the price of 1000 per door, switches fail, the sunroof constantly has the glass peel away from the assembly, switches fail, the leather is peeling, switches fail. The car is tremendously well taken care of but the electronics and interior cabin build quality are horrendous.

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  Beautiful but very poor exterior quality & electro - 2018 Volvo XC90
  By Eric M - July 18 - 4:46 pm

  I put a standard Saris trunk mount bike rack on the car that I have used on 4 other vehicles to take the kidss bikes down to the beach. On the way, the bike rack fell and I pulled over to find that the body panel had RIPPED! (Yes, ripped). Turns out it is plastic - not metal. I looked at the manual to see if it tells you that you cannot use a trunk mount bike rack. Not only does it not say that you cant use a bike rack, it actually warns you that a trunk mount bike rack may interfere with the rear view back-up camera. Volvo has flatly refused to do anything about the damage and the dealer has given me the name of a bodyshop who apparently does a lot of work on Volvos. I have also noticed that the quality of the paint or gelcoat is very poor. The electronics are constantly malfunctioning. They replaced my entire "module" (electronic dash panel?) within 5000 miles. I had to take it back again for more malfunctioning electronics. My friend has the same car and the same electronics problems. The rear seats stick and sometimes the kids cant move it to access the third row.

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  Disappointed - 2007 Volvo XC70
  By rdw - July 13 - 4:53 am

  I leased this car in 10/2006 and purchased the additional service feature on it. The car has 26K miles on it and I need rotors, brakes, a new side view mirror, alignment, tires and horn. $1,100 to repair a car that I put $4K down on and have been paying $470/month ever since. Im really disappointed and will not get another Volvo.

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  First Volvo and Last Volvo - 2004 Volvo XC90
  By cycle_art - July 11 - 8:11 pm

  I bought this car because I was told Volvos last a long time. They are not too expensive to repair as compared to other high-end car makers. I bought this car 2.5 years ago and have had problems from the beginning. First it was interior issues like the tweeter falling off the door, the front drivers seat pulling apart at the seams and the console lights going out. I bought an extended warranty and thank glad I did. This year $5,000 in repair bills for an axle, universal joint, CV joint, tie-rods, brake calipers and right now a Pcv breather case. The warranty doesnt cover this. The service manager told me I should not pay attention to the manual and change the oil every 3000k.