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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  kids, dog and I and the Volvo XC90 Momentum - 2017 Volvo XC90
  By Michelle - June 21 - 6:03 pm

  We needed a 7 seater SUV, basically to separate the two kids and give the dog some extra space. After owning the huge Mercedes GL, we decided on something a wee bit smaller but just as practical. The two contenders ended up being the new Volvo XC90 and the Audi Q7. We had an Audi Allroad which we loved to drive, but the back seat was becoming far two cramped for our nearly teenage son. We found the same to be true about the Audi Q7, as big as the car was, there wasnt a lot of leg room in the backseats. The Volvo XC90 had far more leg room in the backseats and was more comfortable to drive in for long distances. (SF to SD is 10 long hours.) And the third row was much more comfortable, according to our preteen. My hubby calls is it the perfect mom car, he drives an BMW X5 for reference, compared to his car I love the smooth comfortable ride and acceleration. The seats are comfortable to be in for long hours of driving and I dont feel like I need to see the chiropractor after going over continuous speed bumps or bumpy surfaces. He does find the find the contoured seats a bit confining at 64" with a bit a girth on the sides and it did limit us to getting the R version which I really liked. The only downfall is that our XC90 has spent a crazy amount of time in the shop. Not purely sure that is the cars fault though, as our garage gives a loaner, and sometimes I think it is just easier for them to get through the amount of work they need to get done on cars if they keep our Volvo a few more days. My husband does call me the Beta tester though. So far we have had our supercharger malfunction, which is always fun at toll booths that are slow down but please dont stop and accelerate like made when done. Our battery went before a year, if your car starts doing really crazy things it might be time for a new battery. And our USB port stopped working, not good when you have preteens. But overall, we have been really satisfied with the car. The only major complaint we have is that the back row is not electric, so it requires a bit of work to navigate the seats, including the middle row. We dont move the middle row around enough to remember exactly the sequence we need to work in to facilitate the seat doing exactly what we want. It tends to get stuck in sometimes crazy positions. At the end of the day, I have been really happy with our Volvo XC90.

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  Wheres the fun - 2001 Volvo C70
  By rc jim - June 21 - 3:30 am

  We bought the volvo for fun. The honeymoon wore off real quick. This has to be the noiseiest car i have ever ridden in. I have the same issues as other reviewers, bad cup holders, cant see out the back window, non moving sun shade, gas cap light (check engine). Enough bad it is a great looking car and the lifting and lowering of the top turns heads.

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  bang for buck - 2004 Volvo S40
  By jennifers favorite - June 16 - 2:00 am

  rides good very good fuel economy getting an average around 29 or 30 mpg on a 35 mile trip to work daily on road with cruise control set on 79mph we got 35 to36 mpg from ga to ind

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  One tough car - 2001 Volvo V70
  By Speef - June 13 - 6:36 am

  Ive owned many Volvos, this 2001 is a T5. Its been as tough as nails. Ive repeatedly towed my 4k lbs boat, its been driven hard and it never gave up on me. Its got 135k miles on the clock and going strong.

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  I love this car - my 3rd Volvo - 2006 Volvo S40
  By me - June 12 - 12:33 pm

  I love this car - Many improvements over my last S40 - Beautiful car!! The only problem is that the electric drivers seat doesnt go back far enough (and Im 52"). I miss my Turbo -- what was I thinking!? The car is gorgeous - the only design defects are that I hit the wipers everytime I go near the key, the front window buttons are too far up (I keep putting the back windows down instead), bad blind spots & I hate leather but need a sunroof - this is a difficult package. I would give up some of that trunk room to have more room in the back seat. The cup holders are awful - they should be covered & bigger. Great car despite design defect Get lots of compliments! Needs an alarm for sunroof!

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  V40 - 2004 Volvo V40
  By fjpost - June 11 - 10:00 am

  Its really a great car, though it is a bit tight. The new model promises to be bigger. Its a wonderful drive and basically, bought off lease, the same price as a Honda Accord or new Civic. It has more style and zoom however, and a really excellent warrantly (100,000).

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  I love this car, but... - 2004 Volvo XC70
  By strausz34 - June 11 - 10:00 am

  I love this car, but the fact is that it has broken down completely twice within two years. The first time, the entire engine block had to be replaced (under warranty, of course) - the second time it was a fan somewhere in the cooling system that causes serious overheating. Now that I got this out of the way - the car is generally excellent. Ride, acceleration, fuel consumption all great. vast amounts of luggage accommodated.

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  Never Again - 2004 Volvo S80
  By Robert Linscott - June 11 - 10:00 am

  S80 2.9 - 2000: This car has been a total headache for our family. The car is always falling apart. Electrical night mare, from lights to locks to sensors. Hub bearings X 5, sunroof falling apart, hub bolts falling out twice while on vacation, broken coils spring, faulty fan motor for radiator, oil flame seal bad, and a bad motor mount. So much for the flagship of Volvo. The S80s market value is poor and still is rated as less than average for the 2004. No wonder the BMW and Mercedes lines are so popular. My first volvo and definitely my last -never, never again. Waltrip Volvo in Nashville area loves to see me, and my checkbook on a regular basis.

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  Head lights - 1999 Volvo S80
  By Concern Volvo lover - June 11 - 1:10 am

  I purchased my vehicle used, and thought I was getting a good deal. Im a volvo lover from the 70s, and I swear by volvos for their dependability etc. However this year of volvo has many bugs to be worked out. For example my headlights would not go out when I turned my car off. I called the dealer, and it took an expensive of well over $600 dollars to correct the problem. Thats not including having to buy a new light switch at a cost of $200.00. I had to replace my gear shift twice because it would break when ever I parked my car on an incline, and tried to shift from park to drive. I will always stick with volvo, but not that year. It seem as though the Volvo creators took a nap.

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  Good S40 - 2005 Volvo S40
  By HSIA OFENG YANG - June 10 - 11:01 am

  It is a 2005 Volvo S40. Still feel pretty good driving it. Still has the feel of an old luxury car.