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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  Excellent Value, great performance - 2004 Volvo XC70
  By Catherine - December 21 - 4:50 am

  We live in Germany and regularly drive on the Autobahns in the XC70. Weve even had it up to 122 MPH while late for a flight and it is rock solid. Vehicle noise is pretty low compared to our old Tahoe and Jeep Grand Cherokee. Been skiing in the Alps and had no trouble manuevering in snow, the Winter feature works great. Pirelli Scorpion STR tires are worth the money. The only thing I really dont like after all is the rain sensing intermittent wipers-- it never seems to be the right amount of wiping for lower speeds and light drizzle. Ive been hit by a motorcycle and Ive backed into a post and the repairs were expensive, but car was not totaled, unlike my friends cars.

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  Still Luvin It - 2008 Volvo C30
  By C30Grant - December 17 - 9:50 pm

  I have about 18,000 miles on my 2008 C30 and still love it. No significant problems. Its great to have a unique sporty car thats not seen everywhere, such as the Mini or VW GTI. There are a lot of aftermarket performance parts that owners are tricking-out their C30s with now. Id suggest a used 2008 or 2009 with low miles on it. Same exact powerful engine for both years.

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  Rides great at 110 MPH - 2003 Volvo XC90
  By Easy Rider - December 17 - 10:00 am

  I picked up the car at the factory in Sweden. It was a great experience to visit the factory and pick the car up at the location it was built. The factory tour was impressive. They were making mostly XC 90s, so we could see every stage of XC 90s being built. At the end of the day, we drove to the ferry. The next day, driving through Germany, the drive was great. The factory representative told us to take it easy, keep it under 4000 RPM. He estimated that would be about 85 MPH. He was wrong, with the T6, I was going 100 MPH before I new it at about 3000 RPM! It is truly a great ride.

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  Good buy, Great car - 2005 Volvo S60
  By marky mark - December 16 - 6:13 pm

  This is a great car! I am only 18 but I love my parents for getting me it, what can I say, were a volvo family. My dad has the s80 and the s60r brings the sport back to volvo. I also have an 2000 s70 glt which is fun, but doesnt compare. I only wish I had gotten manual.... except in those traffic jams

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  Having Fun in the Sun! - 2007 Volvo S60
  By Mike - December 14 - 9:46 am

  What a ride - beating out the Lexus IS 250, Acura TL and BMW 3 series, this is the best car if you want a flexible car - fun when it needs to be and luxurious when you want it to be. Added spoiler, Premium Package and Sport Package makes for a very sleek looking and luxuriously appointed car. Many positive comments about the interior and exterior fit and finish. Geartronic transmission a nice feature - like other posters I thought that the pedal response was a bit slow on the highway, before I realized I was doing close to 90 mph! Excellent pickup under 40 mph, consistently. It moves with any pedal pressure - immediate response. Very satisfied buyer!

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  My best driving car yet! - 2015 Volvo V60
  By Donald North - December 13 - 10:29 pm

  Im a long time Saab car enthusiast owning several over the past 20+ years including the classic 900 Turbo, 9000 CSE Anniversary Edition, and 9-5 Aero wagon. My 2003 9-5 Aero wagon was a great car to drive, being very comfortable with plenty of cargo space. However at 266k miles, with a daily 90 mile commute, it was time to replace it. I wanted a car as comfortable as it, which is not easy to find. Most cars have poor front seats for long term driving comfort. I like to move around a lot of stuff and need cargo space, hence my interest in only wagons. I briefly considered the 328 wagon - I like its exterior styling, however as typical BMW their seats are uncomfortable to me and you sit too low in the car. My wife recently leased a 320 (drives nice; seats and ergonomics suck), and I sat in every car at the dealer from 2 to 7 series and all of the seats are far less comfortable than those in my V60. I also have a lot of concern about their long-term reliability since I try to keep my cars to 200k+ miles. I also considered the VW Golf wagon, but it wasnt as quiet on the freeway as I would like. I tried and bought a new 2015.5 V60 T5 Drive-E with sport seats and suspension and have enjoyed it every day since I bought it. Its now over 2 years old and already has 59k miles and has not had any reliability problems. I recently replaced the tires with the same Pirellis that came with car. It is quiet and smooth at highway speeds and corners tightly and confidently. Front seats are very comfortable and need a little time to break in. Front visibility is great with no glare. I like the control layout and enjoy listening to satellite radio every day. Bluetooth connection to my phone is reliable and telephone sound quality is excellent. My only complaint was the stock acceleration was not quite as strong feeling as I enjoyed with my Saab. However that was fixed and the car transformed when I recently bought the Polestar Performance Optimization software for the car. It can be easily downloaded and installed at any Volvo dealer. With the new software, it now passes very quickly on the freeway while also improving the throttle and transmission behavior. Highway gas mileage in unchanged. This is now one hell of a European car! To me the V60 T5 Drive-E with Polestar software is the best currently available balance of comfort, safety, driving experience, fuel economy, and storage capacity. Highly recommended!

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  Volvo XC-90 - 2005 Volvo XC90
  By R. Pyott - December 12 - 4:53 pm

  The XC-90 is fun and gives me a great feeling of security and safety. The handling is excellent. It has a nice turning radius. Acceleration on the highway is very good. The controls are conveniently positioned. I love the exterior appearance of the car. At first, the headrests felt a little strange but I love them now plus they are one of the only cars to pass the whiplash crash test.

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  Volve S60 2.5T - 2004 Volvo S60
  By JerryJ - December 12 - 10:00 am

  I just moved from a Saab convertible and into a four door sedan S60 2.5T. Being in real estate, the car is just the right size for me and so far Im enjoying this car more than I thought I would. I agree with one other post, there needs to be an inside trunk latch and the standard stereo could have a better quality sound to it. If Volvo is going to build in the middle speaker for the Bose system, then install it from the factory... I think most people would pay for it. My car is silver with sand leather... a beautiful combination and a real head- turner. The bi-xenon headlamps are very cool too!

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  rear ended - 2003 Volvo XC90
  By jjok - December 12 - 10:00 am

  I was waiting at a stop light last Mon when I was suddenly jerked back in my seat. I was rear ended by a full sized chevy pick-up that had been stopped behind me. That truck was rear ended by a dodge daytona that was going 35- 40 mph without braking. The daytona was scrunched up like an accordian, the chevy was damaged enough to be totalled, my xc-90 did what it was supposed to do, it took the impact and deflected the force downward. The whiplash system helped me a ton. My damage was bacically to the lower area and lower liftgate. $2000 damage and being put out, but I cannot overemphasize my impressment of the safety of this unit!!

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  Traded our 2002 s60 - 2006 Volvo S80
  By Nick - December 10 - 2:23 pm

  One of the best cars I have owned. Unmatched service and care by the dealer!