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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  Fix the Turning Radius - 2004 Volvo S60
  By 360 degrees - April 23 - 10:00 am

  I am extremely dissappointed that Edmunds didnt list the turning radius as its #1 con. There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to make a u-turn on a 2 lane highway without having to back up. My wifes 2002 Honda Odessey Minivan has a bettter turning radius than this. My recent rental 2004 Chevy Malibu has a better turning radius. If you drive in California which requires many u- turns and tight parking spots think twice about buying this car. Volvo has to fix this!! Other than that it is fun to drive and a great value considering what you are getting for the Money. I wish I performed U-Turns on the test drive.

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  What a surprise, a joy to drive - 2002 Volvo S60
  By Thomas - April 22 - 8:23 am

  I did not head out to the car lot expecting to drive a Volvo home. I wanted a pre-owned, luxury vehicle that was somewhat practical and that would not break the bank. After looking at a few Jags I made a comment out loud about how surprisingly uncomfortable the Jag was to drive. From that comment the sales associate mentioned how comfortable the Volvos were to ride in. In a good mode and wanting to insure I considered all options I decided to allow the Volvo to be brought around for a test drive. My first word uttered once I sat in that drivers seat was wow. Comfort is a rule when choosing Volvo. Now I have had the car a while I must say, what a value.

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  Great little car - 2007 Volvo V50
  By piredon - April 21 - 12:23 am

  This car manages to be quick when you want it to be, cruise when you want it to, seems to work well in the snow, and holds more than enough stuff to fit our needs. Fuel mileage so far of around 25 mpg overall. Comfortable seats, great for long trips. Very progressive throttle tip in helps to drive smoothly. Engine can be a little buzzy at times, but packs plenty of punch when you want it to. Steering effort is way too light, but turn in is crisp, and its great for long highway trips, maybe not so much for back roads. Well-designed, intuitive interior with fantastic sound system. Only problem so far is a rattle in the dash, fixed under warranty.

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  One of the Last - 1998 Volvo S70
  By Crown - April 18 - 2:50 am

  My 1998 Volvo S70 SE has 38,000 miles on it and has been back to the dealer every 5,000 miles to have everything checked. I receved three recalls from volvo all were handled very well a loner every time. It takes time to get to understand what this car is all about.Safety it takes time to learn how to drive this car.It does not handle like a BMW.you have to drive it to understand it. It is not hipe it is not over sold. But it will keep you Safe.

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  Good car, but some parts are non durable - 1998 Volvo V70
  By Michael L - April 17 - 4:13 am

  This wagon has been very useful and never let me down on the road. I have driven this wagon to different long distance journey and it treated me well. However for a 12 year car with 142,000 miles, I do expect some wear and tear, but for some reason the most critical part of this wagon went out which was the passenger door lock where I couldnt get it to lock and could not get the rear cargo door to lock in its place and I had to get it repaired otherwise there is possible internal theft. Both front driver and passenger door hinges had to be replaced because they broke of old age which was costly. There are a few more minor wear and tear items that went out.

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  Still brings a smile to my face - 2009 Volvo C30
  By kevin - April 16 - 10:36 am

  After researching all small hatchbacks in the US market and test driving the Subaru Impreza WRX and the Mazda 3, I test drove the C30 and knew it was the one. (I also wanted to test the Audi A3 but the dealer did not have any in stock.) I use this car daily (23,000 miles in year one) both in heavy traffic and on the open road. It is very responsive and comfortable in all driving conditions. I chose the Geartronic transmission (auto+manual) due to heavy traffic and enjoy driving in both modes. This car has been great, and it gets lots of positive attention. Check out Volvos website - you can fully custom order your C30. Im so glad to have done so - havent seen a twin yet in 22000 mi!

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  good luxary car - 2003 Volvo S80
  By ali kayani - April 14 - 2:00 am

  It is very comfortable and roomy has good features for its price. The base 194 horsepower engine could benefit from more power and torque. It has pretty decent gas mileage which is wondrfull. The car at this price should have standard leather and sunroof which should not be optional. Also the wheels and tire should standard be 17 inch not 16 inch. The suspension is good for comfort which is great but could use more sportiness accuracy of bmw 5 series. Also the car should have standard xenon lights and the interior could use more wood and instrument panel is too plain could use tips from lexus, bmw or audi

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  Good performance- poor design-interior - 2005 Volvo S60
  By David Draaisma - April 10 - 4:23 am

  It has great acceleration & handling. Nice sporty look. My wife loves the car, I would look else where mainly because of the interior design and options. I am 6’ 1”, on long trips the arm rests are not comfortable. It does not feel like they are positioned correctly. Power seat on driver side works with the key out. Passenger power seat does NOT work with the key off. Big pain when cleaning car. Nice stereo system. 2 levels of FM settings. Two step process to change FM levels where most stereos systems you can do it in one. Very distracting when you are driving. Do not plan on having 4 people in the car unless they are children. Two adults will not be able to fit in the back. No leg room.

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  Small car carries a big stick - 2001 Volvo S60
  By family man - April 8 - 2:00 am

  I became interested in the Volvo S-60 because of the way it looked. I cross- shopped the BMW 330I, Infinity G35 and Mercedes C320. It became apparant after test drives that the Volvo T5 had the best combination of looks, performance and price. The G35 was faster, BMW handled better, Mercedes did not stand out in any way. But, the comfortable interior and full array of premium options kept me coming back to the T5. I still love the way this car looks and drives. Friends continue to complement. Ive owned 3 Mustang GTs and two Camaro Z28s and this car gives me most of the thrill of those. Plus, it actually drives well in the snow.

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  2017 XC90 T6 Inscription - 6 weeks into Ownership - 2017 Volvo XC90
  By Mike - April 3 - 7:56 pm

  One of the irritations I have is the disconnect between the 2017 Owners manual and Volvos support. They list functions in the manual that just flat out are not there nor are available. Seems somewhat dishonest to me. For example, Volvo lists how to use the egress / ingress function for getting out of the SUV and into the SUV. However, when I contacted Volvo, they said this function is not available, never has been and maybe under development as a future software upgrade. Not sure how they can put the option in print when they dont even have it developed. Second example is the manual shows a 110v outlet in the center console for passengers in the 2nd row to plug in devices. However, that was only available in their 2016 model, again, according to the email I got from Volvo. However, the manual is titled "2017 XC90". I have found two other functions that are not available in the XC90 US model but available in Canada. One would think they would have defined that better up front. Thus, owners beware, Volvo isnt totally honest in what is / is not available in the 2017 T6 in the US. As for the car itself. I didnt get the 4 corner suspension (I ordered it but for some reason (either dealer or Volvo error) it didnt come with it. However, the ride is comfortable and about the same as in our 2011 Chrysler Town and Country. Gas mileage is ok, Im averaging around 22 mostly in town. Best gas mileage is in cursing mode. It really sucks the gas when taking off and probably is where it falls short a little. Does have some great safety features but also falls short. For example, the lane assist where it is to alert you if you drift to far left or right, is not reliable. There are times when it should have alerted but easily let me cross the center line either having no notification or late in notifying me. Hence a head-on-collision would have already taken place. My 2014 GMC 1500 truck has the same feature and works perfectly all the time. Not sure why a $75,000 vehicle doesnt have the same accuracy. Pilot assist works as designed. As long as the lane markings can be identified, it does auto steer the car up to 80 mph. You do have to interact with the steering wheel every 30 -45 secs however or it will auto disengage. The scary part is that there are times when the system, apparently, looses the ability to see the lane markings and just disengages without any warning to the driver. I would think, again, for this high end vehicle, it should alarm if the system is disengaging. Thank goodness I have not had to test the auto braking if a car turns in front or to avoid a rear end collision. Im assuming it will work when required. The active cruise adapter works well and you can set the distance (actually set the secs) within which you want the car to adjust the speed based on the car in front. The seats are very comfortable but getting in and out of the vehicle is difficult unless you retract and lower the seat. Im 5 10" and if I dont lower the seat all the way done, I will hit my head getting out. Climate controls work well as do the ventilated / heated seats. 2nd row seating is about as comfortable as in other vehicles. 3rd row quite frankly is limited to children. Very difficult for adults to get in and out of the back. Not adult friendly. As with reviews of the 2016 model the lack of USB ports is a glaring deficiency in a high vehicle in this price group. Overall, Im happy with the vehicle but would I buy it again, I dont know. I would look closer at the new 2017 Mercedes I think.