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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  one year of ownership - 2017 Volvo XC90
  By Greg - February 8 - 6:40 pm

  I really wanted this car. I really expected it to be all I wanted in a SUV, stylish, comfortable, technologically advanced, with a semi-auto pilot function and reliable. All my expectations were and still not fulfilled. The car manifested noise level higher than normal since the beginning. Noise from the outside plus a cabin not soundproofed like competitors. The electronics promised wonders but delivered nightmares. The car main and driver screens continuously black out and takes forever to reboot. Once you start the car it takes longer than usual for the system to load, you cannot even engage the reverse right away and expect to see the camera: you have to waaiiiiiit. And the service says that is normal. Absurd. the semi autonomous driving is no better than the rest of the car. If and when it engages you might expect it to stop working without any warning. The handling and engine are up to par with the rest of the car: rubbish! I do not want this to get too long, so I will just conclude saying that the customer service is useless as the car itself. If you are in the market for this segment go with anything else but this car, it is plenty of great alternatives and I regret my purchase everyday.

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  this car sucks!!!! - 2002 Volvo S80
  By stupidstupidstupid - February 6 - 2:00 am

  2000 S80 2.9,This car is the freshest HELL ever! Electrical problems out the wazoo! Three tow truck rides in six months!! It is now going bye bye!!! Do not buy this car, run fast and far and buy japenese. It has been a complete nightmare. Pretty though. Kinda like the good looking husband that makes alot of money so its okay if he beats the crap out of you every once in a while. Pure HELL.

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  Nothing but headaches - 2002 Volvo S40
  By o9utknrloi - December 24 - 2:00 am

  I purchased the 2002 Volvo S40 in April. 3,000 miles later the car was stuck in park twice - two defective parts needed to be replaced. At 10,000 miles the power seats broke. This car has been nothing but a headache and the disgusting customer service doesnt help either.

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  Lemon - 2000 Volvo S40
  By Scoops - March 13 - 10:00 am

  Ive had the car for two years and only have 9,000 miles on it. Saying that you would figure it would be in good shape, wrong. This is the list of my problems so far... lights, seat,speaker, cupholder,tires,stalling, faulty breaks at 6,000 miles, a new break problem now, gear shift sticks, wipers.... the list goes on. I have one more year on the lease and think Im gonna get rid of it even thought I will loose money. This is a lemon, it has been in the shop sooooo many times. Save yourself and by something else!!!!!!!

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  Worst Mistake I Made - 2002 Volvo S40
  By valeriec - March 4 - 10:00 am

  This car and the service from Volvo were absolutely horrible. I had the car for two years and lately its spending more time in the garage then driving it. As for Volvos cutomer service, they dont know the meaning. The Cutomer Service Depatment asked if we expected them to service all the cars they sell. The service manager said to me "Looking forward to hearing about your next problem". Word of advice dont buy a Volvo. Their slog should be "Volvo for a lifetime of headaches" Also the trade value of a two year old Volvo is extremely low, as I found out when I got rid of the headache for a Fabulous Acura TL. Word of advice Buy an Acura ...

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  Cant wait to get out of this car - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By Andrew M. - February 11 - 12:02 am

  This is our second XC90 since February of this year. The first was back at the dealer so many times with various software issues that Volvo of North America bought out the lease and got us an identical 2016. The second vehicle has been equally disastrous. Brake problems at 3,000 miles (rotors and pads, front and back), defective auto stop, battery charge issues, recalls, suspension squeaking -- need I say more? 128 Volvo has been very accommodating on both the sales and service end and I have now filed a complaint with Volvo of North America to end the lease. Such a shame, as the car is gorgeous and drives sweet when I have it. The computer system is confusing to say the least and the climate control goes from no air at all to a veritable Swedish wind tunnel. We had an XC60 for years with never a problem. Im chomping at the bit to get out of this vehicle.

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  **DO NOT BUY** - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By Matthew Bailey - November 23 - 4:21 pm

  Vehicle has nothing but issues, **audio went out - this means everything navi voice, turn signal notice, locking notice, music, bluetooth EVERYTHING. ------------- audio module replaced ---------- ** now insane amount of squeaks and rattles at all speeds -------- ** outlet for phone charging, etc NEVER WORKS, numerous replacement of $2 part ------- ** upgrade charge to autopilot 2 continually fails not allowing usage of the actual system, or even just adaptive cruise bottom line... do not buy the car. $60,000 vehicle cannot hold a candle to other vehicles... great concept just not there yet.

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  Lemon. They had to take it back - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By SanibelVolvo - November 13 - 11:34 am

  At times the car was horribly unreliable. Other times it was reliably horrible. SERVICE departments were not helpful. They couldnt figure out problems. VOLVO USA was argumentative and in denial. Got a Q7. Everything works. Better performance. FAR better electronics. SUPER reliable. I still miss the XC 90 magic blue color and the seats. (My Q7 has regular, not luxery package seats). Will NEVER buy another Volvo. NEVER.

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  crack - crack - crack - 2000 Volvo S40
  By jackson - January 22 - 7:23 pm

  on top of the frequent problems, such as ignition and, frequently, the sensor system, there were problems with the front end wearing out so quickly,and finally, like the passing of an overly-annoying dog, the car died at only 124k miles -- overheated and ruined the cylinder heads, with about 5 seconds of warning.

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  2016 Volvo XC90 Stay away for now - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By XC90noway - December 21 - 9:12 pm

  Ive had the car since February and this is my third and last Volvo. The quality of the software in the car is just terrible! Internet would not come in. Voice recognition just did not work... Every time Volvo fixes something on the car, something else breaks. This last recall brok the GPS. It doesnt put me in the right city! Some features are there to configure but simply do not work... Do not try to disable the auto-engine stop feature. Although the option is there to select it or not, it doesnt do anything. Hope you like driving in comfort mode because, even if you can configure the driving mode at startup, the car will always start in comfort mode. So, you need to disable auto-engine stop and comfort mode everytime you get in the car! Volvo is adding new features to the software (Apple CarPlay)... How about fixing the software that is there and then add new things? As I said, this is my last Volvo.