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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  T6 Has It All-Performance+Comfort for 7 - 2005 Volvo XC90
  By bajt - September 18 - 9:50 am

  We wanted a car that could accomodate up to 7 people (4-5 kids in back), that had plenty of room in the rear (with seats down) for transporting stuff but that was not too big overall. It handles beautifully under all conditions and has been very reliable to date.

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  Just love it - 2010 Volvo XC60
  By Dan - September 17 - 10:00 am

  This pass July, my wife and I drove out to Yellowstone from Long Island NY. We stopped off at many places along the way. The XC60 was by far the most comfortable vehicle I have ever owned. The first day we drove to Chicago and not once did I feel tired or any back pain from this 11 hour drive. The XC was getting 26 mpg, whick really surprise me. The car handles great and we feel very safe inside it. Its quite and rides very very well. I would advise anyone looking to buy a new car, closely look at the Volvo XC60

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  Have Loved This Car for 9 years! - 2000 Volvo S40
  By happy owner - September 16 - 11:26 pm

  To make this short, I love the car! I purchased it new at the very end of 99 & have been driving it since 1-00. I really dont get the negative comments. Maybe, as one person mentioned, mine hasnt had the same issues because I ordered it before they came out & it was delivered from overseas?? But, it is NOT the first year for the car; they had been out in Europe for a couple of years. Ive replaced a few things, but for a car with 100,000 miles, thats typical. The headlights did seem to go out too quickly at first, but doesnt seem to be an issue now. Theyre about $12 at PepBoys & theyll put them in for free, or for $5 if theyre not feeling generous. Id buy this car again

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  Great car if you have some mechanical aptitude - 1998 Volvo V70
  By johnhondrogen - September 16 - 8:55 pm

  I own 2 Volvo XCs. Both with 165,000 mi. Ive owned them for 6 years and I think they are one of the best cars Volvo built, aside from the 240 series. A lot of people dont like them because they are expensive to keep and I agree with this if you have someone else do the work. I do most of the work on my cars; Im not a mechanic but the internet can tell you how to do anything. Ill tackle anything as long as I have the time (even a head rebuild on one of them) If youre looking for a maintenance free car, this isnt it. If youre a shad tree mechanic this is a great car.

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  poor build quality - 1997 Volvo 960
  By herb c - September 16 - 4:43 pm

  I bought this car used in late 2003. I had many problems with the car such as sunroof and trunk leaks that my mechanic couldnt locate (and theyre volvo mechanics) and numerous other problems such as replacing the evaporator, compressor, power seats, etc... The cars engine and ride are very good but thats it. The car was in the shop probably every 3 weeks. I finally traded it in on a used Acura which is great. Ive owned Volvos since 1986 and Im not impressed with their build quality.

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  My first volvo - 1998 Volvo S70
  By jamesg1970 - September 16 - 4:20 am

  I made my purchase on the 98 S70 t-5 in nov 2001. I am pleased with the overall reliability, but now at 60k miles I am noting some glitches. The Glitches at 60k: a slow oil leak, one electronic window button has stopped working, the leather on the doors is breaking down, the leather has become easier to scratch (even if conditioned every 60 days), the headlamps and front plastic signal covers crack easy, the brake calipers have never performed to my liking, and the Alternator was replaced at 50k.

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  Beautiful car huge potential, but needs refinement - 2017 Volvo S90
  By Nelson P - September 14 - 7:06 am

  Ill start off with the car is absolutely gorgeous. The interior and exterior style is one of the best in its class; the Audi A6 feels uninspired, the BMW 5 series is just basic, only the Mercedes E class might be able to hold a candle to the S90. Here’s what I love about the car: 1. Design is absolutely incredible. 2. B&W sound system is incredible! 3. iPad-like infotainment system is intuitive and awesome 4. Safety systems. I can never go back. The Auto-pilot, adaptive cruise, lane keep, collision detection all work as advertised and are amazing. 5. Heads up display (HUD) is a cool trick! I thought it was gimmicky but now love it. 6. AWD performance in rain is incredible. On snow… not so much, but I blame the tires not the car. 7. Heated/cooled seats 8. The diving profiles really change the characteristics of the car. 9. Ability to send the car destinations My issues with the car: 1. Fit and finish. The car has excessive squeaks, rattles, and road noise for a car with this price tag. I was caught up in the moment when during the test drive, but now after a couple of months, I need to drive with the music playing in order to enjoy the car and drown out the squeaks coming from the door seals and plastic bits. The road noise is also incredibly intrusive on Oregon/Washington pot-hole and crack-laden roads and highways. The luxury feel is compromised by the noise which is really unfortunate. 2. My second issue is with the front seats. The seats use a wire springs to support the driver. Unfortunately there are also some hard metal support beams that provide structure and rigidity to the thigh and leg support portions of the seat. Under the weight of the driver, these support beams dig into your leg and thigh. No amount of adjusting will prevent this. Volvo should have used higher density foam or a full metal support under the seat to prevent the driver’s weight from compressing the foam and causing the support to dig into the drivers legs. Again, I must have been caught up in the moment of the test drive, because I didnt notice this until after I took the car home. So Im relegated to using a donuts or foam cushion for long-hauls. 3. Opportunity number three. The infotainment system is ever so slightly under powered. It takes a lot of time for it to boot up. Thankfully the instrument cluster starts up right away. 4. Four, certain items need to be turned off every driving session. For example, the auto high beams, the auto start/stop, or my preferred driver setting -- I need to turn these on/off every time I start the car. Other manufactures got this right. For example, BMW let customers change the default setting for auto start/stop to remember the last selected setting. I WISH Volvo would do that. 5. A/C has a tendency to kick into high gear randomly and it becomes really loud. You’re forced to turn it off if you are on a call. I think the problem is with the logic for the auto climate particularly when you have the 2nd row turned on. It’s as if the system was trying to compensate for the temperature differential and just… overcompensates. 6. General reliability: Since taking ownership in February, I’ve gone to the dealership 4 times (I’m writing this review in April). Issues ranging from recall notices (for leaking A/C lines and trim pieces fall off) to excessive condensation in the headlights (which still isn’t fixed even after new headlights) and a bunch of software issues. I’ll be scheduling a new visit to the dealership soon for break-related issues. 7. Wifi hotspot stopped working. Maybe because of my trial ending, but It stopped about week 2. 8. The on call app is a bit limited in its utility. At this point it’s not worth paying for after the trial period ends. 9. One last minor gripe. The manual claims that there is a power rear sunshade. I beg to differ. Found no mention of it being an option. Overall, the car is soooo close to being perfect. My biggest concerns are with the rattling noises, uncomfortable seats, and with general software issues. I really wish I didn’t have to have a routine of turning on/off my settings every time I turn on the car. These fit-and-finish items are what hold this car back from really being able to compete against the refinement of the A6 and E class. I’m still holding out hope that these problems will be worked out in future Volvos built on this platform.

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  Worst New Car Experience Ever - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By DCHammer - September 13 - 11:22 pm

  The 2016 T8 Volvo XC90 was the car I wanted to love. Looked forward to owning it as soon as I heard it was in the works in 2014. Got what appeared to be a good deal on the lease. Unfortunately for this $70K car, Ive had more days in the shop for repeated repairs than all the other automobiles Ive owned in 4 decades put together. Software problems, sunroof water leak problems, transmission problems, navigation problems, acceleration problems. Now it needs to go back in the shop again and the local Volvo dealer has closed. The nearest Volvo dealer that will take care of warranty service is 5 hours away. Volvo is not interested in taking back their lease. I will be investigating our states lemon law. If youre looking for a good PHEV, I suggest the Ford CMax Energy. Half the price, twice the car except for smaller size and no AWD option.

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  Not really a Volvo - 2004 Volvo S60
  By John Henry - September 13 - 2:00 am

  Volvo - safe, functional cars, right? Well, not really with the S60. Yes it is a fun car to drive, but is this any different than the S40? No, would suggest not spending extra for this car. Seems as if Volvo lost sight of what Volvo stands for. Sure has great handling on perfect road conditions. Get some bad weather though, and look out, big time problems. Finding out safety record is disappointing - another non-Volvo feature. Forget using back seat - this really should be a coupe, not a sedan.

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  Black Beauty - 2001 Volvo S80
  By the g is silent - September 13 - 2:00 am

  The S80 is a great car (especially in black), but is too much to maintain. The engine power seems underated because this car can really move even without the turbo. Interior is pleasing and ergonomic. Brakes stop on a dime. The premium wheels dent to easily, and accelerating around turns can cause front wheels to hop. Sensors short out in flashfloods, and warranty will not cover! Loved the car, but I am glad the lease is up.