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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  V70 T5 Volvo Wagon - 2001 Volvo V70
  By Angelia - May 29 - 2:00 am

  The ultimate mom mobile with style. In trying to avoid the world of minivans I happened upon my V70 T5 and just love it. The seats are exteremly comfortable and there is no loss of power or comfort extras on this Volvo. So far I have not had any major issues with the car and the small things I have had the warranty covered without the slightest problems.

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  2004 Volvo XC90 T6 - 2004 Volvo XC90
  By ToddEddy - May 29 - 2:00 am

  This is a great vehicle with good power and performance. Styling is awesome and turns heads where ever you go. Gas mileage is a disappointment though.

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  Saddened by Volvo - 2000 Volvo S80
  By JDavis - May 28 - 5:33 pm

  This has been a disappointment since the day we bought it. We have currently spent more on repairs than we did on the car and are planning another trip back this weekend. I am looking at trading it in, but trying to find out if there is a dealer who would take this mess. My advice would be to investigate any Volvo you plan to purchase and avoid the 2000 S80 like the plague it is.

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  Nice desi -shame about the annoying bits - 2002 Volvo C70
  By paul lane - May 28 - 10:00 am

  Not all together happy with it. See below! Great looking car, but badly designed the cup holders are a joke - easy to knock a cup out ofthem and in the drivers way.

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  Great, but buy the extended warranty - 2000 Volvo S80
  By dave j - May 24 - 10:00 am

  The S-80 Turbo is a fantasticly designed car. Most of the problems have been peripheral electrical glitches, i.e. the door lock control module, short range remote, etc. Only one significant failure: New transmission under warranty! Volvo was great and replaced it immediately plus a rental car, but no trannie should fail at 40k. Ill wait and see, as I just purchased the Volvo extended factory warranty and plan to keep the car to at least 7 years and 100k+. Its worth it.

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  My Comfort Sport Car - 2004 Volvo S60
  By GAZ - May 24 - 2:00 am

  Overall a fine Sports sedan. Very comfortable drivers power seat, lots of room in front/great interior. Plenty of power ( must get the Turbo), to move on to highways safely, and pass when needed. Car looks sleek, and love the leather and the sunroof. I enjoy driving this car. With airbags and Antilock breaks--its a VolVo--I feel as safe as one can be in a Sports sedan

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  Fantastic... - 1999 Volvo S80
  By Joshholm04 - May 24 - 2:00 am

  I loved this car. I think volvos are the best price for performance and class. Everything else in that price is cheap and everything better is twice as expensive.

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  Almost Perfect - 2005 Volvo XC90
  By Bruce - May 23 - 4:13 am

  Great car. I dislike only a few things about my XC90 (and why Im trading it for a V-8 XC90 with a "graphite" interior). The first negative, perhaps niggling: when the sun spills onto the dash from the correct [and often] angle, the end-dash airvents shine in the side windows blocking the use of the rear-view mirrors. Second angers me: the turbo 6 in combination with the 4-speed transmission goes into drastic turbo-lag just as you accelerate rapidly into traffic. Theres a third item which is gremlin-like: on three occassions Ive turned off the ignition, gotten out, locked the car with the remote, and returned to find the AC fan running on max and the soundless radio speakers crackling.

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  New-to-Me Volvo - 2001 Volvo V40
  By Madison - May 22 - 10:00 am

  This car gives me everything I need: good gas mileage, great cubic space for hauling stuff, comfort, and most particularly, reliability.

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  Great car for first 120k, but now......? - 1998 Volvo V70
  By Dutchman - May 22 - 2:20 am

  Getting some anxieties about upcoming costs. Volvo shops are VERY expensive. Are they better than local guy? I dont know. So far we had to do only the normal maintenance, but we now also have the loose sway bars, rusting brakes, the tailgate interior loose and the "check engine" light on of which the first repair did not fix it..... Is it falling apart? Selling makes no sense. Trade-in values are horribly low. So from feeling like we were driving the best car of the world, we now are in sticker shock looking at rising repair costs and no good alternative.... A lube job to a squeaking skylight would require its removal @ several hundreds....