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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  Dressed up Ford - 2001 Volvo S40
  By JoJo - September 24 - 10:00 am

  Car constantly has "Check Engine" light illuminated. New brake pads at 25k miles...ridiculous! Dealer claims its b/c of superior braking abilities and not under warranty....ha! Roger Beasley Volvo less than customer friendly. Offered me $10k less after 1 year when I tried to upgrade into S70 XC...what a joke.

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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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  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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  Never again will I buy a Volvo! Hate it! - 2004 Volvo XC90
  By DomandKim - August 31 - 1:46 am

  I hate this car! Bought new, all options but the GPS, over $50K. At 200 miles needed a new fuel tank, original was cracked. Heres what went wrong: Xenon headlight fogged replaced, almost killed myself because they were pointing down, night visibility after reinstall of the new ones was 10 feet! Then the tail lights leaked filled with water, replaced, power steering unit, replaced, computer replaced, fuel tank door fell off 2Xs, windshield wipers broke, CD player and back-up signal beeper stopped working, brakes after 20K miles, tires every 22K miles, water filled the roof, wanted $900 to remove interior to let it "dry out"! Suspension bushings needed replacement, & on & on. I HATE IT!

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  V40 is terribly unreliable - 2002 Volvo V40
  By Frustrated V40 Owner - August 23 - 2:00 am

  Great looking car -- too small to be useful for my family. BUT -- this is the least reliable vehicle I have owned in my life -- air mass meter replaced, cruise control replaced three times, front control arms and ball joints replaced after 20,000KM, numerous squeaks and rattles. Avoid this vehicle at all costs.

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  Trouble!!! - 1998 Volvo S70
  By jsun - August 18 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car used with 50000 miles on it. I thought it had a good reliability rating, boy I was wrong!!! I had a rear seal leak, a axle leak, the a/c started leaking and it ran hot on me and the needle would not go back to cold. I had a 1985 Mercedes 300D Turbo diesel with 230000 miles that I would drive a long distance before I would trust this junker. I traded it for a new Mercury Sable LS Premium...Maybe it will give me better service.

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  Bad handling - 2003 Volvo S60
  By hotdog - August 18 - 2:00 am

  Nice car but tracks terrible. It will follow groves in the road and cause you to swerve to regain control. Also during hard acceleration vehicle will swerve from side to side.

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  VOLVO JUNK - 2000 Volvo S40
  By Volvo S40 - August 17 - 9:43 pm

  I bought the car 4 years ago and after 1 year all the problems started, I nearly replaced half of the car about 35 parts estimated cost about $4,500 in parts (bough for $9,500) a lot changed myself to save some money. Every time I changed something I kept telling myself oh after changing this it would run good without problems. So now the first chance I will get I am getting rid of it. I have another car, toyota and no problems. I will be getting toyota as soon as volvo is gone. I feel bad for the next person who is going to get it. Car still have problems and no mechanic can figure it out, why cant it start right away, you have to crank on it for a while. JUNK JUNK JUNK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  You may have big trouble with S60 - 2003 Volvo S60
  By Incubus - August 14 - 4:13 pm

  Well, Ford-owned Volvo needs to improve a lot. After riding a year, the engine of S60 stops sometimes during maneuver and the big problem cannot be fixed yet. The suspension is now too soft to give firm ride comfort and the interior makes a rather noisy sound.

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  Vord not what Expected from the Swedes - 2002 Volvo V40
  By arad - August 6 - 7:56 pm

  I loved this car when I bought it. I believed in the Volvo reputation of long-life and reliability. Honestly, I thought Id found my match for life. It handled well and was very comfortable. Had this car for about a year before experiencing major problems with overheating. Dealership repair visits 4x over the next year until, at 112K mi, the vehicle overheated one last time, the head gasket blew out and the turbo charger wanked. $5000 in repairs! If you can find one of these cars still on the road, Id be surprised. I havent seen one in about 1 1/2 years. You might not see it in the dark though, because they burn through lamps like crazy. Also, expect to replace brakes frequently.