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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  Great looking, reliable, average car - 2008 Volvo S40
  By Ted - June 17 - 3:46 am

  Have been driving this car for over 2 years now. Love the overall look and build quality. Very different from other cars on the road. A few issues, fuel economy, loud interior, and surprisingly more than one blind spot due to the large columns (its a safety thing...I get it) The drive is also not as European as I would have expected from a car competing with the likes of BMW, Audi and dare I say it, VW. It lacks that little oomph to get it at the same level as its German competitors. It doesnt get me excited, it gets me from A to B in style and safely.

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  Nice Luxury Sedan - 2002 Volvo S80
  By Maria Deglistelli - June 17 - 2:00 am

  My husband told me to place this comment on this car. We bought this car on Jan 1st. So far I really like it. We always owned luxury cars and this drives as well as my fathers Rolls- Royce. He was really impressed when he drove it. Its a good family car and I feel safe driving it.

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  Dont Buy - 1999 Volvo V70
  By KaliforniaKaren - June 17 - 1:03 am

  Bought this car because I gave my Honda Civic to daughter. Thought it would be reliable and safe. Well it turned out to be safe, as an unmoving car is pretty safe. The car frequently stalls out for no reason and the dealership hasnt been able to figure out what the problem is (after changing out numerous electrical parts and sensors). I would get another car, but I went back to school and dont have the money too. Ive dumped about $3,200 into car, wish I would have never purchased.

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  Hopefully Brighter Future - 2010 Volvo XC60
  By bg - June 16 - 10:26 pm

  We have this as a replacement for an RDX. The ride in that was so harsh that it was almost unbearable. This has been the polar opposite. Though the power steering pump was gone after 17 miles (!) the vehicle has a feeling of high quality. I also ran into great difficulties after having ordered a loaded-sans BLIS car, and realizing that every website known to man had incorrectly labeled power-folding mirrors as standard (I need them for my garage), which is not the case. I went to the dealer who went to the ends of the earth to try to change my order, but it couldnt be done. The dealer found another one with BLIS which we got, though it didnt have nav. I believe Volvo has changed their site

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  Stylish, yet glitchy, Euro sport sedan - 2005 Volvo S40
  By Steve - June 16 - 2:00 am

  Still like the car 5 years later but looking forward to my next and it wont be another Volvo. Heres a sample of the issues Ive had since purchase: key fob doesnt work (Im on my 4th replacement), car towed 4 times because engine immobilizer wont disengage, lights fell out of side mirrors, radio replaced, heated seats replaced, driver window assembly broke, front woofers replaced, clock doesnt keep time, driver seatbelt wont release when pulled, passenger airbag disables when a passenger is in seat, etc. 2 really annoying attributes: blind spots galore & wheels can not be rotated. Car wobbles at highway speed and no amount of balancing works. Took 2 sets of tires to figure out problem

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  nice suv - 2006 Volvo XC90
  By vince - June 16 - 2:00 am

  Bought this car Aug.2009 and 98,000kms but still good condition,I drove from calgary to winnipeg, and its fun to drive,its only 2.5 cylynder but good in the highway,I love it...

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  Really Nice Used Car Value - 2015 Volvo V60
  By Seth Harriff - June 14 - 8:33 am

  I looked at small SUVs and wagons with high safety ratings and good reliability. Performance of this model is decent - I have the AWD with the older 2.5 T5 and the 5sp auto. I like the known reliability of the older engine, although the performance and fuel economy of the newer one was appealing, it wasnt an option in this model year, and I was looking for a lightly used vehicle. 2015.5 for electronics is key - better nav, better infotainment with an upgraded Sensus setup. The car has a built-in wifi hotspot (its ATT service, and free until Volvo figures out how to pass thru charges) in addition to OnCall (Volvos version of OnStar) and Sirius traffic is free for 4 years from original sale date. Seats are very comfy - I dont have the sport package, which has larger bolstered seats, but I do have the Climate package, so everything that should be heated or cooled is done automatically. Storage is smallish for a wagon, but still useful. Styling of both outside and inside is nice - very Swedish still, which is good - I was glad to see that Geely didnt distract from that or the safety of Volvo when they purchased the company. Safety features are great - backup cam and sensors include a cross-traffic warning, and the City Safety function hasnt been used by me, but its nice to know its there.

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  In the shop over 80 days in the first 3 mos - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By David Zuech - June 13 - 9:46 pm

  I receive my inscription on 17 July 2015. After owning it for nine days I received a suspension error code followed by a safety restraint error code and promptly sent it in for service. It was in the Volvo dealership in Tulsa for over 30 days. After I received my car back I had it for less than one week before more electronic error codes again began popping up in addition to my virtual speedometer going black on rainy night. Despite dispatching numerous Volvo engineers who attempted to service my car, Volvo was unable to repair it and didnt give me a refund after four months of ownership. I would tread extremely carefully with this first model year car as it seems Volvo has no idea how to have the various modules interact with each other. I would visit various Volvo forums to better understand the gravity of this problem and Volvos pompous attitude to their new customers of the 2016 "car of the year"

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  SUPRISED - 2016 Volvo S60
  By neil - June 12 - 9:53 pm

  im having fun with this car -i like the rumble of the 4 cylinder -visibility is great -seat comfort perfect -overall in/out size is ideal -nice tight ride that feels sporty after deriving two genesis for the last six years -economy is outstanding

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  A Beauty - 2009 Volvo C30
  By old guy - June 12 - 8:20 pm

  Turbo w/ 6sp manual is terrific getting shade over 26mpg. Solid ride, nimble handling, low road noise, comfortable and ergonomic for driver, and styling is a standout from the rest of the crowd. Interior, dash, & instrumentation is clean and utilitarian.