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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  2004 Volvo XC90 T6 - 2004 Volvo XC90
  By Johnny Marin - April 11 - 2:00 am

  I cant give this vehicle a rating of less than 10. It rides great, the quality is superb, its rugged and masculine and I feel safe driving it. I want to be like that guy from the mercedes commercial who lives in his vehicle!

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  A great car!, Solid and very comfortable - 2013 Volvo XC70
  By Steve reddy - April 10 - 6:06 pm

  I am very fussy about my car buying and was considering an S550 or a Mercedes e350 wagon. The Volvo is very practical, with the best front seats Ive ever sat in. Decent power with the 300horse T6. I have the Platinum trim level with every option. I have 34,500 miles on the car now, never in the shop except for oil changes. I love the big car driving feel, I hate little cars so I feel like this was a very good choice for me. The deal breaker on the Eclass Mercedes is that the seat cushion doesnt adjust in the tilt, in other words it stays flat and I could never get comfortable in my 2013 E550. Updated after 15 months of ownership. I added IPD rear away bar, quad tip mufflers and replaced the factory wheels with lighter alloys with Dunlop Direzzas. Car handles much better, next upgrade will be Polestar flash tune. I still love the audio system, great seats!!

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  rolling strength - 2001 Volvo S80
  By wayfire - April 7 - 10:33 am

  Picked up our S80 in Feb. What a Valentines Day present! Dealership was wonderful with everything. Just had a six hour road trip with no compliants. Plenty of trunk space. Controls were easy to find and use, great nav. system. You do have to read the manual to learn all offerings, but I drove it off the lot and could understand the basics. Acceleration is fantastic, both off the line and at highway speeds. Minimal noise from wind and road even considering Z-rated performance tires. Everyone says beautiful car...its a VOLVO?! Safety is unmatched with any other car. Great confidence when driving with wife and 5 month old daughter.

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  From Volvo patriot to to Volvo hostage - 2003 Volvo V40
  By bigalexk - April 6 - 11:43 pm

  The car was a subject of three repairs by warranty including one when I stuck in the road and the car was towed to an auto repair shop. After the warranty the owning of the car has turned into financial disaster. The car is purposely design to exclude or hinder repair by the owner. Now my car is 6 years old having 73000 miles on odometer and it has serious transmission problem. The repair costs so much that I cannot afford it. The car is filled with manufacturing defects and bad design solutions. While it was in repairs and I had chance driving S40 and V50. I found them even worse. What a big mistake I made when I got into this Volvo bondage!

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  4 months and 5k miles - 2004 Volvo XC90
  By David Reichow - April 6 - 2:00 am

  I bought the XC90 for its safety and I am generally very satisfied with the vehicle after 5k miles.

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  First time Volvo owner - 2004 Volvo XC90
  By Goreebok - April 6 - 2:00 am

  I wanted a volvo since 1988,finally stepped up and bought a 2004 XC90 2.5 FWD with prem.sound pckg. prem. interior,climate pckg.,wood wheel.Silver met. Of the 5 new cars I purchased this is by far the best car I have owned.It was a choice between the Yukon and the XC90, but since I bought my wife a 2003 Yukon XL I wanted somthing different. The Volvo is so quiet at highway speeds (where I spend alot of my time) and the seats are so comfortable I feel I could not have bought a better car at any price. The people at Borton Volvo from my salesman Shane to the owner made buying a pleasent experience, I also got a great deal!

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  Happy, so far - 2003 Volvo XC70
  By kpsailor - April 5 - 11:00 am

  I bought this Volvo as a family car (2nd owner, had 57,000 miles), and to add a bit of utility to my garage; so far, so good. It is a comfy car, which makes rather good MPG, considering the size, and has been reliable. It is less rugged as the images may show, but that is not the point anyway. It accomplishes what it sets out to be, a comfortable wagon with more utility than most.

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  Run as fast as you can!!! - 2001 Volvo S40
  By Regreting it! - April 4 - 10:00 am

  I leased my 2001 S40 in November 2000 and it has been in for service 16 times. Problems started the first month. The check engine light had to be reset 3 times before a compression pump was replaced, 3 recalls AFTER the problems were fixed, the air conditioner broke, the radio broke, new brakes after 17000 miles, the paint on my hood has scrub marks on it, my gas gauge NEVER reads full eventhough it is, the fabric between my windshield and side window is unraveling, and the pan under my engine rattles during fast acceleration. But, there is good news, my cup holder still works.

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  Not quite a BMW yet...fun anyway - 2002 Volvo S60
  By CanadaEh! - April 4 - 10:00 am

  Tromp on the gas peddle and youll fly by many cars. The turbo lag is annoying, as it the slow shifting "tiptronic", but on a straight line, once the turbo kicks in, look out. My only issue is with handling around corning - too much power and chassis needs to be tuned to handle the power of the car. Excellent design, not a fancy electonic stability system, should be the force behind handling. The interior is, quite frankly, flawless. The most comfortable and well designed car on the market.

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  VOLVO SUV 90 - 2004 Volvo XC90
  By pat curtin - April 1 - 10:00 am

  We were one of the first to buy this SUV - purchased in December 2002. Love the car - it combines the tank like/safety feel of the 240, while giving you all the bells, whistles and style making it a true winner!!!