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:

• 

  Over 40k miles - 2008 Volvo XC90
  By 04silverado - March 1 - 5:17 am

  I purchased my 3.2 AWD with 22k miles when it was two years old. I have since put about 45k miles on it. What repairs have I done? Only one thing that I can think of besides brakes and tires. An emissions pump. I consider one repair outside of maintenance in almost 70k miles acceptable. Because of its weight if you drive aggressively expect it to eat brakes and tires and gas mileage to be in the teens. The original Pirellis had to be replaced shortly after I bought it because they were worn out. I put Sumitomos on it and have yet to replace them with over 40k miles. I do a pretty even mix of city/highway driving. I anticipate getting another year (15/20k miles) out of them.

• 

  I love my 1st Volvo - 2008 Volvo C30
  By JohnRae - February 27 - 6:03 pm

  Ive had my car a little bit over a year now and still love it. Very fun to drive and has the power to overtake other cars if ever needed. The suspension is a bit stiff but handles very well. The styling is one of the main reasons I bought the car. Its unique, sporty, and classy all in one. A real eye catcher. Its nice to have a car that you dont see at every other stop light. My small list of gripes for this car is: 1. The passenger side seatbelt rattles a bit when driving. 2. At times would like to have more trunk room. But i just fold my rear seats down normally if i need more space. 3. Would be nice to have the trip computer come standard instead of having to pay extra for it.

• 

  good wagon - 2005 Volvo XC70
  By spotbearsd - February 26 - 8:03 pm

  Great deal w/ end of year discounts. A nice wagon w/ few faults. Ive been very happy in the last few months. Only had to go into dealer for a loose suspension part and was given a loaner. Pirelli tires tramline on concrete freeways.. no real option to swap out due to odd size.

• 

  Disappointed! - 2001 Volvo S40
  By Malinda - February 26 - 6:00 am

  My dad gave me this car after my mom drove it for a while. Its really great looking but I constantly had problems with it. The warranty never covered anything except my alternator, and it sat at the dealer for 1 month before it could be fixed. The check engine/service lights on constantly. Brakes and tires wore out way too early. I tried to trade in and was only offered $2500 for it (the AC finally went out and it was way too much to fix it). Literally in the shop once a month. The guys at the dealership know me on a first-name basis b/c Im there so much! Too bad, but its so cute on the outside! And the cupholder? Seriously? You have to take out your drink to change CDs!

• 

  Drives nicely. Have your wallet ready. - 1999 Volvo S80
  By Eduardo B - February 23 - 10:30 pm

  Enjoy as much as you can when the dash message reads "no messages" because when a message comes it is like a call from nature to a wild animal, but in this case the call it to the dealer. Love the car, great power, handles smoothly, great sound, unbeatable brakes, cockpit like driver sit. Gives me 36.6mpg when i set cruise at 62mph, not only by display but at-the- pump calculation. 0-80 in less than 8sec. Tranny apear to know when im going to need some trust, engages smoothly and turbo kicks in in a dime. I added H2S Xenons w/H7 adapter and the headlamps make a perfect light/dark cut on upper portion of beam. Maintenance cost has been even less than our other vehicle (toyota)

• 

  Run or youll be walking - 2000 Volvo V70
  By JTB - February 23 - 7:16 pm

  Looks arent everything, unless you have one; towed 11 times. Axle bearings, transfer case, turbo oil leak 4x, etc. Pricey with high cost to maintain: Tires & brakes ~15k. Stranded my wife and little girl more than once. Not the volvo our parents had, but what do you expect from a company owned by ford? Would not buy another.

• 

  Beware of 99 S80 T6 - 1999 Volvo S80
  By jjc - February 23 - 12:50 am

  Have had three transmissions in three years, new mass air flow meter, five wheel alignments (wont stay aligned), transmission line solenoids, torque mount bushings, several transmission software fixes, lower ball joints, and other relatively minor problems -- all from Volvos flagship sedan. Am now facing a $900 bill for a new electronic throttle module.

• 

  Great Cross Country - 2004 Volvo XC70
  By mary - February 22 - 2:30 pm

  Waited a very long time to buy a Volvo. Bought the CX in 2004 and wish I had bought one sooner.... really love the ride and the comfort! Just wish the windows were tinted a little darker or the sun visor was a little longer or had an extension like the Audi. Otherwise am very happy and plan on getting another, but now I know about the Sweden trip and will be flying to pick up the new one...

• 

  Tried to lease from many dealers and failed - 2017 Volvo XC90
  By Manny Fernandez, Jr. - February 21 - 6:55 pm

  The dealerships are not very aggressive in selling their vehicles. They seem to have little to no wiggle room when it comes to leases. While the Volvo Corp website listed lease deals for the hybrid no one I contacted was interested in getting the car for me. It was what they had on their lot. I was really surprised at their kind of caviler attitude. The car is definitely interesting but not an inexpensive lease. Again I asked several times at more than 5 dealers if they would get me the car that Corporate was advertising and the answer was we would have to search. I would never hear back..... Must be nice!

• 

  THIS CANNOT BE A WAGON! Surprising Performance - 2015 Volvo V60
  By R M M - February 21 - 10:17 am

  I canNOT believe that this is a wagon. It outperformed the 3 series BMW in my test drives, and continues to impress. We were really skeptical on the MPG claims, but it does fairly close to it (if you can resist the temptation to enjoy the surprising pickup). We generally are "green drivers" and get better than usual miles, but I still doubted the 37mpg highway claim. Yet, this morning, I got 33 in a 15mi city drive from my kids school to the office (A/C on as it was ~90F outside), but this is Raleigh NC traffic (mild). This weekend we had the car loaded with 2x large adults, 2x kids(in giant, heavy, 5 point boosters), 2x 10gl coolers full of drinks and ice, a small bag of clothes, 2 large picnic blankets, 2 folding chairs, and a 60lbs dog, but we still did 29mpg in a mix drive(60mi city/25mi hwy) of 85mi (round trip). The trunk space is great. All that stuff fit and the giant poodle still could stretched out on his bed. The software for trip computer and other things could be simpler, and the breaks feel too smooth for people that enjoy the sporty action of an audi, but the car is excellent in every other way. Ohhhhhhh, the seats are amazing. Updates: over a year in and we continue to be very happy with this Volvo. It is comfortable, has ample space for us, it is versatile, drives like a sports car(except for soft/smooth breaks), and gets decent mileage if driven accordingly. Only snag is that the cell app is impossible to get working for us, so I dont get to turn it on before getting out of the house, etc.