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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  Still Luvin It - 2008 Volvo C30
  By C30Grant - December 17 - 9:50 pm

  I have about 18,000 miles on my 2008 C30 and still love it. No significant problems. Its great to have a unique sporty car thats not seen everywhere, such as the Mini or VW GTI. There are a lot of aftermarket performance parts that owners are tricking-out their C30s with now. Id suggest a used 2008 or 2009 with low miles on it. Same exact powerful engine for both years.

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  My First Luxury Vehicle - 2007 Volvo XC90
  By master_pate - December 17 - 2:44 pm

  This was my first SUV, and first luxury vehicle in general. I bought it because of the look and safety features, and those have not let me down. This is one SUV I would keep forever except for the fact that I typically only get 14 MPG. I do almost exclusive city driving however.

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  TOO MANY PROBLEMS - 2003 Volvo S40
  By s40sucks - December 17 - 10:00 am

  I leased this new S40 in March 2001. Within the first year I had to replace a rear rotor due to a factory defect. During the second year with 10,000 miles on the car I needed new rear rotors and brake pads costing close to $500. I am currently fighting with Volvo to reimburse me. During the second year the shift light blew out, the front headlight had to be replaced, the power seat broke and needed a new switch, the steering colum needed repairs. The check engine light goes on and off continously, and the air conditioning is terrible. I would never consider another VOLVO and advise all to stay away!

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  Rides great at 110 MPH - 2003 Volvo XC90
  By Easy Rider - December 17 - 10:00 am

  I picked up the car at the factory in Sweden. It was a great experience to visit the factory and pick the car up at the location it was built. The factory tour was impressive. They were making mostly XC 90s, so we could see every stage of XC 90s being built. At the end of the day, we drove to the ferry. The next day, driving through Germany, the drive was great. The factory representative told us to take it easy, keep it under 4000 RPM. He estimated that would be about 85 MPH. He was wrong, with the T6, I was going 100 MPH before I new it at about 3000 RPM! It is truly a great ride.

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  Could be made better - 2001 Volvo S40
  By jackbuc - December 17 - 10:00 am

  The car handles well, however, there are problems. One, the doors are way to light. The paint could be of a better quality. The tires are below average. The engine is excellent but the steering and brakes are not up to par. I will need brake pads after 15,000 miles. The radio is OK but the cup holder is totally in the wrong place. Excellent pick up and fun to drive. If you are thinking of getting a volvo dont be cheap and get the s80.

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  Good buy, Great car - 2005 Volvo S60
  By marky mark - December 16 - 6:13 pm

  This is a great car! I am only 18 but I love my parents for getting me it, what can I say, were a volvo family. My dad has the s80 and the s60r brings the sport back to volvo. I also have an 2000 s70 glt which is fun, but doesnt compare. I only wish I had gotten manual.... except in those traffic jams

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  Having Fun in the Sun! - 2007 Volvo S60
  By Mike - December 14 - 9:46 am

  What a ride - beating out the Lexus IS 250, Acura TL and BMW 3 series, this is the best car if you want a flexible car - fun when it needs to be and luxurious when you want it to be. Added spoiler, Premium Package and Sport Package makes for a very sleek looking and luxuriously appointed car. Many positive comments about the interior and exterior fit and finish. Geartronic transmission a nice feature - like other posters I thought that the pedal response was a bit slow on the highway, before I realized I was doing close to 90 mph! Excellent pickup under 40 mph, consistently. It moves with any pedal pressure - immediate response. Very satisfied buyer!

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  My best driving car yet! - 2015 Volvo V60
  By Donald North - December 13 - 10:29 pm

  Im a long time Saab car enthusiast owning several over the past 20+ years including the classic 900 Turbo, 9000 CSE Anniversary Edition, and 9-5 Aero wagon. My 2003 9-5 Aero wagon was a great car to drive, being very comfortable with plenty of cargo space. However at 266k miles, with a daily 90 mile commute, it was time to replace it. I wanted a car as comfortable as it, which is not easy to find. Most cars have poor front seats for long term driving comfort. I like to move around a lot of stuff and need cargo space, hence my interest in only wagons. I briefly considered the 328 wagon - I like its exterior styling, however as typical BMW their seats are uncomfortable to me and you sit too low in the car. My wife recently leased a 320 (drives nice; seats and ergonomics suck), and I sat in every car at the dealer from 2 to 7 series and all of the seats are far less comfortable than those in my V60. I also have a lot of concern about their long-term reliability since I try to keep my cars to 200k+ miles. I also considered the VW Golf wagon, but it wasnt as quiet on the freeway as I would like. I tried and bought a new 2015.5 V60 T5 Drive-E with sport seats and suspension and have enjoyed it every day since I bought it. Its now over 2 years old and already has 59k miles and has not had any reliability problems. I recently replaced the tires with the same Pirellis that came with car. It is quiet and smooth at highway speeds and corners tightly and confidently. Front seats are very comfortable and need a little time to break in. Front visibility is great with no glare. I like the control layout and enjoy listening to satellite radio every day. Bluetooth connection to my phone is reliable and telephone sound quality is excellent. My only complaint was the stock acceleration was not quite as strong feeling as I enjoyed with my Saab. However that was fixed and the car transformed when I recently bought the Polestar Performance Optimization software for the car. It can be easily downloaded and installed at any Volvo dealer. With the new software, it now passes very quickly on the freeway while also improving the throttle and transmission behavior. Highway gas mileage in unchanged. This is now one hell of a European car! To me the V60 T5 Drive-E with Polestar software is the best currently available balance of comfort, safety, driving experience, fuel economy, and storage capacity. Highly recommended!

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  Great car S70 - 2000 Volvo S70
  By Sean - December 12 - 11:23 pm

  I bought this car with just over 100K on it. Being my first Volvo I was unsure how it would hold up. I am pleasantly surprised, what a great car! Ive put over 10K miles on it and it just purrs. Went to synthetic oil and min. 91 octane gas my mpg is 25.2 / 34. The 5 speed shfits smooth and likes to shift around 4K on the tac., a very solid car. Im 62" tall and fit easily, but I dont think Id like to long in the back seat, a bit tight back there.

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  Volvo XC-90 - 2005 Volvo XC90
  By R. Pyott - December 12 - 4:53 pm

  The XC-90 is fun and gives me a great feeling of security and safety. The handling is excellent. It has a nice turning radius. Acceleration on the highway is very good. The controls are conveniently positioned. I love the exterior appearance of the car. At first, the headrests felt a little strange but I love them now plus they are one of the only cars to pass the whiplash crash test.