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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  Perfect driving dinamic - 2012 Volvo C30
  By 1ptbijou - September 21 - 9:24 pm

  This is my first Volvo, I was looking for a drivers car and this is it. The driving confort and position is superb. The power is very good at low RPM, the 2.5 L. turbo has a lots of tork at only 1500 RPM. and no turbo lag. If you are looking for a reliable European car, this is it, the ride is very confortable for our bad roads. I selected the 16 wheels for that reason. I just drove from Vermont to Nova Scotia in 12 hours non stop with zero back problems. I dont understand why this car is not selling more as mine was the price of a Civic SI and Volvo is having huge promotions with 5years waranty and free maintenance 0% finance and $5000. off.

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  FUN, FAST, SAFE - 2009 Volvo S80
  By Mlee - September 21 - 7:30 pm

  Came from XC90 to S80. A classy ride, Big step across but not down. Love it.. Needed smaller size, good road ride and more power. Got it. Go for the turbo and upgrade package. Very nice, Volvo very nice. Not yous old moms car any more. Nice

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  Buyer Beware - 2007 Volvo XC90
  By prb - September 21 - 3:43 am

  We purchased this 2007 SUV in Oct 06, 1300 miles later, and 200 miles from home the water pump went out. Volvo cannot get a part for three (3) weeks. We were left stranded with little or no support from Volvo. Customer service is as worthless as the warranty. Although, I rated the vehicle well, I would never, ever purchase another, simply due to the poor support from Volvo. In all fairness selling dealer did more than they had to and has tried to assist where they could. Vehicle remains 200 miles from my residence awaiting a water pump.

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  Great little car - 2009 Volvo C30
  By D - September 20 - 9:23 pm

  We bought a C30 on our return to the US after a few years overseas. Previously wed owned a 2003 VW GTi and a 2001 Porsche Boxster but now we only need one car. The C30 has everything we require -- more refined than the VW and, okay, not a Porsche but much cheaper to run. Space is fine for the two of us and the performance is more than good enough. When we bought it the trip computer software had not been loaded. The dealerships salespeople said it wasnt available on the manual. This simply was not true and the mechanics at the dealership installed it in a few minutes when we took it for its first service.

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  So Far so Good S60 - 2003 Volvo S60
  By Fredericksburg Steve - September 19 - 8:16 pm

  I just bought my S60 2.4T about 10 days ago. It was a certified car and coincidentally, it had 3 years or 56K miles, whichever comes first, of B-to-B warranty remaining the day I bought it (1/28/2006). I wanted to buy a certified BMW 330i or a 325i but they were just too expensive. Nonetheless, my quest for a European sports sedan led me to the Volvo dealer and a test drive in my metallic silver S60 with the 17" "Stentor" wheels and Continental ContactSport II tires. I am very pleased so far with my S60 and I do like the "auto-stick" feature of the Geartronic transmission. The front seats are most comfortable and the memory settings please my wife also. I think I made the right choice.

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  2005 volvo S40 - 2005 Volvo S40
  By amit patel - September 19 - 6:30 pm

  This is a real fun car to drive and it is one of the best handling cars that I have ever owned. I didnt expect this nice an offering from Volvo. They have really out done themselves this time

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  Not just your average sophisticated look - 2006 Volvo S60
  By Satisfied Dad - September 19 - 7:20 am

  I considered the S60R for over a year before I purchased. In fact, until I saw it in Grey I had decided to buy another brand. I AM SO HAPPY I DIDNT. The car is unique to look at , you hardly see R on the road and anyone whos knows performance sedans is aware of what it can do head to head. My neighbor ended up ordering the new 300 Lexus with the 307hp motor. My car came in a week earlier then his, the look on his face said "I wish I had considered the R". Its hot to look at, performance is awesome, I get around 22 to 23 mpg mostly suburban driving and have racked up 7,000 miles already

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  took me a few cars to get it right - 1999 Volvo S70
  By obsessedwithcarz - September 17 - 10:00 am

  I have turned in three cars this year and finally found the right one. I made the mistake of turning in my 93 Volvo 850 and not buying another used Volvo. but I finally have the 99 S70 and found one almost wholesale at a Mitsu dealer. Reliability is spotty, so I went out and bought a warranty from online after researching for one and now i not only have the car I want at a great price, I now have a bumper to bumper warranty with road hazard for the next five years. Talk about the biggest bang for your buck. Cant wait for my first car trip!

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  T5 Fun - 2001 Volvo V70
  By strat1 - September 17 - 10:00 am

  Its been great owning this car. Weve loved its versatilty, solid feel, performance and comfort. Its been very reliable, perfect to this point. We drove the BMW 528 befor buying this and noticed that the it felt better than our 960 sedan, however, when we drove the T5 it felt as good and was a heck of alot faster for $9,00 grand less but that included $1,000 loyalty bonus at the time.

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  2008 XC90 3.2 AWD - 2008 Volvo XC90
  By SYeard - September 17 - 9:50 am

  Picked up the car at the beginning of July and its been happy driving from day one. The XC90 is a pleasure to drive with the 6 cylinder engine and the versatility of the 7 seat capability is a must for all active SUV owners. A very premium experience.