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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  Drove many, chose one. - 2004 Volvo XC90
  By colosnow - August 30 - 2:00 am

  The XC90 T6 drives close to my Audi A4 Avant without the cornering ability. The acceleration at higher speeds is insane, a big deal for those who spend a bit of time on the highway. I disagree with Edmunds on the third row seat criticism; the second row slides forward and back to create better space configs, and I tested both rows myself - I am 6 feet tall, over 200 lbs. A road trip may be out of the question, but still... Biggest con is mileage, but Volvo makes up for it with ULEV and PremAir (if your considerations are environmental).

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  XC 90 Big disapointment - 2004 Volvo XC90
  By m navarro - August 30 - 2:00 am

  car is fun to drive but not built very well. Have had 3 interior trim pieces fall off, Rear seat leather came apart (had it fixed 3 times) Car hesitates at shift points (feels like you took you foot off the gas) Surgers under hard acceleration, 3rd row seat hardware broke, rear stereo control broke, CD changer had to be replaced, Key unit had to be replaced, engine has a rattle, turdo whines under deceleration, lights on switches too dim, can not see in sunlight. One of the worst cars I have owned. Have bought BMWs for last 20 yrs. I wish I had not changed. Volvo has been no help

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  Not Bad Once you get it set correctly - 1999 Volvo S80
  By Dolphin - August 28 - 10:00 am

  This is a luxury car. Quiet, huge interior space, and great luggage capacity. Volvo sure did upscale their product with this vehicle. Absolutely the BEST seats I have ever been in, excellent for extended trips. The ergonomics are fine. I had to install a new cable for the am radio, earth fault on the original, and I am getting a spurious ABS STC light message. Oh yes, the message display screen seems to have a dark section in the middle of the display. Sometimes cannot read this display at all if the sun is hitting the display.

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  Not your fathers Volvo - 2002 Volvo S80
  By landlocked - August 28 - 10:00 am

  Dad loved his Volvo, and I am my fathers son, but the Volvo I have fallen in love with is ten times the car that dad owned when I was growing up. That said, theres still a lot under the skin that remains. The safety is still there, the comfort and solid feel is still there, but it now has a skin that turns heads wherever I go. Ive had the car a little over a year now, and I expect to get many more out of the car. More than a few people tell me that everyone in the office envies my car. It looks and feels good inside and out.

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  Great Car! - 2008 Volvo V50
  By jimmysworking - August 28 - 3:50 am

  Love the car. I have had it for a little over a week and enjoy it each time I slide into the drivers seat. The seat is one of the most comfortable I have ever been in. The fit and finish is excellent. Even though it is a smaller car, I feel safer in this than many larger cars I have been in. I like the feeling of having all of that Volvo Safety engineering around me and my family. All of this and it still feels very sporty.

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  The Lupus Car - 2001 Volvo S60
  By Sara - August 27 - 11:43 pm

  This is the most unreliable car I have ever owned, in the few months of ownership the car has been towed 3 times. I fact it reminds me of the ford "exploder" I once owned. Where should I begin? at approx. 70,000 the rotors had to be replaced, the sunroof broke, both headlights and license plate lights burned out with the plastic casings needing to be replaced, the fuel injection caused the car to stall into limp mode (the first tow), the battery cables were loose causing (the second tow) the transmission is slipping causing the car to lurch forward, and the third tow is do to another stall with unknown causes. I have owned this car 4.5 months. I will never recommend a Volvo.

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  Truly European spirit - 2005 Volvo V50
  By Sergey - August 27 - 10:50 am

  I have 2.4i auto with sport package and premium audio. It is an amazing fun to drive it. More over, exterior looks very fresh and attracts much attention, especially with my rare color - safari. On the dynamic side it is OK. Somewhat excessive spin-off at start on wet roads and less than expected acceletation uphill somewhat diminish the fun. Switching from manual transmission I notice annoying transmission lag during sudden change from braking to acceleration. Interior is very well-thought. It is asthetic, versatile and the most unique ive seen so far. Some extra head room and better road visibility would help a lot. Otherwise enough space everywhere.

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  Horrible Experience - 1999 Volvo S80
  By crode22 - August 26 - 5:03 am

  I purchased this car with 70,000 miles on it. I had it for 3 months when the power steering column broke that was 1k to fix, a few months later I have to get brakes fixed, this costs 1k for all four brakes. Now it is leaking oil and though I bought it for 15k two years ago I cant get more than 3k for a trade in. This car is fun to drive but not at all reliable.

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  Not a Volvo, A Mitsubishi - 2000 Volvo S40
  By wd - August 25 - 5:36 am

  Volvo made a critical error in marketing this Mitsubishi built car as a Volvo. It has really hurt their overall rep in the USA. While the car is decent and can last a good while if HEAVILY cared for (now at 135K and still running strong), it just does not have the build quality of a Swedish built sedan. Volvo if you learn anything from this experience, do NOT sell out again just to get market share...it hurts you in the long run. Volvo buyers are NOT simple minded and we know good products and bad products. The 2000-04 S40 is just a bad product (relative to what we expect)

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  No Problems whatsoever, EVER! - 1999 Volvo V70
  By Two328 - August 23 - 10:00 am

  The car the lasts forever, and appearently it has. People buy luxury cars like this one, and think that, since they are expensive, that you can treat them like crap and trash them. Some people are just too hard on their cars. We bought are 99 V70 wagon and have had no problems whatsoever. We have treated it well and it has treated us well. I also do believe that sometime, people do just happen to get a bad car, but not everybody. Our car is a great car, great value, still turning heads, very "Classic" looking and extremily comfortable. And if your going to buy a nice car like this, dont be cheep and buy a non- leather car, it just doesnt make since!