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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  Quality Car w/Qwerky Electronics - 1999 Volvo S70
  By VOVO - August 6 - 10:00 am

  Im very happy with how the car has performed except for a few very minor electrical problems. The engine coolant level sensor failed. A false warning light is illuminated on the dash. A fragile gear in power mirror broke. I was disappointed to find out the gear can only be ordered with the mirror motor for several hundred dollars. I put the battery on a charger, which caused the climate control system to generate a fault. Everything reset itself after I restarted the car. No one makes repair manuals for this year Volvo. This is not the car for the DIYer. Electronic manuals are sold by Volvo on an annual subscription basis at an exorbitant cost.

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  Urgent Transmission Service Required - 2003 Volvo XC90
  By viking - August 6 - 10:00 am

  We waited six months for it. With 200 miles on the odometer, taking daughter to school, my wife had to call Volvo roadside assistance due to sudden sluggishness follwed by a dashboard message "Urgent Transmission Service Required." The dealer had the car for 4 days, and flew in a Volvo master tech to fix the problem - bad solenoid that locks in gears. Dealership never heard of problem, but one of the salesman heard that it had happened in a handful of other XC90s with low mileage. Aside from this early problem, we love the stylish exterior, the comfy interior, the practical seating, the decent soundsystem.

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  Are you kidding me? - 2003 Volvo S60
  By Scot - August 6 - 7:03 am

  We bought this car in 2003. It was a safe sporty family car. Shortly there after the problems began. First electrical and module problems, which cost us $2,000. Then transmission problems, followed by sounds from the brakes, and some other misc. things I didnt understand, repairs quoted at $8,000. Thats 3 years and $10,000 in repairs. Topped off with an electrical system failure, that required it to be towed to the shop. I am now waiting for for my latest quote, which I imagine wont be cheap, because the only thing cheap on this car is the quality. If you read any good reviews on this car they were written by a dealership. Run away as fast as you can!

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  Holy Cow, Where do I start. - 2001 Volvo S40
  By Grant - August 5 - 7:03 am

  I saw many of the reviews on this site and said OMG, I have had the same problems. I got this car to go back and forth to college, boy it was a nightmare. OK we will go down the list. Sunroof needed to be replace upon driving it off the lot (sunroof leaked in water), suspension has a lot of noise, Check engine light comes on when it wants, AC comes on when it wants and doesnt work at intermediate speeds, constantly replacement of bulbs (especially headlights, twice a year and they are not cheap), paint chips easy, turbo line leaked causing a oil leak, constantly replacement of brake pads and rotors, poor braking, AWFUL Fuel economy (around 17 MPG) continues below in improvements section*

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  Sporty with safety build in - 2005 Volvo S40
  By john H - August 4 - 3:13 pm

  The Volvo S40-T5 is a compact family car with the driving charactistics of a sports car. The adjustability of drivers seat and steering column make it even for a tail person like myself possible to be confortable in the S40- T5. Acceleration is impressive but will not set track records. The car is very sturdy built and the excellent reputation that Volvo has regarding safety was one of the factors why I bought the S40-T5. If you are like me and keep your vehicles for a long time (8-10 years)A Volvo is the car to consider.

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  Fast and Fun - 2015 Volvo S60
  By fordescortgt - August 4 - 2:04 pm

  This is a great highway car. It is very composed, fairly quiet, and extremely comfortable while commuting back and forth the 80 miles to work. The car is an absolute rocket, whether in sport mode or not. However what is truly nice is that you have an option. In normal mode the car will accelerate off the line with the authority dictated by how hard you press your right foot down, but you can also drive quite leisurely. Switch to sport and the car is absolutely manic, press the gas and hold on. The car feels like it will never stop accelerating. The only draw back in sport mode is it feels twitchy all the time.

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  The Gold Standard for wagons - 2009 Volvo V70
  By MSmith - August 1 - 6:50 pm

  Love it. Nobody does it better when it comes to wagons.

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  Run away! - 1999 Volvo S80
  By Sherrill - July 31 - 6:40 am

  I wish the reviews had been available before we bought the car because we sure wouldnt have. It has been a nightmare. We have probably paid half as much on repairs as we paid for the car. We just keep pumping money into it because it is paid for and we dont want another car payment so we feel trapped. The body parts are even falling off (headliner, etc)

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  THE BOMBBBBBBBBBB - 2004 Volvo S60
  By OhSweetSuccess - July 30 - 10:00 am

  The Volvo S60 is the bomb. This car is just awesome (for all those who dont now what "the bomb" means). It rides like a dream and handles w/shear elegance. I chose the Volvo S60 over the Mercedes C240 Kompressor because It handles so much better, is much more comfortable and has more room. ITS "THE BOMB"

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  Fun to drive with room for family - 1999 Volvo V70
  By edevries3 - July 30 - 10:00 am

  I have owned my 99 V70 GLT since new. We have had very few problems with it. It does seem to burn through headlights and brakes quickly but other than that it has been very reliable and a blast to drive. We love our Wagon!! I am looking forward to buying a new one someday!