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:

• 

  Worst Car I have Ever Owned!! - 2000 Volvo V70
  By Bonnie - March 30 - 3:56 pm

  This car has been a headache from the get-go. Dealer never fixed the MANY problems the first time in their shop. Had problems w/broken cup holder, electrical problems ALL the time. Had problem starting the car from day one, the dealer never fixed it after many attempts. Tranny clunked down-shifting couldnt fix that either. Rear hatch panel broke off cost $170 to fix a month later it came detached again. GET THIS, THEY TOLD ME IM SLAMMING IT TOO HARD! Then the ECS light came on and felt as if the car was going to stall. Dealer didnt tell me this was covered under a class action law suit I had to discover this myself. Then they tell me I had to replace $3,000 worth of RULING-OUT parts before

• 

  NO MORE VOLVO - 2002 Volvo S60
  By No More Volvo ! - March 27 - 11:40 pm

  Bought used in 2005 at 48,000 miles; regularly maintained after purchase. Engine death at 108,000 miles. Told it was "sludge" plugging the turbo, (despite our regular oil and filter changes.) Every minor thing cost an arm and a leg to fix. Blinker kept going out (short somewhere in system - ate bulbs like candy). Very expensive cost of ownership. The transmission was threatening to go, but the engine went first.

• 

  Get used to BAD NEWS! - 1999 Volvo S80
  By jjarnold - March 24 - 11:13 am

  This has to be the worst excuse for a "luxury" car I have ever experienced. Engine seals and gaskets replaced at 60,000 miles ($1,500)- Wheel bearings and tie rods replaced at 75,000 miles ($800) - Driver side power window fell off the track at 70,000 miles ($400) - Throttle sensor replaced 80,000 miles- ($1,200) Now I have more noises coming from the front end and I fear another trip to the Volvo dealer so I can pay $80+ an hour for them to fix this monster that they created. They are kind enough to give me a 10% discount on the repairs. What a relief!!? Never another Volvo in my future - could this be related to Ford now owning this once fine company? I will continue to spread the word!

• 

  OK if dealer supports - 1999 Volvo S80
  By jaego - March 22 - 10:00 am

  Have had insurmountable problems with am radio reception which still is not fixed. Had transmission replaced at 50000 and some strut at 25,000. Some rattles. Is safe as I T-boned a lady who ran a red light at 35mph and felt I had been hit harder by my 12 year old son. The car took a punch but the overall experience with dealer and radio has made it less than desireable.

• 

  just purchased - 2010 Volvo XC90
  By david - March 20 - 3:16 pm

  After an exhaustive look at a range of cars from the 4 Runner to the Range Rover Sport we settled on the XC90 and I think we got what we expected. An ok vehicle that has an appealing look but its not flashy, and the interior is nice but creature comfort is lacking. What sold us was the relatively decent price for the number of features and the 5 yrs of free maintenance. We also like the spacious interior and the 3rd row seats are nice to have if needed and space is not compromised, although the 2nd row is a little tighter than some competitors. Im 6 but could still sit there comfortably. This SUV will be a fill in for a few yrs until something in this $ range gets us excited.

• 

  Not Exaggerating, Run Far, Run Fast - 2006 Volvo XC90
  By Heather Mullins - March 20 - 7:36 am

  This was a 40th birthday present..worst $$ ever spent. fuel pump went out first yr. stranded in the middle of nowhere literally..3 recalls, middle console makes noise, front end steering makes popping noise (took many trips to fix) grinding noise in reverse, many trips to figure this out, side window leaks, OEM tires terrible, brakes replaced every 25,000 miles, power steering pump went out, now the car is not wanting to go in reverse and the key mechanism has problems, fuel door latch broke ($350 to fix) we are now cutting our losses and trading it for a GMC SLT Yukon, only 58,000 miles on this money pit!! Spend your $42K elsewhere!!

• 

  What has happened to Volvo Quality - 2000 Volvo S80
  By MDB51 - March 16 - 12:10 pm

  This was my second Volvo. My first was a 1994 that was great. I looked foreward to the 2000 S-80. Intially it was fine, I do put a lot of miles on my cars but I also religiously keep them serviced too. It seemed that after the warrently was up everthing seemed to go bad. My biggest problem was first my right front wheel assembly collapsed to the tune of about $3000. Then a year later the left side collapsed-the same amount. I heard there was a factory recall on U joints and I suspect that I was not the only one to have this problem. The front under trim kept falling off. I finally got rid of it for a Mercedes which still has quality in their cars.

• 

  Great ideas, but poor product support - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By KD - March 6 - 4:33 am

  Everything about what this car is supposed to be or do is great. However, there are a lot of bugs with the technology and the service department is not trained enough to deal with these said issues. My car is less than a year old and is back into the shop, again. It went into the shop on Thursday for what was supposed to be a minor software update. It is now Monday, and I am still without my car. Volvo technical support was contacted on Friday to address my situation, but I was told they are not good about responding on Fridays. I am confused. This is Volvos flagship vehicle. The service departments at the dealership do not have the knowledge or tools to deal with the car, and then the companys technical support dept starts its weekends on Thursday I guess!! This is very perplexing.

• 

  Nice looking, needs work - 2006 Volvo S80
  By Dave - February 26 - 6:56 am

  We chose this car because it was the best looking with the most interior room in its class. It is very comfortable, but the engine is woefully underpowered. Gas mileage lists between 20 and 27 mpg, I drive mostly highway and cannot get above 19 mpg, very disappointing. Little annoyances: there is only one button for lock/unlock. If your door is unlocked but passengers is locked, you must hit the button once to lock all doors, then again to unlock all doors. Homelink garage door opener should be standard on a luxury car, is instead in the convenience package which is expensive now that they include the back up assist. It is a beautiful, underpowered car, with minor annoyances.

• 

  VOLVO - 1996 Volvo 850
  By flody - February 25 - 10:00 am

  I have had a love hate relationship with this vehicle. I love flooring it and wasteing other cars but I hate the constant brake/electrical problems.