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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  Tough times in the last 2 yrs - 1996 Volvo 850
  By turbodude99 - October 12 - 2:00 am

  Great car to drive, but expensive to keep on the road. It has high mileage, but Volvos are expected to be solid. Replacements over the last couple of years - ABS unit, turbo (expected at 150K), AC compressor, both O2 sensors, shocks and complete brakes (rears twice) water pump, fuel pump,2 ABS sensors, + minor items. It currently is burning / losing oil. Source not found yet. I did a lot of research on this vehicle prior to buying it and unfortunately, was very disapointed in the reliability.

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  Do not buy this car! - 2001 Volvo S40
  By Emily - October 6 - 9:30 pm

  I purchased this car as a certified pre-owned. It was 3yrs old and had only 35k mi., but almost immediatly I began having problems - from the steering wheeling vibrating, brakes needing to be replaced, having to replace the entire sunroof, and varous engine parts failing. As soon as the warranty was up, I started taking it other places, but eventually was sent back to a dealer when my check engine light would not go off. Volvo informed me they could try a download to the cars computer, but warned me this occassionaly resulted in the computer freezing and the car becoming unusable, and it would be my expense to fix.

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  Good Ride/Bad Mileage - 2006 Volvo XC90
  By Bob Scruggs - October 4 - 11:08 pm

  My 2006 xc90 is my fourth Volvo, all bought used. They have all been excellent cars. The gas mileage of the first three has been acceptable. I was not prepared for the disastrous mileage of my xc90. It has a T-5 engine (five cylinder). My average mileage is 12.5 miles per gallon. It is obvious to me that I cannot keep this car. The comfort, style, and performance are outstanding, but I cant afford the mileage. I have done everything to put the car in tip-top shape, even the sparkplugs which cost $25 each. The motor performs well, and is extremely smooth. My only hope is that the software can be updated to give me better mileage. And this is more of a wish than a hope. No, I didnt do due diligence when I bought this car, because of the great experience of my prior Volvos. I know Ill lose money trading, but Ill lose more money keeping this particular car. My wife and I are up in the years, and this was to be our last car; but it will be, I hope, our next to lat car. I cant wait to trade. I can get a luxury car with better mileage. But I will inquire about the software which might help the mileage before trading. A sad story ....

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  Please DONT buy, lost a lot of money on this puppy - 2004 Volvo XC90
  By too_trendy_1 - September 24 - 7:07 am

  Oh boy, lets see, bought the 2004 xc90 T6 last year 2014 with only 72K miles on it,good deal right!? WRONG! The transmission "fell out" about 3 months after owning it. We had a HUGE thunderstorm, which lead to a flood in the Volvo due to the seal on the sunroof needed to be cleaned. Back Breaks and drums needed to be replaced a few months later. Then no real problems for about 6 months, and then it wouldnt start. The techs couldnt figure out why? Put in a new started, bought a new key, and it still wasnt starting, 11 months later, GOT RID OF IT! Traded it in .. I wasted close to $7,000 plus in repairs, and lost on it when I traded it in. DO NOT BUY the T6 I should of done my research

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  at 68K need to get new car - 2001 Volvo S60
  By Kathy, Mtn View - September 19 - 2:00 am

  I have had the S60 for 10 years now, it has never left me stranded but I never get more than 20 MPG, even for a long trip. Had to replace the sunroof, now it seems the radiator is leaking, the transmission seems quirky, it has trouble shifting into higher gear so that may be sign of trouble, at 68K would not expect any of those items to be an issue. So at this point I am in process of looking for a good used car, will trade this in.

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  We wanted to love this car.... - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By Smokejumper - September 10 - 3:30 am

  The xc90 has a beautiful look to it. When we decided to get rid of our Acura MDX, we tested several luxury SUVs. Both my wife and I really favored the Volvo. That is, until we drove it. We wanted to love it so much that we returned for 3 test drives but in the end it was just underwhelming. The engine is underpowered and the driving experience was nonexistent, but we might have lived with that. What really disappointed us was the interior. Volvo was proud to tells us that their seats were designed by a medical doctor and took 6 years to complete. Well, they really arent that comfortable. The interior felt like an empty box....Spartan appointments for a vehicle over 50k. The infotainment console is too far away from the driver and the system was unneccessarily complicated. The positioning of controls did not seem to have a logical or ergonomic design. Overall, the xc90 felt cheap and hollow. Just how cheap was really apparent once we drove the BMW X5, Mercedes GLE and others in the luxury SUV class. We felt it was very overpriced.

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  A little Disappointed - 2012 Volvo S60
  By paria - August 25 - 7:50 pm

  I am a little disappointed in my 2012 Volvo S60 that I bought brand new last year. Ive only had it for one year, but it was taken to the shop 4 different times. The Volvo symbol on the front came off, the silver part on the steering wheel cut me when it peeled off, the mp3 player connection within the arm rest had to be replaced, and I replaced the windshield wipers(after owning the car 2 weeks) due to invisibility from rain. I thought something was wrong with the windshield, but after Volvo dealership mechanics assured me it wasnt the window, I realized it was the windshield wipers. I wasnt expecting to return to the shop (using my gas) For a luxury vehicle at this price.

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  The Car that Couldnt - 1999 Volvo S80
  By My Great S80 LEMON - August 21 - 2:10 pm

  Turbo engine smooth and powerful, but many mechanical problems and design issues. Even SRS systems stop working, Volvo took no responsibility and left me with Un-Safe vehicle. Engineer could solve problem. Fuel Tank stop accepting fuel - Volvo could not explain, Fuel line broke within weeks after spending $2200 to fix other problems. Electronic Control Module (control for SRS is located beneath cup holderwhich leaked twice and cost me >$800 each time to fix. Volvo took responsibility for bad design or offered solution. Bottom line is Volvo and its dealers left me with expenses and estimates of more than $15,000 on a car with less than 86,000 miles and a lot less safe than older cars.

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  BLIS and More - 2010 Volvo XC60
  By XC - August 17 - 5:00 pm

  Six trips to repair BLIS - the last to have new software downloaded and was told it was fixed. It was on in my driveway...it was on in an empty parking lot while I was in Park. Still not fixed. Just had the rack and pinion steering replaced. Did I mention the car has less than 10,000 miles on it, is 4 months old and I bought it with 4500 dealer miles on it? Volvo just offered me a new replacement vehicle, but I want out completely and have lemon law arbitration in about a week. The vehicle is a bust and so is the dealership.

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  Win the Lottery! - 2000 Volvo S80
  By Stuck-in-PA - August 17 - 10:00 am

  After "upgrading" to Volvo from American, Im going back. Many good features, but not worth the maintenance and repair costs--and they wont stand by their product. They admit that there are bugs in the 2000 model, but Im paying the enormous costs. Problems: Electronic Throttle Module replacement, A/C, ABS module, bulbs burning out, suspension, rattles, fan assembly, etc... Not worth the premium paid and buying into the Volvo quality/saftey image!