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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  850,S70,S60 whats next? - 2004 Volvo S60
  By tmorgan4 - November 22 - 2:16 pm

  Ive had the 850, S70 and now the S60 and this is probably the best car ive ever driven. Great on gas mileage,probably the most seductive sedan on the market and fun to drive. Pound for pound this might be the best european sedan on the market! I love everything about it, I cant even imagine what the next generation s60 will be like.

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  No more Volvos--EVER - 2000 Volvo S40
  By S40NoWay - November 21 - 2:00 am

  Extremely disappointed. In the shop more than I can count. Rear brakes, rotors, calipers replace. Oil line to turbo leaked. Headlites burnouts (its like headlites were just invented!), premature wear on tires and brake pads, etc, etc. Check Engine & service lites go on and off; All 4 wheel medallions fallen off. NO POWER BRAKE ASSIST INTERMITTENTLY ON STARTUP - MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE -dealer cant fix it. Electric vacuum booster pump is the culprit. Over the warranty limit so Im on my own with this hunk of junk. service department is the worst Ive EVER experienced. What arrogance and ineptness! cost of repairs is astronomical.

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  LEMON - 2004 Volvo XC90
  By mdstover - November 20 - 8:00 pm

  I purchased this car in September of 2009, 3 months later I am having to buy a new car. This was the biggest peice of crap I have ever owned. The test drive was fine but on our 120+ mile trip home after purchasing it I noticed a sound I hadnt heard before. We called and they offered to fix it. We thought great so we took it all the way back and had them fix it. After 2 weeks they were waiting on a part for the back wiper. I went and got it and would take it back later when they got the part it. Again on the way home a whole new experience. Suddenly my car had major electrical issues. Turns out it was a lemon when the got it and put a band-aid on the problem and passed it on to me.

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  2.5T - 2007 Volvo V70
  By RRB - November 19 - 1:16 pm

  Provides more usable space than most small SUVs while possessing better road manners and comfort. However, after having driven Saabs for many years, I found the large turning radius of this vehicle to be almost truck-like by comparison.

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  Volvo S60 - 2006 Volvo S60
  By dlester6909 - November 19 - 7:33 am

  Best car I have ever had. Its very responsive and agile. The smooth drive is what I expected from a midsized luxury sedan. The power from this 2.5 must not to be overlooked. I would encourage all to just take a test drive to see what I mean.

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  The most awesome SUV - 2006 Volvo XC90
  By Jan-Michael - November 18 - 11:00 am

  The Volvo XC90 V8 is a suv with a very good performance, and to drive it almost feels like a volvo V70 or a similar car. The brakes are really effective, and the seats are really comfortable, but a sunroof would be perfect above the third-row seats. The XC90 has a huge cargoarea if you fold down the third-row seats, its the same size as in the Excursion, or even bigger. The XC90 is the best SUV Ive ever driven. It has awesome performance, good cargoarea, Superb Audio-system, awesome quality, quickneasy removeable tow- hook. The materials in the car is very well chosen, everything feels "well done", nothing feels cheap or plastic.

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  I like this car - 2008 Volvo XC70
  By NYPAULY - November 17 - 4:13 pm

  I bought a new XC70 in April, so I havent had a chance to test it in snow and ice. I do a mix of city and highway driving and have averaged 24 MPG. The car handles well and is nice to drive, although I find the transmission hunting for gears sometimes. I had heard that the transmission is adaptive so that this may stablilize once it adjusts to my driving style.

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  Great car - 2004 Volvo S60
  By Davenick - November 16 - 10:00 am

  Great all around car. Extremely versitile, practical, safe and great to drive. Feels and drives solidly/

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  Frequent Breakdown - 2004 Volvo V70
  By Less than happy - November 16 - 10:00 am

  I previously owned the 2001 V70 T5, I loved the feel and performance but as the car approached the end of warranty period, break-downs became more and more frequent. So I thought I would give Volvo a second chance. I got a 2004. I have less than 1000 miles on my 2004 and it is in the shop with a major problem. Unless you have a butler that can spend his time driving back and forth to get maintenance, I would choose another manufacturer.

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  Whats with the whining? Awesome Car! - 2001 Volvo V70
  By Hi Speed Kid Hauler - November 16 - 10:00 am

  Replaced 92 945T with over 226K + original turbo......this car ROCKS! Fast, luxurious, SAFE, great mileage, and hauls 2 toddlers, the two big dogs qucikly, in comfort. Factory stereo jams. OK, I had ONE bulb replaced (theyre FREE so what?). NO other problems whatsoever and I drive fast, cruise at 80 mph get 25 mpg....These other people whining about tires lasting 20K (Z rated 17 inch, what do you want, they handle great), sidewall bubbles are caused by bashing into objects with too low air pressure (try 38 psi all around), maintenance costs are cheap, Mobil 1 oil change every 5K...love our car!