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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  Great XC again - 2009 Volvo XC70
  By Art Faul - September 27 - 11:43 am

  This is my fourth XC70 -- I current;y own one in the US and lease another in Europe. I have previously owned a 1999 (which had problems) and a 2001 XC70 which I picked up in Sweden on Volvos Tourist program. Contrary to the other review here, I am delighted with my new XC70. It is a solid comfortable ride. I did change the tires from the Continentals it came with to Bridgestones. Its a great addition to the lineup.. I do wish it had the Four C suspension. I got misled by the dealer about that.

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  250,000 miles and Still Going Strong - 2001 Volvo S80
  By xc6793 - September 27 - 5:21 am

  I recently purchased this as a second car from my dad (he put most of the miles on it during the last 12 years). Despite the age and miles, this car shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. Over the past 12 years, weve never had to do any major mechanical repairs other than replace the heater core. It amazes me how smooth this car drives, even at 80 mph. Im 26 and my friends (who are also in their twenties) copliment this car! As referenced by many others, this car has the GM transmission which does concern me, but its still original at 250,000 miles, so I guess it cant be that bad! Plan on keeping this car for as long as I can......

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  Volvo V70 T5 - 2005 Volvo V70
  By DWallace - September 27 - 1:13 am

  Excellent all rounder. I do a lot of freeway miles and this car makes the trips pleasureable. It has a lot of power which is useful when joining the freeway or overtaking. It has a very comfortable driving position and feels rock solid on the road. And believe it or not, its fun to drive. On an open road the performance of this car is quite surprising.

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  costs on replacement - 1998 Volvo V70
  By Guiness - September 26 - 10:00 am

  Ive own my wagon for 6yrs now,min repairs other than standard parts like timing belts, tires. One area that I ran into now at 201,000 miles is the rear struts. On my car the cost to replace them is $550.00 per side..( will not replace) so Ill live with the bumps or pot holes, but its really not bad. I am known to keep my cars until the engine goes, most of my other volvos have gone 370,000 miles, so still have 3-4yrs left on this one. One key factor on volvos, they never need a tune-up. same plugs etc and the car is 13 years old. So if your thinking of this year 1998, go for it...I also own a 1989 saab and that has 250,000 and it looks/drives as good as the day it came off the line.

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  bragging rights- great performance - 2004 Volvo S40
  By greatpurchase - September 26 - 10:00 am

  From the moment I test drove this car I loved it. The acceleration blew me away, not to mention the handling. I drove off the lot 2 hours later. 0-60 in a blink of an eye..I leave the competition in the dust. Handling, finish, reliability. My Favorite features are the rain drop/auto wipe feature,heated seats,audio system. Volvo got it right on this one.

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  worked it out - 2011 Volvo S80
  By Earl goldberg - September 26 - 10:00 am

  great car , quiet safe roomy

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  Throttle problem - 2002 Volvo S60
  By Adriano - September 26 - 1:40 am

  Got a problem at 94 k with throttle not working, needed ETM software upgrade and new accelerator pedal. I called Volvo and they said that this can happen with high mileage. Did not think that 94k is that high for a Volvo.

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  Driving Pleasure - 2004 Volvo C70
  By Ric - September 24 - 8:56 pm

  I purchased this car used, with only 2070 miles on it! The car is a pleasure to drive, very sporty looking, and gets great gas mileage (32.3 MPG highway. The quality of the build is typical Volvo, everything fits as it should, and solid as a rock.

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  Hit or Miss - 1998 Volvo S70
  By zachattack - September 24 - 6:53 pm

  If this car doesnt have service records for Gods sake dont buy it! On the way home from the dealer it overheated. Then the abs went out. Then the exhaust manifold cracked. Then a tie rod broke. Then the heater core went bad. Check engine light on every other week, literally. All extremely expensive (esp. For an 18 year old). Some of these s70s are great cars, but some just absolutly are not. If it feels tight, still get it checked out. Learn from my mistake. All this went wrong between 90-100k miles. Although they look awesome and drive like a bat out of hell, they can become hell.

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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