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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  Way behind the Technology - 2009 Volvo C70
  By Steve - August 7 - 11:00 am

  The looks are great, inside and out. Ride is comfortable, especially the highway driving I do. Handling is a little mushy. The car is quiet as a hardtop, top up, not bad, top down. Seats are incredibly comfortable and definitely recommend the sovereign leather. Technology is embarrassing. The Navigation is like a built is Garmin. The phone is HORRID; very few phones are compatible, and any time I have tried to upgrade phone software, wont sync to the phone book. The other problems are the gas pedal is 1-2 inches lower than the brake pedal, which is awkward, and the Climate Control is weak. After 6 months, Im going to see if I can trade it if I can do it without losing too much money

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  Good Value - 2006 Volvo V50
  By LA Commuter - August 5 - 3:16 pm

  Traded in my Jag XJ8 VDP for a silver station wagon and so far has little regrets. Better gas mileage (23 MPG average) compensates for luxury features, and the V50 is a very fine looking car from almost all angles. What surprised me is how well the car handles. The downside is ride quality (can feel lots of LA street bumps), and how A/C can draw down gas mileage significantly. The space behind center controls looks neat, but not very functional. Overall, a happy owner. The silver color also means fewer car washes because it doesnt look dirty, as long as you Windex the windows.

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  easy to drive - 2004 Volvo XC90
  By cathy - August 5 - 12:50 am

  easy to drive, park, reverse - however, visability could be improved. had horn go out on me the first month. if it rains, when you open door(s), water falls out. i get asked questions about the volvo all the time - over all - so far - great - except for visability.

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  Worst car I have ever owned - 2001 Volvo S60
  By TURNER - August 1 - 12:33 am

  This car had more problems than I care to think about. I babied this car and still had sensors go bad, sunroof broken, transmission go bad at 80000 miles, lights burnt out and impossible to adjust. And last but not least, the cars engine was shuttering when I traded it in, my guess, bad turbo charger. The gas mileage was decent, but nothing spectacular. 19 city and 28 highway.

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  Nice car but next time a turbo - 2008 Volvo S80
  By Tall Volvo owner - July 30 - 4:03 pm

  I just purchased the 2008 3.2 S80 (I have had it for 48 hours); I like the look of the car interior and exterior. The car comes up short with the handling; it has a floaty feel to it and I live in Europe and have driven Audis, Passats and Lancias. These car have great pick-up; this car does not; you learn a lot about a vehicle when taking a trip from Germany to Italy through the mountains at night. Overall I have to say it is a nice car but the suspension needs work; Turbo is necessary if you want to get that extra kick when you need it. Also, some features should come standard with the car, e.g. blue tooth, front and rear warning detection for parking.

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  a great first convertible - 2001 Volvo C70
  By tonyo - July 27 - 10:00 am

  The only problem that should be looked into by volvo is the decision to put Pirelli tires on the vehicle. They were defective from day one and nobody did anything to help. At 1 year, I replaced all 4 tires. They rode hard and wore out fast. Other than that, this car is a keeper.

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  Recent Purchase - 2004 Volvo XC90
  By keithschultz - July 21 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this vehicle over other suvs based on safety concerns and size. So far the vehicle has been great. Complaints are as follows: 1. Second row seats do not recline. 2. About 14 mpg overall 3. There is no compass. Positives: 1. Good interior design 2. Good engine response with little turbo lag. 3. Excellent handling for a vehicle of this weight 4. Excellent brakes. 5. Good sound system

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  poor gas mileiage - 2009 Volvo C30
  By joel k - July 15 - 2:33 pm

  This is aquality car that fun to drive.

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  Good looking, comfortable cruiser - 2005 Volvo V70
  By direnius - July 14 - 2:42 pm

  Living in Istanbul with narrow street and lots of ups and downs I was a bit worried how this car would handle the city. But it did -even better than my previous V40. Its a joy to drive to work every day, but even more fun to drive around in the country side. Its audio (Dynaudio) is wonderfull, the power (2.0T) is more than enough to get the head start, needed once in a while and the comfort is unbeatable. What it lacks is a USB (or even AUX) connection. Thinking that one third of the price Renaults has both a MP3 playing CD player and a USB connection standart, this is something Volvo should be ashamed of. Still its a beauty and a more good looking station wagon is hard to come by.

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  Disappointed with 98 V70 Wagon - 1998 Volvo V70
  By Volvo Fan - July 13 - 1:16 pm

  I have owned both the 90 240 sedan and 85 240 wagon. I still have my 85 wagon and love it even with 200,000 plus... safe, sturdy and dependable, though quite noisy. After having kids it was a natural progression to go to the V70 but after the 100000 mark it has been a big disappointment. Computer problems with unclear diagnosis, interior cosmetic problems like leather pulling away from doors, visor flopping down, interior plastic pulling away from the tailgate, rubber edging falling off the door and more. We treat the car well and gently (never slamming the doors). I have spent $2000 to maintain the car in 2004 (thats without fixing the leather interior/tailgate).Not what Volvo used to be.