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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  Fabulous first month with XC90 T8 - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By Tom T. - March 22 - 11:31 am

  My initial experience with the car is overwhelmingly positive. So far I have put about 1000miles on the SUV, about 75% mileage comes from local driving - commuting to/from work, driving kids to school and other places etc. I have yet to take a long trip or push the car to its limits. Therefore it can’t qualify as a complete ownership review. But for whatever it worths, I share my $0.02 with current and will-be fellow Volvo owners. Maybe we start with some low lights Sensus Touch Screen Technologies are awesome, but also can be difficult to master. This is true in 2016 XC90. Its central touch screen has 3 views to slide from left and right, plus a “car setting” view that is pulled from the top. The screen navigation is complicated. After two weeks, I still have trouble remembering how to get to certain settings. I tend to consider myself a techie and quite adept at picking up new things, Volvo central control proved that I am not as smart as I thought I was. Key fab It’s a classy design with leather wrapped around bulk of surface area. It carries touch of a fine watch. Function buttons are located on the either side, and that is where the trouble comes. The buttons are small, difficult press and even more difficult to feel which is “lock” or “unlock”. You will have to see it. My key fab leather is blonde, matching the car’s interior. However, Being in the pocket and rubbing against other stuff all the time isn’t the formula to keep key fab clean. The key fab frame is aluminum. My key has received a couple of small dents on the frame so far. Volvo, if you are reading the post, please make the frame stainless steel. The aluminum frame doesn’t match the leather wrap nor the $80K car price tag. Park assist, Camera - bird’s eye view My T8 comes with vision package, a great value and a must-have in my opinion. I especially love the synthesized bird eye view of the car. I found it much more useful than park assist. I, for one when equipped with the overview camera, don’t have trouble maneuvering the car regardless parallel parking or back up parking. Park assist, on the other hand, reacts slowly. While I can see its usefulness for many, I only tested it for a couple of time before reverting to much faster manual parking. BTW, park assist did work quite well when I used it. The bird’s eye view image becomes wonky when other tall objects are nearby. This perhaps is the only knock on the vision package. I think it can be corrected via software algorithm. I hope Volvo has a future software update for this. Voice recognition Works about 80-85% of time. The number might seem high, but in day-to-day usage, it is not very dependable. Volvo obviously has some catch-up to do with Google etc in the voice recognition domain. One USB port and no SD card slot Dealer told me XC90 accepts micro SD card, but I am unable to insert the micro SD card to the slot next to the glove box release button. No place in the manual refers to micro SD card either. This interlude attests how much a dealer knows about this new vehicle. And one USB port in this connected era spells major inconvenience for the owners. I have to keep swapping between my phone, USB stick and passenger’s phones. Having said all of that, there is a lot to like, or may I say the word love, about XC90 T8. First and foremost, Quite and Smooooooth The twin engine combo has far exceeded my expectation. The transition between the electric and gas engine is so seamless that I often fail to notice the switch taking place. Thanks to the hybrid powertrain, the car starts with electric engine with zero noise and gas engine kicks in when more power is needed or cruising at high speed. The result? no 4 cylinder whining at low gear. the start/stop also works fabulously well in T8. In many way, the car waltzes around with V8 like grace, smoothness and tranquility. Not only twin engines augment each other well, regenerative braking and mechanical braking work in perfect harmony. I don’t believe any non-racing driver would be able to tell which braking is at work unless he peeks at the dashboard. Power I’ve not floored the gas pedal and rev the engine to the red line. The car is still breaking in, I have to be easy on the throttle. So I can’t verify the 5.3 sec from 0-60 mph, yet…. Even with that, XC90 T8 has plenty of juice at the low end, cruising around effortlessly with 5 people on board. With a gentle push on on gas pedal, freeway overtaking comes with ease. 400 horse power brings about the reassuring feeling. While I won’t use it every time when taking the freeway on-ramp, I know all the ponies are there there to haul the heavy SUV when I need to. Touch Sensus Except Telsa which I haven’t used, Volvo’s touch screen beats Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Lexus etc. in my opinion. The screen is clear under the direct sunlight and responsive to inputs. It may be prone to finger prints, but courtesy protective screen cover and mic

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  Lovee it - 2001 Volvo S80
  By Kayla - March 21 - 3:43 pm

  So far I havent had any problems with this car. The timing belt was replaced at 115,000 miles, but thats just typical maintenance. Id heard that the maintenance was going to be extremely expensive. It is slightly more expensive but not that bad at all. It only gets about 18mpg though. Even when Im at a long light or sitting in park with the car on for a long time, the engine runs very smoothly and extremely quietly. I expected the engine to be noisy because of the age of the car but its one of the quietest engines Ive ever heard. There is also very little road noise. Oh and a warning light is flashing warning me about a bulb failure, and from what Ive read this happens pretty often.

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  I love my XC70 - 2005 Volvo XC70
  By Rick Pascal - March 21 - 3:01 am

  First of all, its a beautifully styled car, very comfortable and great on gas mileage...27-29 highway and about 22 locally on regular gasoline. Excellent acceleration. Very spacious cargo area. Ive had mine since 2005 and have over 115,000 miles; I feel it will go another 115,000 easily. Virtually no maintenance problems. Service recommendations are at 7500 miles but I change oil every 3750 miles. Body is still in fantastic condition; no rust or wear. Leather seats have worn beautifully. I would recommend this car very highly. The only downside is that I wish there were a compass in the dashboard and a bigger place to hold sunglasses. Volvo offers a great deal for European Delivery, too. Theyll give you two round trip tickets to Gothenberg, Sweden plus a nights stay in a hotel.

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  3rd V70 in seven years. - 2005 Volvo V70
  By patrick sombsthay - March 17 - 12:53 am

  This is my third V70. It is a superb machine a lot more stylish than any minivan or SUV that eveyone is driving today. Superb ergonomics , beautiful lines , a lot of cargo room . THe wagon surprisingly is more economical than my Audi A4 sedan. I recommend it highly .

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  V70R V"R"ooooom - 2004 Volvo V70
  By Anthony Gagliano - March 16 - 2:00 am

  This Volvo is the best of all worlds. This car incorporates the world-class safety of a Volvo, the dependability and quality of a Volvo, the utility of a wagon (without bucking wind and guzzling fuel like an SUV), distinctive good looks (a Volvo is rarely mistaken for any other brand vehicle) and truly, enviromenally friendly fuel economy. But the fun begins when the twin turbo, 5 cylinder engine is fired. With 300 horses this car is a surprise to everyone...including the driver. The "active chassis" AWD adds additional opportunities for fun while increasing the overall safety of this car.

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  perfect - 2004 Volvo XC90
  By skillz - March 16 - 2:00 am

  It is a great car i suuggest everyone to buy it

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  wonderful motorcar - 1999 Volvo S70
  By v settle - March 15 - 10:00 am

  This is the finest automobile I have ever owned. It has all the amenities, style, performance, and safety features that one can buy at an affordable price to own. I would recommend this fine engineered vehicle to anyone who desires the best in quality and safety that will last.

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  Poor front bumper ground clearance - 2006 Volvo V70
  By William Likens - March 15 - 12:16 am

  Beautiful car, but has problem with poor ground clearance. Bumper cover scrapes curb stones and gets damaged when pulling out of parking spaces. Dont buy the R model unless you are willing to pay for multiple $950 bumper cover replacements. It happened to me. Apparently the experience is very common. The V70 has better front clearance.

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  Versatile SUV` - 2006 Volvo XC90
  By Erica - March 12 - 11:50 am

  I was skeptical about venturing back into an SUV, as my last SUV was a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee, which was a gas guzzler and fairly trucky ride. One test drive of the XC90 cured me of any concerns I had related to comfort. The XC90 handles almost identical to my S60, which was traded for the XC. Volvo did a great job of creating a functional, elegant SUV that does as good of a job hauling stuff as it does safely transporting our daughter. And all without sacrificing safety.

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  Superb Compact Wagon - 2004 Volvo V40
  By rachmaninov1 - March 11 - 10:00 am

  The car is great for families with small children who want an entry-level luxury car. Seats: In both short trips and hundred mile journeys, the driver and passenger front seats are extremely comfortable. However, a rear seat with integrated booster can feel awkard at first. Leather is beautiful, rugged, and cleans easily. Handling: Extremely responsive, though steering is tighter than I had expected. Acceleration: 170hp w/ Turbo provides a smooth, powerful push. Braking: Very strong; have not had problems with pads. Stereo: Takes a while to get used to knob-only control. Rich sound. No satellite option.