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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  2004 Volvo V70R - 2004 Volvo V70
  By Don Jones - June 28 - 10:00 am

  I say: CAR OF THE YEAR! My car keeps pace with the Boxter yet can handle a surprisingly big load. The 4C system is user friendly and the buttons are centrally located. The 6-spd manual transmission is smooth and practically guides itself into each gate. The seats are the most comfortable I have ever driven and provide ample support. Be sure to get the optional stereo upgrade: 325 watts of pure music enjoyment. I got the On-Call service, which has an integrated phone (steering wheel controls too). The dials are very cool, especially at night! The performance, innovation, safety and price are all trend-setters and superior to the competition.

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  S60 2.4T I love it!! - 2001 Volvo S60
  By Scott A - June 28 - 10:00 am

  I bought the car 2 months ago with 27K miles....absolutely love it...most comfortable seats of any car Ive driven. My only complaints are with some of the plastic dash material, radio control functions, and at times rough suspension over city streets. Still, I absolutely enjoy driving the car which is a huge step up from my 15 yr history of driving Hondas. Finally, the 2.4T provides plenty of power with minimal turbo lag....glad I didnt spend xtra for the T5.

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  quirky but overall fun to drive - 2002 Volvo S80
  By paul - June 27 - 6:53 pm

  bought this car certified used from a volvo dealership and have had it for a little over a year now and put 20K on it. other than a couple of fuses and other minor electrical problems, i.e., dome light comes on when i hit a pothole, etc, the car rocks! awesome power, maybe too much for front wheel drive but i would never complain about that. i still find the design impressive and this still feels like a sold luxury car. compd to the e class and 5 series, and this totally was no brainer. has been very reliable and never in the shop for anything other than routine maintenance.

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  Hybrid system plagued by poor quality - AVOID - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By Scott - June 26 - 2:02 pm

  Our XC90 T8 is a little over a year old, and it has spent about two months of that time in the shop for several different visits. The car has completely been drained of battery once and needed towing (it had no power at all, zero, not even the electric doors would work); it had a problem hesitating when going uphill that required over a month in the shop and parts shipped from Sweden; and many warning lights have been going off requiring trips to the dealer. This new Volvo hybrid drive train is not ready for prime time. Its too bad as its a very nice car otherwise.

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  Volvo Headed Back to Greatness - 2010 Volvo XC60
  By Michael Brown - June 26 - 12:40 pm

  As the past owner of 3 Volvo, I can tell you that I switched brands because my last Volvo was a disappointment. After lots of nudging, my wife convinced me to look to Volvo as a replacement vehicle for her wonderful BMW 530i which had come to the end of its lease. We need an SUV type vehicle and the X3 was not satisfactory and the X5 was too big. The XC60 was perfect. It drives incredibly well (a smidge better then the Audi Q5). It has buckets of power and torque and stops well. Coming over a twisty hill at a good clip with an unexpected major drop, my wife was able to control the vehicle easily and there was no loss of grip or direction. That one maneuver closed the deal for us!!

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  Best used car I ever owned - 2000 Volvo S70
  By Irontim - June 25 - 7:10 am

  This is my 3rd Volvo and there is a reason that I keep buying them, and that reason is reliability. This S70 T5 is great. Its good on gas, comfortable and fun to drive, and its fast. I love to hear the turbo kick in. If I buy another car guess what... Volvo.

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  Suweeet - 2006 Volvo S60
  By Jim - June 25 - 4:56 am

  I went from a 4Runner to this vehicle. Perhaps Im getting old. I seats are incredibly comfortable (essential for my long commute). I test drove an older S60 2.4 (non- turbo) and Im extremely glad that I went with the newer Turbo AWD.

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  Beware of Volvo!!!!! - 2012 Volvo XC60
  By Dennis - June 24 - 4:12 pm

  Purchased this Volvo new and it came with a 5 yr/ 50000 mile promotional factory warranty that has just ended. Aside from scheduled maintenance volvo has either repaired or replaced under warranty the following: Battery twice ( car had to be towed in both times), plastic piece by rear seat headrest broke, plastic piece by rear seat fold down lever broke, AC condenser, gas gauge sending and receiving unit, rear back up camera, dash computer,rear hatch actuator, Windshield was leaking water inside, has now developed a bad smell they believe is mildew caused by water getting under carpet from leaking windshield so they shampooed carpet, car still smells. Based on repair history of first 5 yrs of ownership the time when the least repairs should occur it is obvious the car has issues. Now that warranty is up I contacted volvo explaining that I didnt think it fair that I find myself in a position that I pay $43000 for a car, maintain it well, has less than 50,000 miles and it appears I must sell it to avoid hefty future repairs. I asked them to recognize that this is not their best manufactured vehicle and must be outside of what they believe is acceptable. I asked they either preferably extend the warranty or if not provide a very good incentive to trade in on a newer volvo. Their first response was to tell me that if any of the repairs made broke a second time they would "consider" at that time making the repair. I asked to speak to the person making that decision so we could discuss and was told I cannot. I wrote another letter to volvo a bit stronger and low and behold I received a call from the servicing dealer (Jaguar Land Rover Porsche Volvo of Greenville).  I went in and met contact at dealer. He looked at history and told me the following: The car was out of service 28 days in the 5 yrs, it had been in 11 times for service in 5 yrs, (This doesnt seem too bad however when something broke we lived with it until it was time for next scheduled service as we live about 40 min drive from dealer.) Had I had to pay for those repairs it would have cost me approx $5000. My feeling was that $5000 for repairs in the first 5 yrs was horrible this is when car should need to be repaired the least. He then told me that bringing it in 11 times in 5 yrs was below average. When I told him that Volvo cannot be proud of the repair history of this car and cannot think it is usual and customary he said that two of the repairs added to $2600 and if we separated out those two repairs the repairs history of $2400 was pretty good. While this is all going on they price my car for a trade in and give me a price of $11,000 that would be a 75% depreciation in 5 yrs for a vehicle with no visible damage inside or out with less than 50,000 miles (kbb prices median trade in as $14,000). End result is volvo obviously feels and dealer rep has expressed to me that these repairs are normal and within acceptable limits I obviously disagree. Also be aware that while volvo is responsive to emails you cannot speak directly with a decision maker they are shielded..Very frustrating..

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  Love it! - 2006 Volvo XC90
  By Eric H - June 23 - 11:10 am

  Our familys first Volvo. Bought it for my wife after she had a baby -- shes no longer able to drive her 2-seater convertible with the baby. We both love it. Smooth drive. Very stylish. Chose this SUV after test driving and strongly considering BMW X5, VW Touareg, and Range Rover. Choosing the Volvo just seemed clear to us to be the smart choice, especially when it comes to safety and reliability.

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  My used 2000 S80 T6 is great! - 2000 Volvo S80
  By PapaBravo - June 22 - 10:00 am

  Bought certified pre-owned, and I absolutely love this car. Engineering and function are wonderful, and its a blast to drive the T6. Highly recommend as a used car, the new ones are a bit pricey. (Better to let a rich person eat the first three years of depreciation!)