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:

• 

  My Volvo. - 2005 Volvo S40
  By Mardi - March 20 - 1:53 am

  The head rest pokes out and isnt comfortable. Other wise the seat is very nice. The trunk is too small, especially from top to bottom. Love the 6 CD changer and sound quality. Love the exterior look. People stop me all the time. Come out from stores to find people looking at it. wish I had bought the turbo. feel very safe in it. wish there was more storage in terms of console space in front of car. like the old S40 glove box better. everything falls out. The air conditioner is too loud. In fact, the whole car is too loud.

• 

  Competent but not outstanding - 2001 Volvo S40
  By Canuck2003 - March 19 - 10:00 am

  Bought it 1 year old from the Volvo dealer and paid 20% less than if we had bought it new. Excellent value at that price. Pretty good acceleration and handling, although the ride can be a bit stiff on irregular surfaces. Engine a bit noisy at low (parking lot) speeds. Braking is excellent, although I agree with other reviewers that they wear down prematurely. Well-designed interior; e.g. hook on the left passengers side (on which to hang a jacket)is placed so that the blind spot is not obstructed. Cruise control is easy to use. Cup holders though are useless. Not as well built as the A4 but we paid much less than the A4.

• 

  Good Car, Bad gas Mileage in T5 AWD - 2013 Volvo S60
  By frugal_car_guy - March 18 - 1:41 pm

  I have owned a T5 AWD automatic premier for 5 months. I have averaged 19 MPG combined! That is just plain awful for a 5 cylinder. And no, I do not have a lead foot. This is typical suburban driving and light commuting. (FYI: In 2015, the new 4 cyl engine is faster and gets 25 city, 37 highway.) Other than that the car handles great, is very smooth and comfortable and has very good acceleration. I have had no problems so far. Another negative is that the controls, radio, seat heater etc. are difficult to operate and poorly designed. This car is smoother, more comfortable, quieter, and handles better than my wifes 2012 Acura TL. I got a great deal on a demo, but I should have waited.

• 

  S40 2000 - 2001 Volvo S40
  By vonts - March 16 - 9:03 pm

  Nice car except: 1. Paint on the hood leaches off when you wax it. Super soft paint still arguing over getting the hood repainted. 2. Its been in the shop twice for warranty work, nothing that stranded me, but still. 3. Better than the normally aspirated S60, I had one as a loaner while mine was in the shop and for that much money the dash and switches are cheaply done.

• 

  2006 Volvo V-50 - 2006 Volvo V50
  By walrus17 - March 16 - 5:20 pm

  Other than rountine maintenance for a car with 149K, its been a reliable car. I did have a problem with an air/fuel sensor that was going bad and would not show up on the computer codes. Thought I had water in the fuel, but replaced the sensor for $397.00 and have had no further problems. My car is a turbo 5 cylinder with all wheel drive and it has no power issues. The car handles well in the snow and on wet roads. The vehicle is comfortalbe to drive and has heated leather seats. For a sport wagon with a sun roof, its a great family car, that I would recommend.

• 

  New Volvo Wagon - 2005 Volvo V70
  By V70 Fan - March 15 - 2:36 am

  This replaces out 1991 240 wagon with 230k miles on it, purchased new. What a difference, yet not a surprise with the detail and quality. In a nutshell, I feel safe and secure. Average milage 26.5 mpg to date. Comfortable, elegant, and well designed, though it may take getting use to all the features. Study the manual first to know about the purpose and layout. Then appreciate the details.

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  Wanted to Like... - 1999 Volvo S80
  By lynnmckeel - March 14 - 2:08 am

  I really wanted to like this car. It was so comfertable and I felt very safe all of the time. Drove like a dream. However it has been a constant money pit The car has 163,000 miles on it so it is old but its not going to last with out hundreds maybe thousands of dollars invested. Its been constant for the last two years: In addition routine work I have also had to replace struts, fix the fuel pump, the coils, the head light got busted and the electics have never been the same, the ac is shot, the power locks are shot, had to have the power steering fixed, and ALL of the fabric lining is coming off. Lots of money, time, and towing

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  4 Years of Monthly Warranty Repairs - 2006 Volvo V50
  By Renee - March 8 - 3:50 am

  I have owned this vehicle just under 4 yrs. Beginning around 10k miles started having issues. Door locks worked intermittently, small stones would get caught in the rotors,making an awful metal on metal sound, the battery died/car needed towed to dealer at 25k miles, door locks worked sometimes, other times got locked in and had to crawl across passenger seat to get out, a piece of the roof rack would fall off during car washes, and the gas gasket went. Many of things were unable to be fixed and needed multiple service appts. This was my first and probably last Volvo. I just traded this in for a new Honda, mostly due to the reliability. But Ill miss driving this. It was a blast to drive.

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  Love it all but the maintenance - 1999 Volvo V70
  By A Kirkland Mom - March 4 - 7:16 am

  I adore everything about my Volvo but the price it takes to keep it. Even the dealer admitted it is a lemon. Another reviewer hit the nail when he said "very good or awful." I got the short end of the stick on this one with weird problems (unraveling muffler gumming up exhaust, unexplained smokes inside and out...) and so may trips to the dealer, I know all the service peoples kids names. That being said, I love the way it drives, looks, feels and physically holds up, structure wise, I just picked a lemon. Would buy another one but cant gamble on picking a winner.

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  More time in shop than on the road - 2007 Volvo XC90
  By Marginmonster - March 1 - 2:00 pm

  My wife and I purchased our 2007 XC90 3.2 in April of 07. We have had multiple problems with this vehicle including a chronic rattle (5 weeks in the shop), a defective DVD entertainment system (almost caused a fire), improper oil change (1 1/2 quart low)and a stress cracked windshield / improperly installed from factory (took and act of God to get Volvo to take responsibility for). While the build quality of this vehicle and design of the XC90 looks good, we have experienced many problems that should not have occured in a vehicle in this price range. We would not recommend Volvo and particularly the dealership we worked with.