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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  So far, so good - 2006 Volvo XC90
  By amy - January 27 - 11:10 pm

  Ive had my 06 for 16 months now but before that had an 05. Just test drove an ML 350 from Mercedes and I must say I prefer my Volvo. Granted the ML had a few features that were nice but overall, my Volvo had much more comfortable seats and more features for the price, i.e. dvd system, memory drivers seat, etc. I also have much more cargo area in my Volvo and because its a bigger car I have more legroom and just feel safer. Close the doors on the Mercedes and do the same with the Volvo and youll know the difference. My only gripe so far with the Volvo is the cheaply made stereo speaker units in the front corners. Should be better for a 50K+ vehicle.

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  Great Car!! - 2002 Volvo V70
  By netguy5000 - January 21 - 2:23 am

  This car is fantastic, at 59000 miles with nothing but tires and oil changes, it still runs great. Id recommend it to anyone. The rear seven for 7 passengers is a great feature too.

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  Great Value for Money - 2001 Volvo S40
  By ahirebet - January 20 - 2:20 pm

  Excellent bang for the buck. I bought this certified pre-owned, so it came with a 6 year, 100,000 mile extended warranty. Even so, I only used that warranty once to fix a cracked ignition coil and all it cost me was a $50 deductible. Aside from that, the car has performed flawlessly in all four seasons. It rides and feels like the other european luxury sedans - heated leather seats, alloy wheels, sunroof, quiet interior etc, but at a much better price. The 1.9L turbo delivers plenty of zip without compromising highway mpg.

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  Volvo S70 1998 STD - 1998 Volvo S70
  By Etienne - January 17 - 11:46 pm

  The car is smooth and its very quiet on the road. I think it drinks a lot, but its powerful, very very safe and its very well designed. The build quality is good.

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  Buy a S-80 again? Probably NOT! - 1999 Volvo S80
  By eyedoc - January 17 - 10:00 am

  For a car that wraps around you and says, I will protect you in a crash, my S-80 was a very disappointing experience. . My problems varied with the fuel injection and the suspension being the 2 greatest problems. Dealer had the car 2 months trying to fix it and 13 trips to the shop for misc. problems like the transmission sensor, just to mention a few. The dealer ship was wonderful, only problem was the 130 miles to get there. The day the car was going back it made it on a tow truck. For the 4 months before I dumped the car I put it in my back yard and let grass grow up around it.

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  Vroom, vroom... - 2004 Volvo S60
  By vizwiz - January 13 - 10:00 am

  Fantastic ride. Nice supple comfort when I am driving the in-laws around in "Comfort" mode. Great family driver also, with all the safety/comfort features (my 5 year old keeps egging me on to go faster and swerve around corners :-). When the wife and kid are not in the car, it gives me 300HP and plenty of oomph to embarass all sorts of other cars out there.

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  An OK car - 2000 Volvo S80
  By Stevenski - January 13 - 10:00 am

  This Volvo was just an OK car. Just was to many problems to over come the good looks.

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  My new volvo XC70 - 2016 Volvo XC70
  By John Sibilia - January 12 - 4:25 am

  Picked up the volvo about three weeks ago after driving a BMW530 for twelve years. Decided to lease the car in case I missed the sporty feel of a sedan. However, after a few weeks I really like the convenience of the wagon, more room for the dog, golf clubs and hitch on the back for the bikes. Electronics are simple and intuitive. I really like the wifi hot spot feature in this 2016 model. Comfort is excellent compared to the beamer. The only thing I dont like is the low gas mileage but I knew this would be the trade-off with the four wheel drive. With gas prices low and living in NJ, I was willing to give up gas efficiency to feel safer especially when it snows. So far, Im very happy with this car.

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  Hold out for a T6! - 2008 Volvo XC70
  By lindsayg - January 9 - 12:59 pm

  My 2008 XC70 was comfortable, reliable, safe, and VERY roomy. I liked it so much that I just bought a 2011 XC70 T6 (the Turbo model). My few "issues" with the 2008 were that the suspension was air-ride and was therefore unable to be customized for a tighter ride, the Tiptronic transmission was too slow to react and the brakes were too whimpy for the weight of the car. ALL those issues have been corrected in the 2011 as if they read my mind. However, with a good set of snow tires, my 2008 NEVER got stuck, and we had 2 winters of 2-6 foot snow storms. I went out on roads that hadnt been plowed, through plow piles at the end of my driveway, and it never hesitated. Better than my Jeep!

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  Fun Well Built Car - 2000 Volvo S70
  By weavy - January 8 - 10:00 am

  The Car is a pleasure to drive everytime I get Behind the Steering Wheel. Its very entertaining to drive, and has a very playful agressive stance. The engine is very smooth as well as the transmission. I would recomed the car to anyone who needs a nice sporty sedan.