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Despite the onslaught of minivans, SUVs and now various "crossover" offerings, these venerable workhorses have remained a focal point of the mix. On one hand, the Gothenberg Gang has long excelled in serving the overtly utilitarian wing of the wagon-buying community.
Volvo V50 -- 2005 First Drive: Fahrenheit and Celsius converge when the temperature reaches 40 below zero, the forecasted wind chill on the day of our first test drive of the 2005 Volvo V50, and when the air whips across the surface of exposed skin, it sears the cells like a burn on a hot stove.
The Volvo V40 never proved compelling to Americans seeking a modicum of luxury and utility for just under $30,000, selling in low numbers to Volvo fans and safety-conscious consumers looking for a high-value alternative to wagons from Audi, BMW and Lexus.
Volvo XC90 V8 -- 2005 First Drive: Everyone knows Volvos are safe.
The original Volvo C70 leaned away from sports car and much more toward the luxury cruiser side of the spectrum. But the new C70 inches the needle a little more in the direction of an enthusiast machine with its more rigid body structure, wider track, lower ride height and redesigned independent suspension at all four corners.
Not so coincidentally, the purpose of this excursion is to get a good look at and some seat time in the 2006 Volvo C70, an innovative and sexy hardtop convertible company exec's claim perfectly exemplifies the brand's three greatest strengths - design, innovation, and safety...
Sleet, slush, and snow—perfect weather. Perfect, that is, if you want to test-drive an SUV. For all the commercials about rock scrabbling, in the real world more SUVs are purchased to handle bad weather than backwoods trails.
Volvo's C30-based ReCharge concept boasts a gasoline engine, electric motors at each wheel and batteries to create a distinctly Volt-like vehicle...
Remember when we told you that Volvo was keen on getting the youth market to take a look at its brand? They weren't kidding.
Volvo C30 by Heico Sportiv Preview - SEMA Show: Anyhow, this particular C30 ups the ante with more power, bigger wheels and tires, better suspension and an aggressive body kit...
The S80 High Performance Concept is for the dads (and moms), who miss their own rowdy days, and who are likely paying for a good chunk of all that gear.
The 2007 Volvo C70 is a striking sports coupe with an unmistakable Volvo family resemblance, which tackles inclement weather better than most ragtops and turns into a sophisticated convertible...
Volvo S80 - 2008 First Drive: Aimed at the big guns in the luxury sedan class, the pricey 2007 Volvo S80 over-promises and under-delivers.
Every car brand has its flagship, and for Volvo that would be the S80 sedan.
The XC60 is an all-new model from Volvo that goes on sale in the U.S. in early 2009. This crossover slots below the much larger XC90...
Volvo C30 T5- 2008 First Drive: The C30 is definitely a step in the right direction to enhancing Volvo's image. It isn't a revolution in the automotive world, but it's a serious step forward in associating Volvo with fun.
Redesigned inside and out, this sharp looking ride boasts a range of new engines, modern and luxurious interiors and the latest in safety technology...
Volvo touts the all-wheel drive XC70’s off-road capabilities as close to the XC90’s. With 8.3 in. of ground clearance, it can wade through nearly a foot of water and climb and, thanks to standard Hill Descent Control, descend steep grades with the ease of a truck-based SUV.
Volvo XC70 Preview - New York Auto Show: The Volvo XC70 is a sport-utilified version of the excellent V70 wagon, so it's not surprising that with the introduction of an all-new V70 comes an all-new XC70.
The 2009 Volvo S80 is the automaker's conservatively styled flagship sedan; though it ranks as more of a luxury car than a sport sedan, it has much more performance character with the available V-8 engine. Across the line, there's an overwhelming package of standard and optional safety features.
One of the most reliable places to get genuine Volvo parts at a discounted price is a salvage yard. To learn more ways to find cheap Volvo parts, read the following article.
We recognize that these tidy 3-door hatchbacks are functional to drive, easy to park, moderately inexpensive to buy, insure and maintain, and reasonably fun to scoot around urban and suburban settings. In fact, they're entertaining enthusiast cars just about anywhere you choose to drive, especially when enthusiastically personalized with the right stuff.
Volvo's have always had a reputation for safety. And I’d certainly recommend one if, like me, you have a tendency to be a bit of a crash test dummy. You see, our long-term C30 even provides protection when you’re not actually inside the car!
The Volvo S90 belongs to the range of rear wheel drive cars and vehicles that were built by Volvo, the car manufacturer from Sweden. This vehicle was manufactured and built during the 1980s and the 1990s.
From the kerbside, it’s an easy question to answer because the revised Colt stands out from the crowd much more than before. From other angles it’s business as usual, as the car’s boxy bodywork has more in common with an MPV than a rally-bred saloon.
The C30 isn't your typical Volvo. It's the smallest Volvo and the most athletic. Volvo has succeeded in its mission to build a fun-to-drive, sporty car.
With the release of the 2008 Volvo C30, Volvo is offering what one company executive calls a reverse halo car. Although this two-door hatchback comes in at the bottom of Volvo's lineup, Volvo hopes it can bring new people into its dealerships and give the company a sportier reputation.
All C30s have alloy wheels, with 17-inch wheels standard on 1.0 models and 18-inch wheels standard on 2.0s. Sixteen-inch wheels and tires are available as well, for drivers who value ride quality. The look is more attractive and more menacing with the 18s. Only five exterior colors are offered as standard options, but the Custom Order Options up the total to 16.
Unlike Audi, which seems to be following the Dodge Ram in-your-face school of design, the grille of the C70 is smaller and quieter. The headlamps gently lean inward toward the grille.
Volvo's new C70 has only three real rivals: the convertible versions of the Audi A4, BMW 3-series and Saab 9-3.
The Volvo C70 seems to be made for high-speed cruising. The car is very smooth and steady at freeway-plus speeds. And with the steel top, there's no ragtop racket at high speed. The C70 doesn't accelerate that quickly, but its top speed is a mind-boggling 149 mph, and electronically limited at that. We do not recommend this.
The Volvo C70 is a true convertible, converting from coupe to roadster with the press of a button. With a folding steel roof that deploys from its trunk, it converts from an open car to a closed one in just 30 seconds. The C70 helped launch a trend toward true hard-top convertibles when it debuted as a 2006 model, and it was an immediate sales success.
We found the C70 to be an excellent highway cruiser, smooth and steady at high speeds, quiet with the steel top up. Its stereo sounds superb.
The styling of the Volvo C70 revolves around the roof, developed in Italy by Pininfarina. Its roofline is that of a coupe, and it is the most handsome of coupes, with a solid upward sweeping A-pillar and delicately thin and downward sweeping C-pillar.
This article looks at the functional capabilities of Volvo radiators. It also talks about how Volvo radiators work, and how they can help your car’s performance.
Volvo ReCharge Concept Preview - 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show: If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Chevrolet must be getting embarrassed.
Rounded front corners (but mostly the engine package) enable this shortness, and the rear corners are pushed in as well, giving the S40 an overall stylish shape.
The Volvo S40 and V50 are essentially the same car underneath, so when it comes to the driving, what goes for the S40 sedan also goes for V50 wagon. The V50 performs identically to the S40, despite the extra bit of utility that goes with its wagon body style.
The S40 and V50 have given Volvo a legitimate alternative to the less-expensive cars from other import luxury brands. We'd go so far as to call these small Volvos sport sedans (or wagons, as the case may be), and with substantial improvements for 2008, the S40 and V50 are better than ever.
The S40 and V50 are surprisingly roomy given their exterior dimensions, which are nearly identical to a Honda Civic or Ford Focus. Volvo should be credited for creating efficient, intelligent ways to use space. Everything in the S40/V50 cabin is carefully compact, including the strong stubby door handles. They're easy to grab and pull.
Take a look at the latest Volvo price list, and diesel fans will be dismayed to discover that the base 1.6-litre oil-burning S40 is no longer available. This is because it’s been replaced in the UK line-up by the S40 DRIVe. The firm believes this will transform the entry-level version of its smallest saloon from being worth avoiding to unmissable.
The S40 T5 comes with a turbocharged engine that's wonderfully smooth, offering quick but linear acceleration performance. The entry-level 2.4i engine feels nearly as quick and is just as smooth.
Shorter overhangs front and rear versus the 2004 S40 and muscular fender lines give the new S40 a very athletic, sporting look. Although the old car was far from boring, the new one is just that much more dynamic.
The S60 R is another animal altogether. It was designed and developed by Hans Nilsson, who's been a Volvo engineer for 26 years and races his own Volvo in 24-hour endurance races.
The Volvo S60 boasts a nice ride quality, even over nasty bumps, even with 17-inch wheels. Volvo tightened up the base suspension for 2007, with firmer springs and shocks, front and rear; and thicker anti-roll bars supported by solid bushings. Roll stiffness was increased by 25 percent.
The Volvo S60 fills the middle range in the Swedish automaker's lineup: It's larger than the compact S40, but not quite as large as the premium-luxury S80. With its sleek, fastback profile, it's one of the most stylish cars in Volvo's lineup.
The 2008 Volvo S60 looks like a smaller version of the big S80 luxury sedan. It looks compact at first glance, but it's relatively large and roomy. What you can't see is all the engineering designed to protect the people riding inside the structure. It's there that Volvo's reputation for safety continues and deservedly so.
While the BMW is the biggest seller in the UK, in Western Europe the Mercedes E-Class is number one, with a 30 per cent market share.
What do the Bentley GTC and Volvo's latest S80 have in common? They both feature twin-turbocharged engines! The Swedish firm has brought in a range of changes to pep up its BMW 5-Series challenger – chief of which is an uprated 2.4-litre five-cylinder diesel.
The sumptuous surroundings in the new S80 are amplified by the wonderfully comfortable seats and the extra front and rear legroom that Volvo hopes will help to put the new car squarely into the luxury class.
We were impressed with the V8 engine, which sounds like a Corvette when first fired up in the morning then settles down to a nice, smooth idle. This engine is a Yamaha-designed 60-degree V8 with balance shafts, so it doesn't sound like a conventional 90-degree V8.
The V8 engine installation is certainly the biggest single news item about this car, but there's also a completely new 3.2-liter inline six-cylinder engine for those customers who don't want or need monster torque.
The Volvo S80 is fast, comfortable and roomy. Big and luxurious, it's Volvo's flagship sedan. It rides nice around town and it's powerful and tracks straight as an arrow at high speeds.
The S80 features a large grille opening, a sporty bumper and under-grille treatment, large headlamps, a domed hood, a whole new rear end treatment with large taillamps and a sportier bumper, a roof that works better in the wind tunnel, and body sides that are free of moldings.
The firm is a master when it comes to building estate cars, and its new entry-level V70 oil-burner is designed to make the model even more desirable to high-mileage company drivers.
The V70's staying power is due in large part to the emphasis Volvo has always placed on safety. This is a costly strategy that has come at the expense of style, pricing and interior materials.
The V70 body was developed with Volvo's usual attention to impact-dissipating crumple zones, and it features fully laminated glass. The styling is Volvo evolution, but the 2008 V70 is smoother, less gangly and visually tighter than the 2007 V70.
Volvo's new 2007 S80 arrived under the radar because at first glance it's easy to think you've seen the car a thousand times before. A side-by-side comparison with the previous version will spell out the subtleties, such as the more curved body lines and sleeker front and rear fascias, but you'll be hard-pressed to tell that it's an entirely different car.
As the 15 millionth Volvo vehicle rolls off the production line in Sweden, the automaker has added one more model to the lineup: the new XC60 crossover. The XC made its world debut at the Geneva Auto Show. Scheduled to go on sale in Europe in the fall of 2008, the XC60 will invade U.S. shores in the first quarter of 2009, hoping to compete with models like the BMW X3, Infiniti EX35 and Lincoln MKX.
The XC70 offers moderate off-pavement capability and superb gravel road handling. Yet it's also smooth, quiet and comfortable on the highway, and more maneuverable than nearly any truck you can buy.
The all-wheel-drive system operates seamlessly, and the driver will almost never know when it's working. In normal, good-traction conditions, 95 percent of the engine's power goes to the front wheels.
The Volvo XC90 is one of the most appealing vehicles Volvo builds. Beyond its family friendly design, functionality and flexible seating/cargo configurations, it's generally a pleasant vehicle to drive. It isn't particularly bulky or even hard to park, nor mundane in a people-mover, family wagon fashion.
For 2007, Volvo's sport-utility has been freshened with a restyled grille, bumpers and lights, and improved with new hardware under the hood.
The things that make a Volvo a Volvo just seem to work better in a vehicle designed for family-oriented, all-purpose transportation. The Volvo XC90 is strong on safety, comfort and functionality, and we consider it one of the most successful vehicles Volvo builds.
The Volvo XC90 seats five to seven passengers depending on the seating configuration. It's quiet, comfortable, and above all, roomy. By mounting its engine sideways across the chassis, Volvo has created a cabin with the space and flexibility of a minivan inside a relatively compact exterior.