Volvo or more formally the
Volvo Car Corporation is separate from Volvo AB which is the commercial vehicle division that makes trucks, buses and other heavy machinery. Volvo is owned by Ford motor group, and is the last remaining part of the Premier Automotive Group division of Ford, that originally contained Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo and Aston Martin, with Ford selling all the other companies, and a sale of Volvo too now looks likely within the next year. Volvo has built its reputation primarily on the safety aspect of the cars, and is one of its key marketing components. It introduced several world firsts in automotive safety, such as laminated glass, the 3 point safety belt, padded dashboards, Side impact protection, side airbags and the high mounted brake light. Current UK Volvo Models:
Volvo C30 The Volvo C30 is the smallest model Volvo currently produce, being a 3 door hatchback but marketed more as a 3 door coupe model. the C30 is based on the Ford Focus platform, but with driving dynamics softened to suit the more mature tastes of the typical Volvo customer. The C30 is also priced much higher than the equivalent Focus model to push the car towards the premium small cars offered by rivals such as the Audi A3 and BMW 1-Series. Prices for the C30 start from £14,990 on the road in the UK.
Volvo S40 The Volvo S40 is the twin sister of the V50 Estate model and they share the same basic architecture. Most car manufacturers would market them as a saloon and estate version of the same model but the Volvo policy seems to be to push them as 2 separate models. They both share the similar Ford Focus underpinnings as the C30, and ride a little more firmly than some of the larger Volvo models that customers are traditionally used to. The S40 also has the innovative "floating dash" design that gives the appearance that the centre console is separate from the dash - a clever piece of visual design.
Volvo V50 The Volvo V50 as mentioned is effectively the same car as the S40 above, and shares all of its characteristics. It is a junior lifestyle estate car, and while it has an estate lifting tailgate, it is not particularly capacious so those looking for the legendary carrying capacity of Volvo models in days gone by should look at the larger V70 model. The V50 prices start from £16,490 on the road in the UK.
Volvo C70 The Volvo C70 is now into its second generation, with the first model being a standard fabric roofed convertible, and this new car having an increasingly popular folding hard top. Both are true 4 seat cars, with good levels of space in the rear for full size adult passengers - something of a rarity in convertibles, particularly folding metal roofed ones. The C70 has never been a sports car, and with comfort orientated suspension settings is much more suited to the role of boulevard cruiser, something at which it is very accomplished.
Volvo V70 The Volvo V70 is the archetypal Volvo and the companies most recognisable model - a big squared off estate car with cavernous carrying capacity in the boot - there are few car on sale that fulfill this role better than the V70, which is capable of cruising all day with huge amounts of luggage - one of the reasons the car is so popular with the UK motorway police force - the V70 will take all the equipment they need and more.
Volvo XC70 The Volvo XC70 takes the V70 model as a base and modifies it for some light off road work, adding 4 wheel drive, raising the ground clearance with longer travel suspension, and bolting on a rugged looking plastic bodykit to complete the SUV look. The V70 will not climb mountains in the manner of a Land Rover, but for the occasional muddy green lane, it's perfect, and is very popular with the country set because of this.
Volvo S80 The Volvo S80 is effectively the saloon version of the V70, sharing the same platform, engines, bodywork and interior, but has never sold in as large numbers as the more popular estate. It is an executive car but the Volvo badge does not quite have the same cache as one from BMW or Mercedes, so the S80 lacks the popularity and also the residual values. It tends to come loaded with more equipment as standard and a cheaper list price than its Germanic rivals to try and compensate for this.
Volvo XC60 The Volvo XC60 is the newest of the Volvo models, and is a compact 4x4 SUV that focuses mainly on road driving rather than attempting to beat rivals such as the Land Rover Freelander at its own game. Volvo is making strides in moving away from the boxy styling of its cars of the 70's and 80's with the XC60 being a particularly good looking and curvaceous junior 4x4. unfortunately the market segment the model is positioned in is incredibly competitive with nearly every volume and premium car manufacturer having an offering in this segment, and with the popularity of 4x4's on the wane in the recession, the XC60 has not taken off in the way Volvo were hoping in emulating its big brother the XC90.
Volvo XC90 The Volvo XC90 is the brands largest car - a full size 7 seat SUV 4x4 off roader that is more focused on the school run than going rock climbing, making the car popular for big families. The XC90 avoids some of the more overt aggressive styling of some of the other big 4x4's on the market and hence has picked up a lot of sales to women who use it for picking up the kids. The XC90 starts from £29,995 on the road in the UK.
