Swedish automotive manufacturer Volvo is a difficult brand to pin down. You might not associate them automatically with the big names from Germany, with tech pioneers like Tesla, or even with performance-conscious manufacturers like Ferrari or Porsche. A Volvo, rather, has an identity all of its own.
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If you’re used to a certain kind of luxury car, as such, you might be unsure of whether a Volvo will meet your needs. But there’s reason to suppose that Volvo not only matches up with the Audis, BMWs, and Mercedes of the world; in some cases, the Swedish brand not only lives up to the standard but surpasses it.
The luxury of a Volvo
Volvo’s name comes from the Latin for ‘I roll’, and this offers a valuable insight into the philosophy that drives the manufacturer’s design decisions. They are straightforward vehicles, designed with excellence in mind.
When the brand was first launched, almost a century ago, it devoted considerable engineering resources to battling with the harsh Scandinavian climate. Many of these lessons persist – and so too does Volvo’s reputation for stellar reliability. If a car can cope with the winter in Lapland, then the chances are that it can tackle the challenges of your professional and personal lives without breaking a sweat.
Thinking about making a purchase?
Let’s take stock of some of the main selling points of a Volvo.
To begin with, they’re great for off-road driving, even if the model you’re considering doesn’t quite fit into the SUV category. You can expect advanced all-wheel drive and enviable traction control.
Volvos also tend to perform excellently in independent safety tests. Modern features like lane assist and blind-spot warnings are also present on newer models. The Volvo V40, for example, is the best-performing car of all time in EuroNCAP tests.
We should also consider that Volvos don’t always command a high price; so, a used Volvo is a worthwhile investment, especially when we consider the depreciation suffered by purchasers of brand-new vehicles.
Facts you didn’t know
We’ve already mentioned the Latin origins of the company’s name. But there are plenty of other pieces of interesting Volvo trivia to consider.
For example, did you know that the company started life as a ball bearing manufacturer, back in 1911? Or that the company was the first ever to use laminated glass in windscreens, in the mid-nineties?
The company tests its cars in Gothenburg, using a machine that was originally designed to test whether buildings could withstand earthquakes. It’s using this device that the company has cemented its reputation for producing some of the world’s safest-ever vehicles.
Volvos have a reputation for longevity, too. The highest mileage ever recorded is three million. There’s no better illustration of quality engineering.
Images: Volvo
I am a 50-something Torontonian who loves everything about my city. It’s been my home, my playground, for my entire life. I went to school here. I met my wife here. I own real estate here. I love writing about the transformation of my city on the world stage, which hasn’t been anything short of dramatic. That continues on, as I write this. I write on the real estate scene. I write on travel and fashion. I like following the world of luxury watches.
But I love writing about cars – check that, luxury cars, a level of superior, engineering sophistication, high performance and style, that transports you not just from one destination to another but also out of whatever you are going through on a particular day, whatever mood you are in, all to another head space. It’s complete and total exhilaration, head to toe.
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