When you see or say that word, there is a natural inclination to go to a sort-of ingrained image: safety first, stodgy, boxy. I have always felt, and said many times, that I consider Volvos to be the car of choice for Subaru drivers who suddenly come into some real money. (As an aside, I now believe Subarus are the car of choice for Subaru drivers who suddenly come into some real money, as the stickers on Subarus aren’t just inching up, they appear to be footing or yarding into the stratosphere.)
For so long, those who would like Volvos but crave more sportiness have been Saab people. Either way, there must be something very Swedish about colleges, and in particular college professors, for both Volvos and Saabs seem to proliferate on campus. English professors and accounting department heads favor the Volvo, while law school deans and visiting professors of creative writing go Saab. It’s all part of the picture.
Volvo, however, has been on a tear for the last maybe ten years to try and break out of its ingrained stereotype. Without abandoning its long-standing chokehold on the safety end of the spectrum – Volvo retains this image and reality, notwithstanding that many other lines now do as good a job on the safety front – Volvo has at least tried to break out of its shell.
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