End of the Line for the Volvo Estate

Put on a black armband, pour one out, say a prayer. However you choose to mourn the passing of a loved one it’s time to collectively grieve as we lament the loss of the Swedish brick. Yep, sadly Volvo has announced that it will no longer be selling estate cars in the UK. That’s like Mr Kipling refusing to make any more Cherry Bakewells, or Quentin Tarantino deciding to only make romantic comedies from here on out. Granted, it has been a while since those iconic boxy long bois, synonymous with the brand, were a regular sight on our roads but Volvo was still making stretched versions of its saloon cars up until this year. Yeah, and it’ll be axing those, too.

In the world of the Volvo, the SUV is king. Apparently. It’s an industry sweeping trend that we just don’t get, frankly. Individuality and iconic design is sadly a thing of the past as far as the general automotive industry is concerned. The Volvo estate is truly a symbol of safety and practicality that goes down in the annals of automotive history as a proper icon alongside the likes of the VW Beetle, Porsche 911 and the Ford Mustang. Not only that but it proved itself as a legitimate performance weapon, too. You only have to look at the British Touring Car Championship in the mid ’90s to see just how capable the 850 estate was as a thoroughbred race car at the hands of Rickard Rydell and how that translated to the street with the 850R – a car that was a true wolf in sheep’s clothing and sleeper car royalty.

But this is clearly a decision based on sales figures rather than the efficacy of the cars themselves because Volvo’s Special Vehicles team will continue to provide high performance estates to the British emergency services, just sadly not to the public. Boooo. We’re not stupid though, we know a company can’t kowtow to sentiment if it wants to be successful and selling only SUVs and electric vehicles is no doubt sound business acumen backed up by hard data, with a Volvo spokesperson telling us: “sales of our saloon and estate models has fallen to very low levels in the UK, which has led to our decision to remove these models from sale in the UK”. It doesn’t make it any less difficult to swallow for fans of these cars, however.

Volvo has been making estate cars since the early ’50s with the introduction of the Duett, a model that would set the precedent for future estates from the Swedish manufacturer – boxy, practical and hardy transport for the whole family, including all the pets, shopping and anything else you might care to chuck in the back.

Then there was the beguiling Amazon that made its debut in ’56, segueing into the 140 series in the ’60s and on to perhaps the most memorable of all the Volvo estates, the 240, in the mid-’70s. This was the car, for us at least, that cemented Volvo’s reputation for producing bullet proof boxy wagons, a reputation earned in large part due to the pretty much indestructible “Red Block” four-cylinder engines that were fitted.

These superb powerplants, available in both normally aspirated and turbocharged form, would continue to be utilised in the 700 and 900 series estates of the ’80s and ’90s. It wasn’t until the 850 that Volvo’s 2.5-litre, inline five-cylinder engine would become renowned, despite a diesel five-pot being used in some 200 series cars earlier on.

The V40s, V60s and V90s ushered in a new era for the Volvo estate with their softer lines and sweeping rear ends and although load space wasn’t as roomy as previous models these newer wagons were still hugely practical family cars with a focus on comfortable, well appointed interiors.

Just like when Ford announced the end of the road for the Fiesta, prompting a substantial increase in Ford Fiesta searches here at Car & Classic, perhaps it will be the same for old school Volvo estates and may impact future values. With a dedicated following from classic car enthusiasts (myself included – I own a 1997 Volvo 940 Turbo estate) the classic community will ensure these cars will continue to be loved and driven. Somebody still needs to do the tip run and help friends move house after all.

We love Volvo estates and it’s a sad day that marks the end of an era but there are still plenty of them out there to buy and enjoy so perhaps now is the time to scratch that particular itch and pick one up for yourself. if you do, you won’t be disappointed. Trust us.